Misspelled Middle Name. Does RCI care?

[drhall]

We are working on getting my partner's passport issued before we cruise this fall. That involved getting his birth certificate. No problem.

 

His birth certificate came in, and his middle name is spelled on it as "Allen"

 

His social security card, drivers license, banking documents, deed to our house, title to vehicles...entire legal existance is spelled as "Alan". It will be extremely easier and CHEAPER to amend the birth certificate than it would be to update his entire legal standing.

 

Our state has a few remedies to fix the spelling error by providing documented proof of the name being spelled the way it's intended, but most aren't applicable to him..

1. A school transcript - His transcripts have his middle name abbreviated, not spelled out. Won't work.
   
2. A marriage certificate – Not legally married.
   
3. The birth certificate of a child – No children.
   
4. A parent’s birth certificate or death certificate – Possible. Both are living. His father is estranged, so getting his will be difficult (he knows very little about him), but we may be able to get his mother's.
   
5. A DD-214 - Official discharge documents from military service. He didn't serve.
   
6. A Social Security Numident - An electronic version of where his mother originally applied for his SSN. This is our best route, I think.
   
7. A Federal Census Record - Hasn't participated.
   

We cannot get a passport until we get his middle name amended. RCI says if we don't have a passport to prove his residency, he can cruise with his Drivers License & Birth Certificate (which match each other in every respect except for the middle name spelling).

 

I am worried that we may not receive a passport in time to cruise, and that he'll get refused from boarding for the middle names not matching.

 

Has anybody had a similar issue? What was your experience?

 

Thanks in advance!

Edited April 10, 2015 by drhall

[Grandma Dazzles]

We are working on getting my partner's passport issued before we cruise this fall. That involved getting his birth certificate. No problem.

 

His birth certificate came in, and his middle name is spelled on it as "Allen"

 

His social security card, drivers license, banking documents, deed to our house, title to vehicles...entire legal existance is spelled as "Alan". It will be extremely easier and CHEAPER to amend the birth certificate than it would be to update his entire legal standing.

 

Our state has a few remedies to fix the spelling error by providing documented proof of the name being spelled the way it's intended, but most aren't applicable to him..

1. A school transcript - His transcripts have his middle name abbreviated, not spelled out. Won't work.
   
2. A marriage certificate – Not legally married.
   
3. The birth certificate of a child – No children.
   
4. A parent’s birth certificate or death certificate – Possible. Both are living. His father is estranged, so getting his will be difficult (he knows very little about him), but we may be able to get his mother's.
   
5. A DD-214 - Official discharge documents from military service. He didn't serve.
   
6. A Social Security Numident - An electronic version of where his mother originally applied for his SSN. This is our best route, I think.
   
7. A Federal Census Record - Hasn't participated.
   

We cannot get a passport until we get his middle name amended. RCI says if we don't have a passport to prove his residency, he can cruise with his Drivers License & Birth Certificate (which match each other in every respect except for the middle name spelling).

 

I am worried that we may not receive a passport in time to cruise, and that he'll get refused from boarding for the middle names not matching.

 

Has anybody had a similar issue? What was your experience?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Personally would get it legally and officially fixed.

 

Passport time is usually around 6 weeks to get a new one/renewal.

 

I would be more concerned with TSA and flying, manifest, airline, etc. They do check everything very carefully these days when you are boarding. When I book any airline/other type tickets I am usually asked to confirm middle name etc.

[looking4info]

Any chance of getting the drivers license reissued just using the middle initial?

[drhall]

Personally would get it legally and officially fixed.

 

Passport time is usually around 6 weeks to get a new one/renewal.

 

I would be more concerned with TSA and flying, manifest, airline, etc. They do check everything very carefully these days when you are boarding. When I book any airline/other type tickets I am usually asked to confirm middle name etc.

 

Right. That's Plan A. The Vital Records department needs 6-8 weeks (after we've satisifed the documentation requirement--which adds more time) to produce a new birth certificate. Then, another 6 weeks for the passport issuing.

 

I'm surprised he made it this far in life without realizing it, and also surprised he was issued a social security number as a child with a different middle name. He's flown in the last 12 months, and was actually cleared to enter (and did) the White House two months ago.

 

I am just concerned that, even with expediting, we will run out of time before the sailing. :eek:

[drhall]

Any chance of getting the drivers license reissued just using the middle initial?

 

Nope. TN requires that drivers licenses read with full names spelled out.

[bigque]

I sent my passport for renewal and it came back in two weeks, so if you cruising in the fall you should be good if he has already sent it off! :cool:

Edited April 10, 2015 by bigque

[P&C4/16/67]

Have a BIL who had a similar problem. BC said Alexander and he used Alex on everything. For some reason, he had to go to court to get it all straightened out.

[HiCSailor]

Nope. TN requires that drivers licenses read with full names spelled out.

Fastest course of action would probably be to "correct" the spelling on the driver's license to match the birth certificate.

 

The birth certificate and license are sufficient to get the passport and you can undertake the more lengthy legal process later at your leisure. On the cruise, the passport will be all that is needed.

[cb at sea]

Yes...while you should get it fixed, it's very unlikely that the cruise line will even notice the misspelling!

[setsail]

You should get your answer from the people who will actually be checking you in at the port

[cruisinfanatic]

Personally would get it legally and officially fixed.

 

Passport time is usually around 6 weeks to get a new one/renewal.

 

I would be more concerned with TSA and flying, manifest, airline, etc. They do check everything very carefully these days when you are boarding. When I book any airline/other type tickets I am usually asked to confirm middle name etc.

hasn't taken that long in years

[mark290]

 

He's flown in the last 12 months, and was actually cleared to enter (and did) the White House two months ago.

 

I am just concerned that, even with expediting, we will run out of time before the sailing. :eek:

 

Too late now but he should of just asked the Prez to expedite the process

when he was there.

[maggie416]

My husband's birth certificate, social security card and drivers license have different middle names! When we went to get our first passport the gentlemen looked at it all and told my husband to just get his passport without a middle name and that is what he did and we have not had any problems. This was in 1977. Every time he gets his license renewed he tries to get the middle name changed, forget it! He also just needed to get a new social security card and tried to drop the middle name, again, forget about it! We were just discussing this today since our cruise is in 3 weeks.

Marg

[MrsPete]

However you choose to correct this, I think you SHOULD do whatever's necessary to chanage all his documents to the same spelling. Get all the documents to "line up", and then you never have to think about this again.

 

The cruise line DOES care about such things.

So do the airlines.

 

My husband is a junior, and it causes him to be "red flagged" fairly often. I remember the first time we were on a plane together, and the flight attendant -- after we were on the plane -- called out, "Passenger Name Name, please identify yourself." He stood up, and they spoke briefly -- no problem. He says he gets that fairly often on business flights. Similarly, TWICE when we've been boarding a cruise -- both times with Royal Caribbean, I'm pretty sure -- he's stepped up to the counter to see a RED SCREEN that scares me a bit. It's always about looking twice at his ID.

 

When I book travel of any type, I am always very careful to be very exact with his spelling (and to include his Jr.).

 

My husband says that if we'd had a son, he would have given him his own name -- he would not have inflicted this small headache on him. Personally, I think my friend's family does it right: They have a family name that's passed down to the first-born boy in each generation (and her husband is that boy), but those boys each get a new, unique MIDDLE NAME.

 

But I digress ... yes, I would do whatever's necessary to get this document problem fixed. I would not be comfortable traveling to Florida and hoping that all would be well upon boarding.

[Bowie MeMe]

We have had the Jr. problem. It (the Jr.) sometimes shows up jammed on the end of first name, sometimes after the middle name and on at least one mailing list it was addressed to Mr. Jr. :D His father has been dead 43 years and still can not drop the Jr. that was useful for the first 25 years of life.

 

(As a side we have first and last name the same for grandmother, daughter in law and granddaughter (who uses her middle name). Has caused problems but mostly it is a barrel of laughs as people try to figure it out. Grandma is gone and daughter is happy to be Dr. and her married name so it is just me with the name now. I might just have inherited some early cruise line points from the situation though:D They have still not figured that mess out when we all travelled together. Gave daughter hers in a new account!)

[awhcruiser]

Do you have any contact info? How do you know who these people are?

You should get your answer from the people who will actually be checking you in at the port

[pnerissa]

Go to http://www.travel.state.gov (passport office) and do your research there. I have worked as a passport acceptance agent at the local court house and slight differences in name spellings are allowed. I would urge you to visit the above website to verify the latest rules and requirements because they change frequently. You can also contact them at the 1-800 number on the website for more help.

[Grandma Dazzles]

hasn't taken that long in years

 

 

Sent in for a renewal a few weeks ago. Very basic. No questions or problems. Had my old passport, etc. I was told 6-8 weeks - right now it has been over a month.

[HiCSailor]

My husband is a junior, and it causes him to be "red flagged" fairly often.

 

... we have first and last name the same for grandmother, daughter in law and granddaughter (who uses her middle name). Has caused problems but mostly it is a barrel of laughs as people try to figure it out.

 

I am the third (III) and my son is the fourth (IV) -- I don't recall having much meaningful input into that decision. Making sure the reservations are all sorted and making sure the sea pass cards/theme park tickets/etc remain in the right hands, has lead to some interesting conversations, looks, and moments.

[legaljen1969]

Could you get another passport with an "Alias." My name change was for marital reasons, but I have different names on my driver's license and my military ID. One has First Name Middle Name Married Last Name. Other has First Name Maiden Name Married Last Name.

 

When I did my passport, I listed my name as my First Name Maiden Name Married Last Name, and then listed my complete Maiden name and my First Middle Married Last as "aliases."

 

If the birth certificate says Allen and the SS Card (and some other official documentation of some sort) says Alan, maybe you can resubmit your paperwork with an "alias." Don't know, but it is worth a try.

[drhall]

Our local county office says that, in this case, they can submit the Passport application with a middle initial instead of his name being spelled out. They can't control whether or not the state office accepts it, but that's what the county level typically does in this situation.

 

So, we're going to give that a try and go through the legal name change at our leisure, when time isn't of the essence anymore.

 

I will report back soon...and hopefully with a passport!

 

Thanks for all the advice!