Marriage license required?

[Iamcruzin]

So much easier to get a passport and take it with you even if it is not required IMO.

I agree and if you can only afford one passport get it for your wife or partner who has taken your last name. I can see this as something that will be an issue and perhaps required by all the lines in the future. They are really cracking down on identity. For the first time in over 40yrs my real ID drivers license finally has my middle name spelled out. In the past they only issued it with a middle initial. My passport and my driver's license were always different as on the passport it states the full name. I never had a problem but for some reason my middle name never appears on the airline ticket even though I enter it when booking the flight. Only the middle initial appears.

[sparks1093]

I agree and if you can only afford one passport get it for your wife or partner who has taken your last name. I can see this as something that will be an issue and perhaps required by all the lines in the future. They are really cracking down on identity. For the first time in over 40yrs my real ID drivers license finally has my middle name spelled out. In the past they only issued it with a middle initial. My passport and my driver's license were always different as on the passport it states the full name. I never had a problem but for some reason my middle name never appears on the airline ticket even though I enter it when booking the flight. Only the middle initial appears.

 

Possibly if the cruise lines over react but DHS has the time to fully vet all passengers during the cruise unlike with air or land border crossings (which is one of the reasons that the closed loop exception exists) so there isn't a need for them to be that hyper-vigilant (vigilant, yes).

[sellwingri]

We realized the day before we left for Seattle a few weeks ago that my friend’s DL had a different name than her birth certificate and that she might have a problem boarding the ship (she had no current passport as it expired 5 months before). We ended up calling the clerks office of the county where she got married 43 years ago and they pulled the marriage license and had the document overnighted to our hotel. We asked at check in if she would have been allowed to board without it and were told that he didnt know. ABP.....always be prepared and have an up to date passport even if you don’t have any travel plans.

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

Would you mind providing a link to the page where that information is? I do know that when DW applied for her passport she was not required to provide her marriage certificate and her name is definitely different on her documents.

 

If she didn't then how did the passport office know she was now really Mrs. Smith and not Ms. Jones or even ever was Ms. Jones. There had to be some document connecting her married name to the name on her birth certificate, so as to link the proof of citizenship. The B/C is all about proving US citizenship not identification, which is supported from the other required documents. If you read the actual passport application it has you list other names used and says they can ask for additional supporting documents.

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/apply-renew-passport/change-correct.html

[poocher]

I agree and if you can only afford one passport get it for your wife or partner who has taken your last name. I can see this as something that will be an issue and perhaps required by all the lines in the future. They are really cracking down on identity. For the first time in over 40yrs my real ID drivers license finally has my middle name spelled out. In the past they only issued it with a middle initial. My passport and my driver's license were always different as on the passport it states the full name. I never had a problem but for some reason my middle name never appears on the airline ticket even though I enter it when booking the flight. Only the middle initial appears.

 

 

Me too! First time my full middle (in my case, my maiden) name appears on my DL.

[ryano]

Just because they dont ask for one in many cases does NOT mean one might not be required. All it takes is one anal retentive agent to ruin your whole week. Im of the better safe than sorry group. The only misleading info in this whole thread are the definitive no it wont be needed replies.

 

All this about "bridging documents" use to be spelled out perfectly on Royals website. I have NO idea how to find it now

[sparks1093]

If she didn't then how did the passport office know she was now really Mrs. Smith and not Ms. Jones or even ever was Ms. Jones. There had to be some document connecting her married name to the name on her birth certificate, so as to link the proof of citizenship. The B/C is all about proving US citizenship not identification, which is supported from the other required documents. If you read the actual passport application it has you list other names used and says they can ask for additional supporting documents.

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/apply-renew-passport/change-correct.html

 

Yes, they can ask for additional documents (so can CBP for that matter when you are returning to the US), my point is the marriage license is not a required document for a first time application. It's not the post office's job to verify anyone's identity (other than to make sure the person matches the ID picture), it's to make sure all of the required forms are completed correctly and the required attachments are attached. The State Department verifies the information in the databases available to the government (and they are the same databases that DHS uses in vetting passengers during the cruise). For instance, when we got married DW had to submit a copy of our marriage certificate to DMV in order to get a new license with her married name and that information, along with much more, is available to both State and DHS.

[gatour]

There are three different discussions going on...

 

1. What is required to get a new passport.

2. What is required to change a name on a passport.

3. What the cruise line requires to board a ship.

 

The first two discussion are irrelevant to the O.P. original question.

 

The cruise line can have their own policies in regards to allowing boarding as long as they do not fall into covered discrimentory instances, etc.

 

If a cruise line wants "bridging" documents between other forms of identification then that is their right.

 

So if a cruise line it has a particular boarding policy is best to err on the side of caution unless you are gambler.

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

It's not the post office's job to verify anyone's identity (other than to make sure the person matches the ID picture), it's to make sure all of the required forms are completed correctly and the required attachments are attached. The State Department verifies the information in the databases available

 

Wrong, it is the post office or whomever you apply with to verify the passport applicant's identity, which I believe is actually what you stated. I work with DHS/CBP/ICE most every day and without getting into trouble they don't talk to each other.

[DebJ14]

Did your mother keep her maiden name as a middle name? That's what most people did back then, and still do, when getting married. My maiden name is now my middle name, and on my drivers license. If your mother's maiden name is on her I.D., she should not have a problem.

 

I don't even know where my marriage license is. :confused: However, I know travel with a passport.

 

You might want to order a copy of your marriage license. We had to provide earlier this year it in order for me to get my spousal benefits from Social Security, which are much higher than my own benefit from working. I think it cost me $20.00 to get it from the county where we married in PA, but it was well worth the cost once I saw the first spousal Social Security deposit!

 

It also came in handy to get the anniversary goodies at an all inclusive resort.

 

We use passports, but travel with friends who refuse to spend the money on them. She was not asked for the marriage license at check in, but the CBP officer wanted to see her "bridge document" to explain why the name on her birth certificate did not match the name on her drivers license.

 

And, when I had my parents buried together at a National Cemetery under my Dad's Veterans benefits, I had to provide their marriage license.

[sparks1093]

Wrong, it is the post office or whomever you apply with to verify the passport applicant's identity, which I believe is actually what you stated. I work with DHS/CBP/ICE most every day and without getting into trouble they don't talk to each other.

 

Sorry, I meant they make sure the person's face is the face on the ID, they don't check that the name on the ID matches the citizenship document. CBP and ICE are part of DHS and ICE has nothing to do with clearing people at a port of entry.

[SRF]

They are SUPPOSED to check.

 

Otherwise I could have ANY birth certificate to go with my DL. And since many states will given illegal immigrants a DL, it means they could get a US passport.

[sparks1093]

They are SUPPOSED to check.

 

Otherwise I could have ANY birth certificate to go with my DL. And since many states will given illegal immigrants a DL, it means they could get a US passport.

 

It's not even one of the required documents to apply so why would they? The post office or any acceptance agent doesn't have the ability to check any of the documents submitted in any case. The State Department does have the databases to do that and if they find any anomalies they'll ask for supporting documentation.

[Biker19]

Are we there yet?