Help! No passport, no birth certificate!

[Essiesmom]

I read it that the mother of the OP wants/needs a copy of her birth certificate.  The original, that she lost.   With that, she has cruised, and probably could again.  Is she hoping to get a passport?  She probably hasn't thought far enough ahead on the point that the passport agency is going to want a bridging document for the spelling discrepancy.  Which she doesn't have.    If she really wants the passport, when she finally gets the original birth certificate, go to the driver's license bureau and get a new license with the original spelling.  Armed then with two pieces of ID that agree, she can travel and then decide if she wants to go through an official legal name change.  EM

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, Essiesmom said:

I read it that the mother of the OP wants/needs a copy of her birth certificate.  The original, that she lost.   With that, she has cruised, and probably could again.  Is she hoping to get a passport?  She probably hasn't thought far enough ahead on the point that the passport agency is going to want a bridging document for the spelling discrepancy.  Which she doesn't have.    If she really wants the passport, when she finally gets the original birth certificate, go to the driver's license bureau and get a new license with the original spelling.  Armed then with two pieces of ID that agree, she can travel and then decide if she wants to go through an official legal name change.  EM

IIRC, the issue is her B/C does not have the same spelling as all her other ID.

Even if she had a B/C, she can't cruise because the ID doesn't match.

She wants someone to issue a B/C with her current spelling.

I suspect it's been sometime since she cruised before, ie, back when things weren't so carefully reviewed.  It's not at all clear that she could travel with an original B/C and a current D/L since they do not match.

OP has stated that they do not have time to do a legal name change.

But, you are correct, she does need to reconcile these spellings.  (I had the same issue when I applied for a passport.)

[new_cruiser]

On 3/19/2019 at 2:07 PM, brillohead said:

I've done verification processes like that, where they were asking things like which address I had previously lived at from a list of addresses.... the problem was, the options were something like:

• 122 Main Street
• 442 Chicago Street
• 646 Foster Street
• 885 Capital Street
• 648 Foster Street

And the street I lived on BACK IN THE MID 1990s was one of the two Foster Street addresses and it was in an apartment complex that I only lived in for six months and for the life of me I couldn't remember which street number was the correct one!!!! 

If the options had been between 646 Foster Street and 838 Foster Street or 1086 Foster, it would have been a no-brainer, or I could have looked them up on Google Maps and figured out which number it was.  Or if I had actually lived there long enough to have a bunch of mail at that address, etc.  Or if I had actually purchased a house instead of just renting.  But two numbers right next to each other in an apartment complex of multiple buildings that all looked alike and can't be differentiated via Google Maps.... I was sweating bullets!

I must have picked properly, though, because I passed the verification process!  😄

I'm pretty sure that if you miss one question it just gives you some additional questions. I've had similar checks ask a question I that I couldn't remember (and couldn't look up) and I still got through the questions. You would probably fail the verification if you missed a bunch of questions but you can get away with missing one.

[RocketMan275]

Just now, new_cruiser said:

I'm pretty sure that if you miss one question it just gives you some additional questions. I've had similar checks ask a question I that I couldn't remember (and couldn't look up) and I still got through the questions. You would probably fail the verification if you missed a bunch of questions but you can get away with missing one.

That's correct.  I've been through that process a number of times and one of their favorite question is "Do you know (name)."  I answered no several times and still passed.  I was curious so I searched online and discovered (name) was my ex-wife who had remarried twice since our divorce.  It's not like she and I exchange Christmas Cards.  I haven't spoken to her in about 25 years.  

 

The last time I applied for a security clearance, they asked for my ex-wife's current name, address, phone number and email address.  I told them I had no idea and had no intention of finding out.  I still passed.

 

My favorite question was:  provide the name, street address, and fax number of the hotel you stayed in while you were last overseas.  I told them I was on a military exercise.  We stayed in a tent on the side of a hill.  The tent didn't have a fax.  I told them I could provide the grid coordinates of the tent but that it wasn't there anymore since we brought it home with us.  I still passed.

[new_cruiser]

On 3/20/2019 at 8:47 AM, RocketMan275 said:

I just went through the online process to order a copy of my B/C through the state where I was born.  A simple on-line form.  There was no requirement to prove my identity. 

It may vary by state. In California, the form for getting the form of certificate one would need for travel requires a notarized statement that you are an authorized person. I don't know if they would accept one where the applicant said they were applying for their own certificate but the notarized first name didn't match the name on the certificate.  But perhaps that could be gotten around by having the spouse or child apply instead.

 

I was born in New York so out of curiosity, I checked that. There, a child or a spouse would require a court order to get a birth certificate. Only the person or their parent can get one without a court order. And they require ID with the application so a name mismatch might be a problem. 

 

Going through VitalCheck might work.

[CoyoteDreemurr]

I'm on the ship!!

[helen haywood]

Wonderful!  Hope you and your father enjoy the cruise.

[SRF]

On 3/22/2019 at 12:12 PM, RocketMan275 said:

The last time I applied for a security clearance, they asked for my ex-wife's current name, address, phone number and email address.  I told them I had no idea and had no intention of finding out.  I still passed.

 

One of my clearances, the interviewer was upset because I just gave my mother's maiden middle initials.  She would not give me her name.

 

So I told the interviewer, if you need that, go talk to her and YOU get the info.

 

I passed. 😄

 

Oh, and as far as I know, he did NOT ask her.

[CoyoteDreemurr]

I wrote a review! If anybody's interested, here it is:

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=653133

[LHT28]

glad you had a good time

[CoyoteDreemurr]

My mom's still trying to get her documents. Once she does and once we save up some money, we want to book a Royal Caribbean cruise. They seem to have more stuff that somebody like me would like. I loved the Princess cruise, though. Despite their customer service on their phone line being absolutely disgusting. 

[Essiesmom]

You might be interested in this thread, the man has essentially the same problem your mom has:

 

 

[CoyoteDreemurr]

Thanks a lot! I think this might help us. Btw, my mom might end up getting a lawyer and court order to solve this, since this is all just a bunch of hooey and she should have been able to get her BC and go on the cruise. I mean, it's just a first name. One of the forms said something about a court order, too.