Checking in without a passport

[20165]

Well, we are 22 days out from our cruise and im pretty sure my wife isnt going to have her passport.  Which was submitted in Jan of this year...  So my question is when i check her in online, it only gives 2 options, ID card and Passport.  Under ID card, do i just put her drivers license info in and then they will take a pic of her birth cert when we get to the port?

Absolutely crazy we are having to go through this, but we cant even get through on the phone to try to get an in person appt set up. It will be 6 months since we submitted her expedited passport renewal.  So anyones experience cruising with just a birth cert. is greatly appreciated.

thanks

 

[4sallypat]

I assume you are sailing from the USA ?

 

As for the passport, we had the same issue awhile ago with my wife and after waiting with no updates, she was told to go into the Los Angeles State Dept Passport service to get a 24 hr travel passport made for the upcoming travel.  

 

Had to prove the flight itinerary and paid a bit more but it was quick..

 

OTOH my son who had a minor passport that expired when he turned 18, just got his renewed from the post office within 3 weeks. 

That was super fast IMO.

Well worth the expedited fees.

 

Now we are leaving for the MSC cruise this week for the Mediterranean.

 

[ray98]

38 minutes ago, 20165 said:

Well, we are 22 days out from our cruise and im pretty sure my wife isnt going to have her passport.  Which was submitted in Jan of this year...  So my question is when i check her in online, it only gives 2 options, ID card and Passport.  Under ID card, do i just put her drivers license info in and then they will take a pic of her birth cert when we get to the port?

Absolutely crazy we are having to go through this, but we cant even get through on the phone to try to get an in person appt set up. It will be 6 months since we submitted her expedited passport renewal.  So anyones experience cruising with just a birth cert. is greatly appreciated.

thanks

 

You need to reach out to your Congressional reps for assistance.  They can do an inquiry after the estimate is missed.  What does the State Dept status site say?

 

For the other question....just enter her DL number.

Edited May 20, 2023 by ray98

[Morgsmom]

Yes, just enter the DL.  Make sure that the birth certificate has a raised seal.  A photocopy will not suffice.

[Illbcruzn4life]

not all birth certificates have a raised seal anymore. Some now have watermarks.

 

As long as its issued by the state it's ok. 🙂

[20165]

Im assuming we will also need to take our marriage cert. given her name is not the same on her DL as her birth cert?

[Illbcruzn4life]

59 minutes ago, 20165 said:

Im assuming we will also need to take our marriage cert. given her name is not the same on her DL as her birth cert?

Better to have it and not need it. I think as long as you have matching first names and same birthday you should be good. Hopefully @Ferry_Watcher will see this and give you a more definitive answer

[Georgia_Peaches]

My understanding is that a closed loop cruise originating in the US does not require a pass port and an official birth certificate (no photo copies) will suffice.  Enter the DL number in the check-in platform and take the original birth certificate and yes, a marriage license would be prudent as well.

[lcpagejr]

Usually you give the passport agency the original copy of BC when applying for Passport which is later returned. You may need to request a certified copy prior to your cruise

[20165]

29 minutes ago, lcpagejr said:

Usually you give the passport agency the original copy of BC when applying for Passport which is later returned. You may need to request a certified copy prior to your cruise

Not for a renewal, but we did order another copy so we wouldnt be taking our only one.  Fun fact, it took a whopping 2 weeks to get a certified copy of her birth certificate.  Going on almost 6 months for the passport...

 

[Illbcruzn4life]

4 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

My understanding is that a closed loop cruise originating in the US does not require a pass port and an official birth certificate (no photo copies) will suffice.  Enter the DL number in the check-in platform and take the original birth certificate and yes, a marriage license would be prudent as well.

There have been reports where people have not had the correct documentation at embarkation and had someone at home fax a copy and they were allowed to sail. @Ferry_Watcher

[Ferry_Watcher]

32 minutes ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

There have been reports where people have not had the correct documentation at embarkation and had someone at home fax a copy and they were allowed to sail. @Ferry_Watcher

@illbcrusin4life, is correct, that at least in Seattle, we will accept photos of birth certificates take are sent electronically to the pier via cell phone or fax.  This usually happens when a passenger arrives at the pier without the required travel documents.  If they are US born, they have an opportunity to call someone at home to try to find a copy of their US gov't issued birth certificate and have a photo of it sent to the pier.  We then print it out, and if it matches with the passenger's gov't issued ID, then they are good to go.

 

 

Assuming you are on a closed loop cruise, your wife's US gov't issued (city, county, state) birth certificate and her gov't issued photo ID (driver's license)  should be all she needs.  You can bring along the marriage license, but check-in agents (like me) are trained to look at first and middle names & date of birth of the birth certificate, and cross check with the current gov't issued photo ID.  If it matches, we embark the passenger, and send them off to the ship.

 

We deal with this birth certificate / married name situation every cruise day.  If the check-in agent is new, or isn't sure, a supervisor gets involved and if everything matches up, it is all good.

 

  

Edited May 21, 2023 by Ferry_Watcher

[kelleherdl]

29 minutes ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

There have been reports where people have not had the correct documentation at embarkation and had someone at home fax a copy and they were allowed to sail. @Ferry_Watcher

Faxing is not necessary. An emailed photo or scan directly to the cruise port agent will often suffice. I’m only pointing out that folks can be scared by the word ‘fax’ as few have them. I must caution that these are not hard and fast. The standard is ‘state-issued’ birth certificate with photo ID; copies not acceptable.

[emdia43]

When I was met with a delay I called my Congressman’s office. They got right on it and I had it back in days. 

[Illbcruzn4life]

3 hours ago, kelleherdl said:

Faxing is not necessary. An emailed photo or scan directly to the cruise port agent will often suffice. I’m only pointing out that folks can be scared by the word ‘fax’ as few have them. I must caution that these are not hard and fast. The standard is ‘state-issued’ birth certificate with photo ID; copies not acceptable.

I don't think there are any hard and fast rules for anything for sure . I just read a story about a family of 3 was denied boarding a flight from LAX to San Juan Puerto Rico because the toddler of the family didn't have a passport. 😲

[4sallypat]

3 minutes ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

I don't think there are any hard and fast rules for anything for sure . I just read a story about a family of 3 was denied boarding a flight from LAX to San Juan Puerto Rico because the toddler of the family didn't have a passport. 😲

Wait, PR is a US territory and no need for a passport.

 

It's a domestic travel isn't it ?

[Illbcruzn4life]

6 minutes ago, 4sallypat said:

Wait, PR is a US territory and no need for a passport.

 

It's a domestic travel isn't it ?

you are correct. Some how the gate agent didn't know this.??? This was allegedly  on Spirit Airlines.

I also find it hard to believe that every person on that flight had a passport except for this toddler.

 

But I'm only regurgitating what I read. There has to be more to the story.

Edited May 21, 2023 by Illbcruzn4life

[20165]

12 hours ago, emdia43 said:

When I was met with a delay I called my Congressman’s office. They got right on it and I had it back in days. 

We emailed her yesterday an will follow up with a call tomorrow.  Fingers crossed. 

[20165]

Just a quick follow up on this in case others are in a similar situation.  We emailed our congress person Saturday 10/19, she followed up with us on Monday, passed some paperwork back and forth with her and the passport agency and just got an email this morning, 10/25, that its approved and printing.  Should have it tomorrow or Monday.  Basically 3 business days after contacting her.  

[Illbcruzn4life]

8 hours ago, 20165 said:

Just a quick follow up on this in case others are in a similar situation.  We emailed our congress person Saturday 10/19, she followed up with us on Monday, passed some paperwork back and forth with her and the passport agency and just got an email this morning, 10/25, that its approved and printing.  Should have it tomorrow or Monday.  Basically 3 business days after contacting her.  

Thanks for the followup. 
 

Glad your problem got solved.

 

 

[LuckyStar]

On 5/25/2023 at 7:21 AM, 20165 said:

Just a quick follow up on this in case others are in a similar situation.  We emailed our congress person Saturday 10/19, she followed up with us on Monday, passed some paperwork back and forth with her and the passport agency and just got an email this morning, 10/25, that its approved and printing.  Should have it tomorrow or Monday.  Basically 3 business days after contacting her.  

That's fantastic news. Kudos to your Congress person for expediting for you.  

[NickG420]

My family experienced a similar situation. We all applied for passports for the first time as we are planning a trip to the UK in 2024. We decided to go ahead and obtain our passports for our upcoming cruise to make things easier and already have them.

We submitted our applications in February and as the May 28 sailing date approached, we noticed minimal progress and updates via the online portal. I reached out to my senator's office for assistance. They promptly intervened on our behalf, and I had all 4 passports and original documents returned the beginning of the following week. The process was remarkably straightforward, considering we are talking about the government, and their office provided invaluable support and guidance. Now, if only the DMV could get it's act together. 🙂

Edited May 26, 2023 by NickG420