kcteach12 Posted July 13 #1 Share Posted July 13 Has anyone ever used a birth certificate card to board a cruise? I know that it’s better to have a passport, but my daughter (she’s 46) doesn’t have one and not enough time to get one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Ferry_Watcher Posted July 13 #2 Share Posted July 13 Seattle's Pier 91 usually accepts them (Alaska closed loop cruises). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare sparks1093 Posted July 13 #3 Share Posted July 13 8 hours ago, kcteach12 said: Has anyone ever used a birth certificate card to board a cruise? I know that it’s better to have a passport, but my daughter (she’s 46) doesn’t have one and not enough time to get one. For a closed loop cruise as long as it is issued by a government entity it is acceptable. If and when she applies for a passport she'll likely need a long form birth cert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d9704011 Posted July 13 #4 Share Posted July 13 1 minute ago, sparks1093 said: For a closed loop cruise as long as it is issued by a government entity it is acceptable. If and when she applies for a passport she'll likely need a long form birth cert. What about closed loop cruises with stops in Panama and/or Colombia? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare sparks1093 Posted July 13 #5 Share Posted July 13 1 minute ago, d9704011 said: What about closed loop cruises with stops in Panama and/or Colombia? I think those fall outside the area defined by the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative and in order to be considered closed loop the cruise must depart from and return to the same US port and travel entirely within the area defined by WHTI. In any event since I've never cruised to those ports I've not researched the question in depth. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles4515 Posted July 13 #6 Share Posted July 13 13 hours ago, kcteach12 said: Has anyone ever used a birth certificate card to board a cruise? I know that it’s better to have a passport, but my daughter (she’s 46) doesn’t have one and not enough time to get one. You main a birth certificate and a government issed photo ID? What is the cruise itinerary? They are accepted on many closed loop cruises but not all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles4515 Posted July 13 #7 Share Posted July 13 13 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said: Seattle's Pier 91 usually accepts them (Alaska closed loop cruises). There is such a thing as a birth certificate card? Never heard of that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Ferry_Watcher Posted July 13 #8 Share Posted July 13 2 minutes ago, Charles4515 said: There is such a thing as a birth certificate card? Never heard of that. Different states offer various options. The best option is the actual birth certificate or certified copy, but the cruise lines will accept copies. The small index card size document issued by some locales are usually accepted, as are the rarely seen small plastic credit card size birth certificates. That said, if there are any questions about a proof of citizenship document, the ship's Documentation Officer has the final say. So it is better to use the traditional types of birth certificates rather than an unusual one - just to be on the safe side. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ontheweb Posted July 13 #9 Share Posted July 13 Just make sure it is an official government issued document. My late Mother-In-Law once cleaned up and sent DW her birth certificate. Unfortunately, she sent the hospital one and had thrown away the real one. To get her passport which we needed to fly to Spain and go on a Western Mediterranean cruise she had to apply for a duplicate. I once knew a couple who had their child at home and had never bothered to get a birth certificate. They went to the local authorities here who told them it would be no problem if the child had been born here, but since they were originally from Brooklyn and that was where the child was born, they just wished them good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHEZMARYLOU Posted July 13 #10 Share Posted July 13 8 hours ago, d9704011 said: What about closed loop cruises with stops in Panama and/or Colombia? Passport is needed for Panama and Colombia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d9704011 Posted July 13 #11 Share Posted July 13 43 minutes ago, CHEZMARYLOU said: Passport is needed for Panama and Colombia. Yes, I was aware of that. My comment/question was more to highlight that closed-looped cruises out of the US may require a passport depending on the itinerary. I believe a lot of (new) cruisers might conclude that birth certificates, EDLs and passport cards may be fully satisfactory for any closed-loop cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ontheweb Posted July 14 #12 Share Posted July 14 4 hours ago, d9704011 said: Yes, I was aware of that. My comment/question was more to highlight that closed-looped cruises out of the US may require a passport depending on the itinerary. I believe a lot of (new) cruisers might conclude that birth certificates, EDLs and passport cards may be fully satisfactory for any closed-loop cruise. They may also think that if they do not get off the ship in those ports, they will be ok without a passport. And that too is not true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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