No Passport and No Birth Certificate! What to do?!?

[Princesstcase]

I have a extremely urgent question to ask you guys! My mother-in-law is going on a cruise to Mexico tomorrow and called me just now to find out if I would know what to do... I have no clue! She booked this cruise like 6 months ago and applied for her passport at the same time. Her daughter received her's about 2 weeks ago but she has not received it and now it is too late as the mail doesn't deliver on Sunday's. Well she could get away with just bringing her birth certificate but she only has a copy as she had to send in her original one when she applied for the passport. She had been calling the passport place every day for the past 2 weeks asking for the status and they kept telling her anyday it should be here. So anyway, my question for you experts is will she be okay with just a copy of the original birth certificate or will she encounter problems? If problems, what can she do now to help herself go on her cruise? This is her first cruise and has been dreaming of doing this for years!

 

Any help would be awesome!!!

[daveco58]

the passport requirement for LAND or SEA travel to Mexico and back kicks in in 2008. She should be fine, as long as she isnt flying there or back.

Still need ID and Birth Certificate, though. Honestly dont know how much grief they will give her about a copy of the Birth Certificate. Technically thats not good enough. I know others who have done it in the past, but that was before the "crackdown", so to speak

[Princesstcase]

I know that the passport isn't required, but she doesn't have the "Original" birth certificate because she had to mail that with her passport application.. but she did make a copy of the birth certificate. Is the copy good enough? Or do they require the absolute original?? I'm not sure how strict their policy is.

 

Thanks!!

[caribbean dreams]

No, she has to have the original or certified copy along with her DL.

 

If the copy she has is certified, she will be fine, if she made the copy on her copying machine, than they will not except it.

[melissa76]

Oh my God! I think you need to brace your MIL for the likelihood that she won't be able to go on the cruise. They're not supposed to accept Birth Certificates if they're not original.

 

let us know how it goes...

Melissa :)

[paul929207]

Does she have a voter registration card? That is also accpeted as proof of citizenship. If she does, she would also need a photo id like a drivers license.

 

Paul

[Cruisesquatch]

Maybe if she knows someone who's a Notary public they could stamp the copy for her and then it would have the raised seal on it. Not sure if it would fly but what the heck. Good luck.

[momofmeg]

the passport requirement for LAND or SEA travel to Mexico and back kicks in in 2008. She should be fine, as long as she isnt flying there or back.

Still need ID and Birth Certificate, though. Honestly dont know how much grief they will give her about a copy of the Birth Certificate. Technically thats not good enough. I know others who have done it in the past, but that was before the "crackdown", so to speak

 

and since she sent in her birth certificate when she applied for her passport-(as required) then YES-she does have a problem.

[Cotton]

Honestly, I don't believe they will let her board with only a 'copy'. The "state-certified" B/C is required, along w/her photo ID, like D/L.

 

You might want to break it to her gently. I've actually seen a woman denied boarding because she didn't have the correct B/C. She was in tears, and trailing along behind a very angry husband.

 

So sorry.:(

 

Will you come back here and let us know what happened? We'll be hoping for the best.

[cusyl]

She waited too long. That's a real bummer. She should have been on the phone to them 2 weeks ago to expedite.

[greatam]

Does she have the paperwork that she got when she applied for the passport? Here in Arizona they issue a receipt with checked boxes for what you turned in for proof of citizenship.

 

You may try to take that and a copy of the birth certificate along with anything else that could be used as supplementary proof of citizenship-baptismal record, hospital birth certificate, any hospital records of birth, newspaper birth announcements, etc.

 

Good luck!!!

[bububr]

No offense, but if she applied for her passport 6 months ago it should be in her hands. The back up is only now occurring and the time frame is about 3 months with all the additional applicants.

 

If she had not recieved it within 6 weeks (4 1/2 months ago ) I would have been on the phone inquiring or expediting. I sent in my renewal the second week of January and recieved my new passport the third week of February, it took about a month, about 10 days after my check was cashed I recieved it.

 

Her best bet is to call the cruiseline and explain her situation and ask what proper documentaion she may be allowed to pass with.

 

THe bottom line is she may not be able to go, and even if she purchased cruise insurance it does not cover not having the correct documentation.

 

I hope things go well for her.

 

Dave:eek:

[GrandmomCJ]

You should be able to go to the county clerks office in the town where you live and get a copy of the birth certificate. At least that is what I did here in Texas.

[Cruisenouvelle]

"Does she have a voter registration card? That is also accepted as proof of citizenship"

 

It may depend on your cruise line, but according to Celebrity's online FAQs, "A voter registration card or Social Security Card are not considered to be proof of citizenship. " Perhaps they will allow embarkation with the copy.

Good luck ...

[shobiz]

A British friend of mine who has been an American citizen for over 30 yrs and is married to an American, was refused passage at the dock in Long Beach, CA because she didn't bring her Passport. They were going on a Celebrity cruise to Hawaii for X'mas '06. They had been on this very cruise the year before. She still has a British accent, and they checked her citizenship, it was in order, they were going to let her husband on without his passport, but not her! You had better check with your cruise line !! They have not received a refund yet either!

[Marinewife05]

I just skimmed through the responses but didn't notice anyone mention the Vital Statistics office. There should eb one in your city. You may be able to go to the office tomorrow morning and get another birth certificate. Good luck!!

[maofthree]

it only takes a minute or so to go get new one in our town,,, but thats where i was born, so if thats the case then get movin in the morning... ours is $20 cash. was waiting til last minute ... but passport came in ..i called my state representative and had it in a week sorry to hear about your trouble...she should not have waited sssooo long.. keep us informed to what goes on .

[mollyeilis]

You can only go get a b.c. from the Vital Records office in the county where you were born. Hopefully she was born near where she lives...

 

Oh but it's a gov't office, and don't they have tomorrow off?

 

(Even the "original" b.certificate isn't THE b.c., it's just a certified copy of what they have in their records.) Certified means it is notarized by a *government* notary-type. A notary public can only notarize it, and in this case, the notary seal would only mean "this person SAYS it's a copy of a real b.c.", and won't be official enough. One needs a certified (meaning the govt' official made the copy and certifies that it is a real copy of the info) copy of the b.c.

 

Poor MIL! I'm so sad that she sent away 6 months ago and didn't realize that it was WELL beyond the time, even the delayed time, for her to have it. :(

[curiousl8y]

I have a extremely urgent question to ask you guys! My mother-in-law is going on a cruise to Mexico tomorrow and called me just now to find out if I would know what to do... I have no clue! She booked this cruise like 6 months ago and applied for her passport at the same time. Her daughter received her's about 2 weeks ago but she has not received it and now it is too late as the mail doesn't deliver on Sunday's. Well she could get away with just bringing her birth certificate but she only has a copy as she had to send in her original one when she applied for the passport. She had been calling the passport place every day for the past 2 weeks asking for the status and they kept telling her anyday it should be here. So anyway, my question for you experts is will she be okay with just a copy of the original birth certificate or will she encounter problems? If problems, what can she do now to help herself go on her cruise? This is her first cruise and has been dreaming of doing this for years!

 

Any help would be awesome!!!

 

I see by the dates that "tomorrow" is here. Did she make it aboard?

[eandj]

A few years ago (pre-9/11), we took a family cruise. My mom who was about 75, had no certified birth certificate or current passport. Once we got to Miami, we were able to take her to a certain office, right in the airport, and they gave her some kind of form to use instead of the passport/ birth cerificate. She had to use that form with all the other forms of i.d. she brought along. ( It might have been an immigration office..I don't remember. ) It was a life saver, because the airline told us when we got on the plane to Miami, that we definitely wouldn't be taking mom along with us. It was a nerve wracking trip to Miami, I'll tell you. There were 15 of us. How would we have waved bye to her?

 

All that being said, The problem for you now is the added security measures. I'm thinking she won't be going on that cruise , unless you can get to the clerk of records in the town where she was born, to get that certified copy of the birth certificate.

Does she have insurance to pay for the cruise if she has to cancel?

 

I wish you luck! Let us know what happenend.

[caribbean dreams]

You should be able to go to the county clerks office in the town where you live and get a copy of the birth certificate. At least that is what I did here in Texas.

 

Normally that would work BUT she was leaving today and besides being Sunday it is also Easter.

[caribbean dreams]

Does she have a voter registration card? That is also accpeted as proof of citizenship. If she does, she would also need a photo id like a drivers license.

 

Paul

 

Niether Carnival or Department Of Homeland Security will except a voter registration card. Certified BC and DL or PassPort only.

[Princesstcase]

I haven't heard back from my MIL yet. She left this morning at 6:00 for the airport. Its now 12:25 PST and I'm thinking she should be there by now trying to check in... :( From hearing all your responses, I'm really worried now that she won't be going. Guess we will know by 4:00 if she's going or not as that is when the cruise leaves. I will keep you informed. Cross your fingers! :cool:

[Jeano222]

I feel just terrible for her. I can imagine how I would feel not knowing whether I would be able to board the ship or not . I had problems with my sister's birth certificate and after contacting Royal Caribbean that there would be slim to no chance of her sailing, we had to really jump through hoops to get a corrected one and we had several weeks to do it. PLEASE let us know what happens. I am praying for her.

[caribbean dreams]

I guess if she happens to get someone at check in that really is not paying attention that it is indeed a photo copy, she may get thru but usually when you first enter the building they ask for your info and then again at the counter.

yes please do keep us informed.