Certificate of Live Birth

[BethCarp]

While you're there, why not just apply for the passport? You'll never again have to wonder if you have the *right* certificate. ;)

In the case of the OP, he doesn't have time to get a passport and he doesn't technically need it.

[KC_fn]

In the case of the OP, he doesn't have time to get a passport and he doesn't technically need it.

 

Right, but if he's a cruiser, he's probably going to need it at some point. I'm just sayin... why not get it now, and not have to think about it anymore. Just a friendly suggestion. :)

[BethCarp]

I would normally recommend a passport as well, but the OP is leaving in less than a month. He doesn't have time to get a passport, probably even if expedited.

[Sea Island Lady]

Well I magnified it (I still couldn't read all the information) and I agree that it may not be what you need especially since this is what you've had "forever". And it's missing some info that's on both the KS and MO certificates (parents place of birth and ages and a file number). Could be different for NY though.

 

!!!

I magnified and enhanced with my computer software and can read all the important stuff!

 

BTW - Not all birth certificates list where the parents were born. No one in our family has one that list that information...just the parents names. I had to call my mom and confirm where she and my dad were born, before I went to get my passport. Also, the SC birth certificates look just like the OP's NY certificate.

[vacationqueen148]

I also had a certificate of birth from NYC and when I went to get a passport I was told this is not a birth certificate, I had to get one from NYC in order to get a passport.

[Mark_K]

The ones my daughters got say Certificate of Live Birth, my wife's and mine says Certified Copy of Record of Birth. They all worked to get passports.

[aebalc]

Im a big believer in states rights but in this instance it sure seems that one standardized form used nationally would be much less confusing. As for the hospital certificates they should bear a disclaimer that they are for decorative and sentimental purposes only.

[Hypo]

Everyone should just bite the bullet and get their passports.

 

I feel sorry for the RCCL check-in people, when they have to see all of these different documents that the various states have used (over the years) for birth certificates.

 

My three oldest children, born in different counties in Iowa, 30 to 40 years ago, all have different looking birth certificates. All of them are valid, but it can be confusing to the poor clerk behind the desk.

 

We all got passports about 5 years ago. it was the best move we have ever made with regards to international travel.

 

Hypo

[Annieeee]

That's not true, it depends on where you were born. Like I said previously DH and I were both born in NY. He's had the same copy since he was born. Mine is a replacement that I got from the dept of Health when I went to Mexico 10 years ago. Both of them say 'Certificate of Birth Registration'.

 

 

ETA

I just checked my kids and they say the same thing.

 

Well you could be right, it may have something to do with the state you were born in. So rather than have this young man take the chance, I would definitely suggest that he get the real thing. However that is up to him. We can all only relate to the experiences we have had and obviously they are all different. I say why take the chance, if there is any doubt, get the right one. In fact the better thing to do would be to get a passport, however he does not have enough time.

 

Annieeee

[BearySweet2Cruise]

 

ETA: HOLY CRAP!!!!!! I just looked at my hospital certificate. It has a raised seal on it. From the hospital but never-the-less a raised seal and get this!!!!!!!! On the back it says it can be used to obtain a passport!!!

 

Beth:

That is very interesting that it says it " can be used for a passport"

I have never seen nor read on these boards that any BC or certif of live birth ever has had the wording about usable fro a passport.. has anyone else out there ever heard of or seen that to be the case, where the document specifically states it can be used to obtain a passport????? :confused:

[BearySweet2Cruise]

Right, but if he's a cruiser, he's probably going to need it at some point. I'm just sayin... why not get it now, and not have to think about it anymore. Just a friendly suggestion. :)

 

Because he does NOT have time to get a passport, it would be pushing it very close even if he were to get an expedited passport. I would bet you though, that when he gets back from the cruise he will most likely get a passport for future sailings after all this he is worrying about. (and with very good reason to be worried)

[Buzbon]

My certified birth certificate from Long Beach, CA. has a purple stamped seal and is not raised. When I applied for my passport I asked the agent about the raised seal issue, but he said it was fine. So you can't always go by the general assumptions that the certified birth certificates must have the raised seal. I received my passport without any problems.

[time4agetaway]

I just looked at my kids' birth certificates (the only ones I've ever gotten) and they say "Certificate of Birth Registration". We are also from NY and this is the official birth certificate. As long as yours is an original, not a copy, it will be fine. When you copy it, the copy reads "VOID" across the front. My kids' certificates are pinkish and blue colored. It was what they used to get their passports. (We'll also be on the 8/13 Enchantment!)

[April22legend]

I too have a birth certificate from NY and it doesn't say "birth certificate" on it and I have used it to go on all of my cruises. This thread interested me because I went ahead and went to vital check to get another copy to send off to get a passport. Since I am going on a cruise in September and another one early next year, I didn't want to send my only copy off with my application for a passport and not have it back in time. So...I ordered another certified copy. The website says the one I ordered was good for applying for a passport but it looks completely different than my other one! It doesn't look official at all. Like someone else said, it looks like a bad copy of something and then is signed and has a raised seal on it...it made me very nervous and I will use my old one for my trip in September and send that one off with my passport application (of course I will have the agency look at it and make sure it will work, first).

[jeffkb]

Not that Wikipedia is to be taken for gospel, but here's what it says about a "Certificate of Birth Registration" AKA short form birth certificate:

 

Short forms

Sample of a short form birth certificate (certification of birth)

 

 

"Short forms, known sometimes as computer certifications, are not universally available, but are cheaper than photocopies and much more easily accessible. Limited information is taken from the original birth record (the long form) and stored in a database that can be accessed quickly when birth certificates are needed in a short amount of time. Whereas the long form is a copy of the actual birth certificate, a short form is a document that certifies the existence of such certificate, and is usually titled a "Certification of Birth" or "Certificate of Birth Registration". The short form typically includes the child's name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth, although some also include the names of the child's parents. When the certification does include the names of the parents, it can be used in lieu of a long form birth certificate in almost all circumstances. Nearly all states in the U.S. issue short forms certifications, on both state and local levels."

 

I live in NY and have a "Certificate of Birth Registration" that has a raised seal from the office of vital stats. It says on the back that it must have the raised seal if you are using the document for proof of citizenship for obtaining a passport. Of course the doc predates 9/11, so I'm not 100% sure it is still acceptable for passport applications.

 

I have a cruise coming up at the end of August, and since I'm a paranoid kind of guy, I was thinking of going to the Office of Vital Stats and getting a certified copy of the full BC.

 

The realist in me tells me I'd be wasting my time and money however. This form of the BC is common in NY, and I'm sure many many people have cruised with it just fine. If people were being turned away who were using these, it'd be all over these boards since I'm sure there are a great many NY'ers cruising. I used it back in '97 for my last cruise and it was accepted just fine. Of course it was a different world then.

 

So.......I still haven't decided whether I'll get the full BC or not. I guess it comes down to a battle between my paranoid self and my realist self. :)

[Sue L]

Not that Wikipedia is to be taken for gospel, but here's what it says about a "Certificate of Birth Registration" AKA short form birth certificate:

 

Short forms

Sample of a short form birth certificate (certification of birth)

 

 

"Short forms, known sometimes as computer certifications, are not universally available, but are cheaper than photocopies and much more easily accessible. Limited information is taken from the original birth record (the long form) and stored in a database that can be accessed quickly when birth certificates are needed in a short amount of time. Whereas the long form is a copy of the actual birth certificate, a short form is a document that certifies the existence of such certificate, and is usually titled a "Certification of Birth" or "Certificate of Birth Registration". The short form typically includes the child's name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth, although some also include the names of the child's parents. When the certification does include the names of the parents, it can be used in lieu of a long form birth certificate in almost all circumstances. Nearly all states in the U.S. issue short forms certifications, on both state and local levels."

 

I live in NY and have a "Certificate of Birth Registration" that has a raised seal from the office of vital stats. It says on the back that it must have the raised seal if you are using the document for proof of citizenship for obtaining a passport. Of course the doc predates 9/11.

 

I have a cruise coming up at the end of August, and since I'm a paranoid kind of guy, I was thinking of going to the Office of Vital Stats and getting a certified copy of the full BC.

 

The realist in me tells me I'd be wasting my time and money however. This form of the BC is common in NY, and I'm sure many many people have cruised with it just fine. If people were being turned away who were using these, it'd be all over these boards since I'm sure there are a great many NY'ers cruising. I used it back in '97 for my last cruise and it was accepted just fine. Of course it was a different world then.

 

So.......I still haven't decided whether I'll get the full BC or not. I guess it comes down to a battle between my paranoid self and my realist self. :)

 

 

My son's says exactly the same thing as yours on the back, I got his LAST summer and he got his passport with it. I honestly don't know if there is such a thing as a full bc or not in NY. I went right to town hall and that is what I was given. The reason it say it must have a raised seal is so that you don't try to xerox it and use that.

[maaaaattt]

Well, all of you New Yorkers have put my mind at ease. You non-New Yorkers, on the other hand.... :p

 

I'm sure what I have is fine. I will be calling Royal first thing Sunday morning, as well as my travel agent, just to see what they have to say. If I have to spend the $75 it costs to have a long form B/C expedited from NY, I will Monday morning.

 

Thanks for everyone's opinions. Y'all rock!

 

Happy Cruising!

[jeffkb]

My son's says exactly the same thing as yours on the back, I got his LAST summer and he got his passport with it. I honestly don't know if there is such a thing as a full bc or not in NY. I went right to town hall and that is what I was given. The reason it say it must have a raised seal is so that you don't try to xerox it and use that.

Thx Sue L.

 

NY does have full BCs - my wife had a "Certificate of Birth Registration" but it didn't have the raised seal. It was accepted without question back in '97, but we weren't going to risk it for this upcoming cruise. We went to the office of vital stats (we live in Albany) and were given a photocopy of the actual full BC. It looked nothing like the short form and had much more info. It was imprinted with a seal and there was a stamped statement saying it was compared by the registrar to the original on file and was a true duplicate.

 

It was only after seeing that version of the BC that I started to wonder about mine. If you were able to use that version for a passport for your son however, then all should be good. :)

[FigmentsKiss]

I think NY just has problems in figuring out what they want to use as the standard. My DH and I were born in NY. We are only 4 years apart but both have totally different types of Birth Certificates. His is green with a water mark and says Certification of Birth. Mine looks like a photocopy and says Certificate of Birth Registration on the top, but on the bottom says Certificate of Birth (though it is hard to read because of wear and tear). His is a heavy duty paper and probably looks like the day he got it and mine is such a paperthin paper that it is starting to fall apart (he is older then me!) Both have raised seals. We used ours on cruises up until getting our passports 2 years ago, and used them to get our passports without any problems.

[Sue L]

I think NY just has problems in figuring out what they want to use as the standard. My DH and I were born in NY. We are only 4 years apart but both have totally different types of Birth Certificates. His is green with a water mark and says Certification of Birth. Mine looks like a photocopy and says Certificate of Birth Registration on the top, but on the bottom says Certificate of Birth (though it is hard to read because of wear and tear). His is a heavy duty paper and probably looks like the day he got it and mine is such a paperthin paper that it is starting to fall apart (he is older then me!) Both have raised seals. We used ours on cruises up until getting our passports 2 years ago, and used them to get our passports without any problems.

 

 

 

Why should birth certificates be any different then anything else in NY? Mixed up and no standard. I live on Long Island when my kids got their junior licenses there were very strict rules, they could NOT drive to school and basically were only allowed back and forth to work until they got their senior license when they turned 17. My area is very suburban.

 

My sister's daughter who live in Westchester, pretty close to the city border, tons of traffic and very few "back roads" was allowed to drive anywhere as long as she was home by 9 or 10pm.

[KC_fn]

Because he does NOT have time to get a passport, it would be pushing it very close even if he were to get an expedited passport. I would bet you though, that when he gets back from the cruise he will most likely get a passport for future sailings after all this he is worrying about. (and with very good reason to be worried)

 

I wasn't clear, sorry. I didn't mean he should apply for a PP for this upcoming trip. It sounded like he was thinking of going into the passport office to check the validity of his b.c., and I thought... why not just apply for a PP since you're right there?

 

But then I (finally) realized the obvious: if he applied, he'd have to leave his b.c. there -- but he would also need it for his cruise!!! D'oh! *smacks forehead*

 

Never mind, and have a nice day. :)

[BethCarp]

Well, all of you New Yorkers have put my mind at ease. You non-New Yorkers, on the other hand.... :p

 

I'm sure what I have is fine. I will be calling Royal first thing Sunday morning, as well as my travel agent, just to see what they have to say. If I have to spend the $75 it costs to have a long form B/C expedited from NY, I will Monday morning.

Would it really be that expensive? I got my son's for $15 and it came in less than a week. I downloaded a form online and mailed it in with a SASE.

 

You might also want to call the vital records dept to make sure you have the right thing. I don't know that I would rely on RCI customer service to verify a peice of paper that they can't see.