Passport issues - Please help

[CaribbeanCruisers]

I am sorry to repeat myself here, but your enhanced drivers license solves this. There is no need to contact ANYONE else. Call princess and they will tell you the same thing. You can also call US Customs and Border Protection and they will tell you the same. Like I said, sorry to repeat myself, but I would really hate to see you waste all this extra time when the solution is so simple.

 

I really do appreciate your suggestion, honest.. My problem is while talking to Princess three reps have said no, asked for a supervisor and she said no as well. That's why I'm still concerned.

[cactusrose]

We had the Census Bureau search 1950-2000. The 1950 census showed her stepfather she listed on the form. Unfortunately herself and her mother were not found in any of the census records.

 

As far as the school goes, it doesn't exsist. We contacted the department of edducation for the area her school was in and they have nothing archived whatsoever. Another empty road...

 

Thanks for your suggestions though.

 

Are you sure your mother isn't in the Witness Protection Program?:rolleyes: It's the only reason I could think of as to why she wouldn't exist in any of the records you have searched.

[rdsqrl]

I think at this point, the ball is back in the State Department's court. I would recommend getting back on the phone with them first thing Monday and see if you can't get someone to work with you to resolve this. I know you said that someone in Charleston, SC was going to be in touch with you (I presume because that's the location that was processing your mother's application?), but I wouldn't wait on them to call. The fact is, she does has a birth certificate, even if it's a delayed one, so someone at some point in Missouri was convinced she was really born there. I think this just requires you to be persistent and keep asking for State Dept. supervisors until you get one who can help you.

Of course, if she's not a citizen, according to them, she has plenty of time to study for and pass the citizenship exam and get sworn in as a naturalized citizen! Seriously, they can't just leave her hanging like Philip Whats-his-name, the Man Without a Country (that story made an indelible impression on me as a kid!).

To me, the issue is much larger than getting some enhanced driver's license; in any case, I'm always amazed at how so many people seem to think it's perfectly safe to leave the country with no passport.

Good luck; keep us posted.

[UnVrYaN]

I really do appreciate your suggestion, honest.. My problem is while talking to Princess three reps have said no, asked for a supervisor and she said no as well. That's why I'm still concerned.

 

If you reference my original post, and ask them about the WHTI (western hemisphere travel intiative) they should be able to give you the info you want/need. It is unfortunate to hear that some of the employees at princess are unaware of this customs/border policy. I do know that I have spoken to princess twice and both times was told that the enhanced would take care of all you need. I also have family who traveled on the carnival conquest not long ago with it and had no issue at all. I am sorry to hear you are getting the run around. I would call princess again, reference the above (you could even read from the original link i sent on page 1), and see if that gets you any further. And I would not be scared to travel on a cruise without a passport, that just sounds like paranoia.

[cherylandtk]

I really do appreciate your suggestion, honest.. My problem is while talking to Princess three reps have said no, asked for a supervisor and she said no as well. That's why I'm still concerned.

Well, we can solve the Princess rep problem right now. Here is the Princess webpage on required documentation:

 

http://www.princess.com/learn/answer/before_you_leave/ready.jsp

 

Go down to section II. Passport Requirements, A. US and Canadian Citizens, 3) WHTI rules for domestic cruises, a) US and Canadians above 16 on domestic routes and it lists the acceptable documents. Listed right there with Passports and Passport Cards is the EDL. If you decide to call back and speak with another Princess rep or supervisor, please point out that page to them. Presuming the delayed BC can be used to get your Mom's EDL, she could use that to board the ship.

 

Still of concern is your question as to what would happen if she had to fly home. Only you can decide if that risk is enough to cancel the cruise until a passport is obtained.

 

To get a passport, a delayed BC is not enough and you are going to have to provide some sort of secondary proofs, and so far, that is nothing but dead ends. You will need to continue to work on that, and keep bugging the senator's and congressmen's offices until you get someone willing to help. In addition to the suggestions above, you might also try looking for tax records and property records to find the domicile locations and use that to reverse look for your Mom's census records.

 

Have you searched for extended or distant family (this includes second or third cousins you may not yet know of that may have old family records) What about photo albums or other written records referring to your mom? Does your Mom have any early photos of herself in identifiable locations? Have you obtained the death and birth certificates of both of her parents? (necessary if you end up needing to prove citizenship by birth to citizen parents). Does she have any friends from childhood that can certify that they knew her back then? You may have to resort to looking for people that remember her at an early age and obtaining their statements.

[Mom33]

In my experience, some passport agents handle cases differently. I would get the enhanced license, social security papers and delayed BC and make an in person visit to your nearest US passport office along with my daughters birth records and my marriage license and, if possible, my husbands birth certificate. If you are there right in front of an agent, I bet the problem would be solved and you would receive the passport. Good luck.

[janert]

I'm sending my mother and her best friend on a western Caribbean cruise aboard the Crown Princess. They sail 11/07/09

 

We applied for my mom's passport nearly two months ago. She received a letter denying her for her passport because she had submitted a delayed birth certificate.

 

The birth certificate does indeed have a raised seal. Her BC was delayed because she was born at home in 1942 with nobody present. Her BC was issued years later.

 

She was born in Missouri but moved to Michigan at the age of two where she currently resides.

 

The passport agency requested ONE of the following documents:

Baptismal Records

Census Records

School records from elementary school

A signed letter from her pediatrician noting her year of birth.

 

She was not baptised to her knowledge. All relatives are deceased with the exception of myself and her grandchild. The school she attended no longer exsists. Her pediatrician passed away in the 60's. That leaves us with the Census Records.

 

We filled out the paper work, paid for expedited service and sent it off. Today the Census bureau contacted her via phone and letter that they have no information on her.

 

In the meantime, I contacted our local congressman to ask for assistance. A lady in the office has been trying to help but with no luck thus far.

 

I called Princess today and explained the story. I spoke to multiple people and received multiple answers. That's why I came here - reaching out for HELP!

 

I told her to go to the SOS tomorrow and apply for an enhanced drivers lincense.

 

Will she be able to board the ship without any problems with an enhanced drivers lincense and her delayed birth certificate (with a seal)?

 

My mother is a ball of nerves. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you,

CC

 

 

 

My friend had this problem several years ago. She was told to send old pictures, marriage license, birth certificates of her children, and letters from her oldest friends. She got her passport back in 3 weeks with everything she had sent in a different envelope. Good luck. She was to do this by the passport office that issued her passport. Every area in US has their own office.

[VibeGuy]

I tend to agree that an in-person appointment at a passport agency, possibly arranged by a Senator's office, is the best way to get this straightened out. The phone center is vastly better than it used to be, but is still making decisions that are supposed to be made by passport officers, who have some latitude.

 

What you want to do is build a chain of evidence, starting from the present and working backwards, possibly past the delayed BC, that shows both identity (ie, a name record that changes over a marriage) and at least residency, if not citizenship. With these in hand, and the delayed BC, a reasonable person could conclude that the person before them matches the information provided and that the chain of events from as near the birth as possible to the present is logical and consistent with a natural-born citizen.

 

Note; most passport agency offices require proof of travel within two weeks if you make the appointment yourself. One way to do this is to purchase a refundable airline ticket to Canada, print the itinerary/confirmation and then cancel the ticket within the deadline for a full refund. I've never heard of them checking the veracity of the travel plans.

[MoonPet]

My dad had a similar problem and had to go down to the passport office. Everything was sorted out there and he was issued the passport the same day.

 

For peace of mind, you may want to consider making the trip to your passport center. They will get it all sorted out for you.

[FLACRUISER99]

I would try getting a TV or Newspaper reporter involved.

[JoKen1]

I belong to an on line web site that you can get copies of census forms. If you want to email me at jk51958@yahoo.com and give me her info I will try to find something for you. Sometimes you can't fine one for one year but the next year will show up.

 

This is a site you pay for to join so if you don't want to give me her info then I can email the site to you and you can pay to join.

 

I belong so I can do my family tree and have found tons of info.

 

Joanne