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Travel w/Birth Certificate & Drivers License


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We leave from Seattle to Alaska in less than 2 weeks and one of our party hasn’t yet received their passport. Agency still says processing and is of no help in letting us know when it will be ready. I called Princess and they have stated that an adult can travel with a certified birth certificate and drivers license. Has anyone done this? Did you have any issues? Also, has anyone applied for a new passport recently... if so, how long did it take to receive your passport?

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My 2018 travel party had one new passport and one renewal. They took right at 3 weeks each. The new one actually took a day or two less than my renewal.

 

We did some excursions that took us into Canada. For those, we needed a passport.

 

With 2 weeks before you travel, I don't think you are in the "worry zone" yet. You might call your congressman's office next week--a phone call from one of his/her staff members can work wonders with government offices! An answer like, "It should be mailed tomorrow" wouldn't surprise me.

Edited by moki'smommy
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We leave from Seattle to Alaska in less than 2 weeks and one of our party hasn’t yet received their passport. Agency still says processing and is of no help in letting us know when it will be ready. I called Princess and they have stated that an adult can travel with a certified birth certificate and drivers license. Has anyone done this? Did you have any issues? Also, has anyone applied for a new passport recently... if so, how long did it take to receive your passport?

 

My wife and I renewed our passports last year it only took only 2 week. Good luck.

Tony

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We received my daughter's renewal on Monday before we sailed on Saturday in May on Star. It took 2 weeks 3 days appointment to door. I would just have them keep an eye on it. Unless something has changed (we've never cruised without passports), I do believe they would be ok since the cruise is closed loop.

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Hopefully you will be ok and they will get it back in time. My only thought is when you apply for a new passport you have to send your original birth certificate with the application. So hopefully they have a extra original birth certificate or you get the passport back in time.:)

 

Also on a couple of cruises we took to alaska with friends that did not have passports they did accept original birth certificates and drivers license.

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As long as it’s Seattle roundtrip and they don’t do a shore ex to Yukon, should be no problem.

If they applied at a Post Office like we do in North Florida, their birth certificate was examined and handed right back to them. The Post Office certifies the papers one brings as proof of citizenship and only the check and form get mailed.

 

 

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You might call your congressman's office next week--a phone call from one of his/her staff members can work wonders with government offices! An answer like' date=' "It should be mailed tomorrow" wouldn't surprise me.[/quote']

 

Great advice! Either your US cogressman or one of your US Senators can work wonders QUICKLY! (y)

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As long as it’s Seattle roundtrip and they don’t do a shore ex to Yukon, should be no problem.

If they applied at a Post Office like we do in North Florida, their birth certificate was examined and handed right back to them. The Post Office certifies the papers one brings as proof of citizenship and only the check and form get mailed.

 

 

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Interesting when we did ours we had to send the original birth certificate in with the app. Maybe things have changed, we are in California...

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My 2018 travel party had one new passport and one renewal. They took right at 3 weeks each. The new one actually took a day or two less than my renewal.

 

We did some excursions that took us into Canada. For those' date=' we needed a passport.

 

With 2 weeks before you travel, I don't think you are in the "worry zone" yet. You might call your congressman's office next week--a phone call from one of his/her staff members can work wonders with government offices! An answer like, "It should be mailed tomorrow" wouldn't surprise me.

 

People tend not to believe things like this but it absolutely ia true that your congressman's office can work wonders. My son broke his neck in the Army and was in the VA hospital trying (and trying, and trying) to get discharged. A disabled vet with 110% disability is paid dramatically more than a disabled private. I called the proper person several times a week for 3 weeks. I always got voice mail that said she was there but not by the phone. Leave a message, blah, blah, blah. I never got a return call. I contacted my congressman and waited about 5 minutes before I was taken back to an office. The congressman's assistant called the same number and got the same voice mail. He left a message saying he was calling on behalf of my son. He said, "I understand there is a problem and I understand that you are the problem". She called back that same day and the discharge when through almost immediately. It really can be helpful to contact your congressman.

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My sis and brother-in-law had a situation, similar only in that it involved a government office. He was in the Air Force and was about to be sent overseas, so after 18 months of trying to deal with this office, time had become critical. One phone call to our congresswoman and the whole snafu was untangled

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We leave from Seattle to Alaska in less than 2 weeks and one of our party hasn’t yet received their passport. Agency still says processing and is of no help in letting us know when it will be ready. I called Princess and they have stated that an adult can travel with a certified birth certificate and drivers license. Has anyone done this? Did you have any issues? Also, has anyone applied for a new passport recently... if so, how long did it take to receive your passport?

 

When you have problems with the federal agencies go see your congressman. They have local offices that usually are not too far away. I had trouble with Social Security and a visit to my congressman's office took care of the issue. Amazing what a call from a congressman can do. They are there to serve you and love doing it. They do more than just pass laws.

 

Since you are on an AK cruise out of Seattle, a birth certificate with the seal (stamp these days) and a DL will work. The only caveat to that is that the names on the two documents have to match. If one has your maiden name and the other has your married name, you have to have your marriage certificate. With things like they are today, the border agents could well make you produce the proof. As has been said you will not be able to take any excursion into the Yukon in Skagway.

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Two of my daughters, a son-in-law, and I are going on a r/t Alaska cruise out of Seattle in7 weeks. One daughter and her husband have passports, as do I, but my other daughter, who is widowed, does not have one yet. She made application at the post office for one in early May and was told that her Birth Certificate, while having a raised seal, does not show parents names, and would probably not be accepted as passport documentation. Her application was forwarded to the State Dept by the post office anyway and in a couple of weeks she got a letter from them saying the BC was not the right type. However, as soon as she got home from the post office, she immediately went online and applied to the state she was born in to get the correct type of BC, trying to get a jumpstart on getting a replacement. The state bureau of vital statistics website directed her to a service that handles replacement BCs. She paid the fees, including one for expedited delivery service. It's now been over a month, and still no new BC. Trying to track her request online just gets an "in progress" message.

When/if it ever gets delivered, she will still have to overnight it to the State dept in an effort to try to get the PP in time for our cruise We've all got our fingers crossed that we won't have to cancel. (Yes, we all got the Princess insurance.)

This whole thing is turning into a stressful nightmare instead of being an exciting family cruise that has been long awaited.

 

I'm almost wondering if, when her BC finally comes, assuming it ever does, maybe we should just go with the BC, DL, and marriage certificate route instead of sending that BC to the State dept.and praying for the PP to come in time. After we get back , she could then send the BC in to complete the PP application.

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Two of my daughters, a son-in-law, and I are going on a r/t Alaska cruise out of Seattle in7 weeks. One daughter and her husband have passports, as do I, but my other daughter, who is widowed, does not have one yet. She made application at the post office for one in early May and was told that her Birth Certificate, while having a raised seal, does not show parents names, and would probably not be accepted as passport documentation. Her application was forwarded to the State Dept by the post office anyway and in a couple of weeks she got a letter from them saying the BC was not the right type. However, as soon as she got home from the post office, she immediately went online and applied to the state she was born in to get the correct type of BC, trying to get a jumpstart on getting a replacement. The state bureau of vital statistics website directed her to a service that handles replacement BCs. She paid the fees, including one for expedited delivery service. It's now been over a month, and still no new BC. Trying to track her request online just gets an "in progress" message.

When/if it ever gets delivered, she will still have to overnight it to the State dept in an effort to try to get the PP in time for our cruise We've all got our fingers crossed that we won't have to cancel. (Yes, we all got the Princess insurance.)

This whole thing is turning into a stressful nightmare instead of being an exciting family cruise that has been long awaited.

 

I'm almost wondering if, when her BC finally comes, assuming it ever does, maybe we should just go with the BC, DL, and marriage certificate route instead of sending that BC to the State dept.and praying for the PP to come in time. After we get back , she could then send the BC in to complete the PP application.

 

This is similar to what happened to us. Applied for passport the end of May, received a letter on Jun 22 and overnighted the correct birth certificate on June 25. They received it on June 26 and it’s now been 10 days and still all the status says is processing. We’ve called the state department at least 5 times, even providing credit card info to expedite about a week ago and unfortunately, while we thought that would speed things up, we were told by another agent that they have to “accept” your request to change from routine service to expedited service which apparently didn’t happen as everything still says routine service. The first time I called, the agent told me processing would be 3 weeks after they get the birth certificate. Three days later, I was told that it would still be 4-6 weeks. While the website says call if you are traveling in less than 2 weeks, I called and was basically told I have to wait for it to process and they have no way of knowing when that is. I’m still hopeful it will arrive in time, however, we need it in less than 2 weeks now. Unless you get your birth certificate within the next few days, I’d just plan to keep it and use it for travel verses the stress of waiting for a passport.

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Thanks everyone for all your suggestions. I think I will try reaching out to my congressman and see if that does anything. Worst case, it seems we will be ok to travel with a birth certificate and drivers license, however, that would change our planned trip to the Yukon. Still hopeful passport will arrive... calling again on Monday.

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Interesting when we did ours we had to send the original birth certificate in with the app. Maybe things have changed, we are in California...

 

 

 

That’s why I said North Florida. I don’t even know if the rest of Florida does it this way. It sure is convenient, though.

Our Post Offices have the applications, you bring your identification papers and your two photos, pay your check and go home with your papers and wait.

 

 

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Called one of the congressmen and was told that they couldn’t help with this. If anyone has had any success with this, please let me know who you contacted.

 

I hope things work out for your trip, but I am actually relieved that your congressman couldn't/wouldn't get involved in a case like this This is not some bureaucratic snafu, it is a case of someone procrastinating on getting a passport. I think congressmen/women should devote their ombudsman activities to helping people out with problems caused by the government, like some of the other situations described in the thread, not bailing out people who create their own problems.

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I hope things work out for your trip, but I am actually relieved that your congressman couldn't/wouldn't get involved in a case like this This is not some bureaucratic snafu, it is a case of someone procrastinating on getting a passport. I think congressmen/women should devote their ombudsman activities to helping people out with problems caused by the government, like some of the other situations described in the thread, not bailing out people who create their own problems.

Your compassion is breathtaking.

 

Have a nice day. ;p

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I hope things work out for your trip, but I am actually relieved that your congressman couldn't/wouldn't get involved in a case like this This is not some bureaucratic snafu, it is a case of someone procrastinating on getting a passport. I think congressmen/women should devote their ombudsman activities to helping people out with problems caused by the government, like some of the other situations described in the thread, not bailing out people who create their own problems.

I don't recall OP telling us when they did the initial application. Without that information, I don't know how you can make the determination above.

 

What if, hypothetically, the application was initially sent 3 months ago and is somehow "lost" in the system? Granted, if the application was recent, there are provisions to pay more and have to process expedited...and these may have been appropriate. But again, we don't know what the lead time was in OP's case.

 

I hope it shows up in the mailbox in the next day or two.

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I hope things work out for your trip, but I am actually relieved that your congressman couldn't/wouldn't get involved in a case like this This is not some bureaucratic snafu, it is a case of someone procrastinating on getting a passport. I think congressmen/women should devote their ombudsman activities to helping people out with problems caused by the government, like some of the other situations described in the thread, not bailing out people who create their own problems.

 

 

 

Where was anything said about someone procrastinating?

The woman in question started the process in early May for a cruise that takes place apparently in late August.

I would not call that procrastination.

 

 

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We leave from Seattle to Alaska in less than 2 weeks and one of our party hasn’t yet received their passport. Agency still says processing and is of no help in letting us know when it will be ready. I called Princess and they have stated that an adult can travel with a certified birth certificate and drivers license. Has anyone done this? Did you have any issues? Also, has anyone applied for a new passport recently... if so, how long did it take to receive your passport?

 

A certified copy of your birth certificate and any government-issued photo ID is sufficient paperwork to go on a cruise to Alaska. You do not need either a passport or passport card to go on an Alaska cruise. Please note that a "birth certificate" issued by a hospital is not to be an official birth certificate. If the person who has not received their passport yet is a person who is married, and has taken their spouses surname, I would also suggest that they bring a copy of their marriage certificate. Please note that while a military ID card (either active duty or retired) will certainly qualify as a government-issued ID card it will not serve as proof of citizenship. That will require either the birth certificate, passport or passport card.

 

 

(Oh, as a final check, have everybody in your party make one, last, final check that everybody has their documentation with them before they leave home! Better to check many times than not enough! ;p) See you in Seattle!

 

 

Tom

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A certified copy of your birth certificate and any government-issued photo ID is sufficient paperwork to go on a cruise to Alaska. You do not need either a passport or passport card to go on an Alaska cruise. Please note that a "birth certificate" issued by a hospital is not to be an official birth certificate. If the person who has not received their passport yet is a person who is married, and has taken their spouses surname, I would also suggest that they bring a copy of their marriage certificate. Please note that while a military ID card (either active duty or retired) will certainly qualify as a government-issued ID card it will not serve as proof of citizenship. That will require either the birth certificate, passport or passport card.

 

 

 

 

 

(Oh, as a final check, have everybody in your party make one, last, final check that everybody has their documentation with them before they leave home! Better to check many times than not enough! ;p) See you in Seattle!

 

 

 

 

 

Tom

 

 

 

Their concern is their planned excursion to Yukon. Passports are required.

 

 

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We leave from Seattle to Alaska in less than 2 weeks and one of our party hasn’t yet received their passport. Agency still says processing and is of no help in letting us know when it will be ready. I called Princess and they have stated that an adult can travel with a certified birth certificate and drivers license. Has anyone done this? Did you have any issues? Also, has anyone applied for a new passport recently... if so, how long did it take to receive your passport?

You will be fine.

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