Another Birth Certificate Question!

[coffeecat]

Hello all,

First apologies for another birth certificate question...all the discussion on here just leaves me slightly paranoid so I want to check with some experts (I have read the NCL site).

 

Essentially, we may be taking a last minute cruise next week. My husband and I have passports but our 7 mo daughter does not.

 

I have pulled out her birth certificate and it is a certificate of vital record/live birth issued by the commonwealth of virginia. It has a watermark but no raised seal. At the bottom it says " This is to certify that this is a true and correct reproduction or abstract of the official record filed with the Virginia Department of Health".

 

I have read lots of threads regarding raised seals, hospital issued versus state issued etc and I am thinking this will be fine but obviously I don't want to be wrong. A passport would be possible through an expedited service however that would cost several hundred dollars to get here on time.

 

Anyone have any input or experience with Virginia birth certificates?

 

Thanks so much in advance!

Coffeecat

[Homosassa]

All states do not use raised seals on their "official" birth certificates. Some have watermarks or other copyproof mechanisms.

 

Call your local state office and ask if the birth certificate as you have it is the one they would issue for passport purposes. If so, you are home free.

 

If not, and you are in Virginia (don't remember your location), it is often possible to visit the state office and obtain a birth certificate immediately. You would need the birth certificate copy you have and ID showing that you are one of the parents named on the birth certificate.

[coffeecat]

Thanks so much for your reply! I was able to call an on-line passport expediting company and they said to get a passport the birth certificate would have to have a raised seal and that the state issued certificate with no raised seal (even with watermark) was not acceptable.

 

Anyway, this information was extremely helpful - should be able to get a certified copy tomorrow morning (after making a long drive to Richmond!)

 

You really saved the day with your advice-much appreciated!

 

 

Coffeecat

[njhorseman]

Thanks so much for your reply! I was able to call an on-line passport expediting company and they said to get a passport the birth certificate would have to have a raised seal and that the state issued certificate with no raised seal (even with watermark) was not acceptable.

 

Anyway, this information was extremely helpful - should be able to get a certified copy tomorrow morning (after making a long drive to Richmond!)

 

You really saved the day with your advice-much appreciated!

 

Coffeecat

 

And that's incorrect. It doesn't have to be a raised seal . Here's what the State Department says:

 

http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_5401.html

 

Beginning April 1, 2011, the U.S. Department of State will require the full names of the applicant’s parent(s) to be listed on all certified birth certificates to be considered as primary evidence of U.S. citizenship for all passport applicants, regardless of age. Certified birth certificates missing this information will not be acceptable as evidence of citizenship. This will not affect applications already in-process that have been submitted or accepted before the effective date.

 

 

 

For more information, see 22 CFR 51.42(a).

 

To obtain a new birth certificate, see the CDC.

 

 

 

In addition to this requirement, certified copies of birth certificates must also include the following information to be considered acceptable primary evidence of U.S. citizenship:

 

Full name of the applicant

Date of birth

Place of birth

Raised, embossed, impressed or multicolored seal of issuing authority

Registrar’s signature

The date the certificate was filed with the registrar’s office (must be within one year)

[toyotaford]

Thanks so much for your reply! I was able to call an on-line passport expediting company and they said to get a passport the birth certificate would have to have a raised seal and that the state issued certificate with no raised seal (even with watermark) was not acceptable.

 

Anyway, this information was extremely helpful - should be able to get a certified copy tomorrow morning (after making a long drive to Richmond!)

 

You really saved the day with your advice-much appreciated!

 

 

Coffeecat

I used a company to expedite 3 passports last month and the birth certificates did not have a raised seal. We mailed out the passport applications on Tuesday night and had them back on Monday.

[garycarla]

Thanks so much for your reply! I was able to call an on-line passport expediting company and they said to get a passport the birth certificate would have to have a raised seal and that the state issued certificate with no raised seal (even with watermark) was not acceptable.

 

.../quote]

 

So, if a particular state no longer does raised seals, then you can not get a passport?

 

Not slamming you, but the idiot on the other end of the phone.

[coffeecat]

Thanks for the replies!

 

I only called the expediting place because it was after hours for the actual offices so hopefully I will get the right answer tomorrow and post. I had asked specifically about Virginia so they may have known that Virginia certified birth certificates have a raised seal?

 

There really isn't a lot of consistency between states among the certificates and NJHorseman's post (hi horseman-met you on the Jewel in Dec 2010 I believe) doesn't really clear things up for me in terms of the Virginia birth certificate. My daughter's was state issued and has a watermark but I have no idea if this means it is a "certified" one or not.

 

I am not going to risk it though and am driving to Richmond tomorrow morning to get one via their walk-in office (hopefully open-they have the schedule for Saturdays from 2011 on their website!). For all I know it will be the same as what I have. Need to go tomorrow because the ship is nearly full and I have a room on hold through CAS only through tomorrow...don't want to book without having that certified certificate in hand!

 

 

Will post tomorrow with what I find out. Thanks for all your advice!

 

At any rate, am going to order her passport when I return from this trip for sure!

Coffeecat

[coffeecat]

Well, I am back from Richmond. I had to leave this morning early enough to return by noon and so was not able to just call and ask. I have a second copy of the exact same birth certificate that was sent in the mail. No raised seal but watermarked. The woman working at the Virginia vital documents dept. assured me that this was the ONLY certificate that the office issued and would be acceptable to apply for a passport.

 

So hopefully I am all set!

 

Thanks for all the advice and questions. Kicking myself for not getting a passport for our little one after she was born but didn't anticipate being able to travel for another year.

 

Cheers,

Coffeecat

[Hopes4]

Well, I am back from Richmond. I had to leave this morning early enough to return by noon and so was not able to just call and ask. I have a second copy of the exact same birth certificate that was sent in the mail. No raised seal but watermarked. The woman working at the Virginia vital documents dept. assured me that this was the ONLY certificate that the office issued and would be acceptable to apply for a passport.

 

So hopefully I am all set!

 

Thanks for all the advice and questions. Kicking myself for not getting a passport for our little one after she was born but didn't anticipate being able to travel for another year.

 

Cheers,

Coffeecat

 

Some wasted time is a small price to pay for peace of mind, right? Now you can book your trip and not worry. Enjoy!

[emcelh]

Well, I am back from Richmond. I had to leave this morning early enough to return by noon and so was not able to just call and ask. I have a second copy of the exact same birth certificate that was sent in the mail. No raised seal but watermarked. The woman working at the Virginia vital documents dept. assured me that this was the ONLY certificate that the office issued and would be acceptable to apply for a passport.

 

So hopefully I am all set!

 

Thanks for all the advice and questions. Kicking myself for not getting a passport for our little one after she was born but didn't anticipate being able to travel for another year.

 

Cheers,

Coffeecat

 

You should be fine. My daughter, who was born in VA when they just issued birth registration cards, had to get a birth certificate a few months ago to apply for a passport. Richmond sent her what you're describing and it was accepted with her passport appliction. I think people are more likely to have a problem using something that was issued many years ago, prior to all the new requirements being in place.

[coffeecat]

Some wasted time is a small price to pay for peace of mind, right? Now you can book your trip and not worry. Enjoy!

 

Yes! Definitely worth checking it out. I have read enough stories on here to not take the extra step to be certain.

 

Thanks!

Coffeecat

[goose30]

78 years ago NYC issued photo copy birth certificates. They still work.

[dutchess43]

goose30 the black & white photo copies did not work for us. When we applied for our first passports in 1996 we went to the post office with our photo copies of our birth certificates because that was all we had. We got turned away & was told that we had to have the birth certificates with the raised seal had no idea what they were talking about. DH had to go into N.Y. City & obtain all of our birth certificates. They issued his & both our kids but would not issue mine. They had to send mine to my home. What a mess but we finally got them all so we could get our passports.

[DevCruise]

Weird. I got my passport a year ago using a 33 yr old birth certificate from Ohio that looks like a bad photocopy with a notaries embossing relief on it.

[emcelh]

Last year, April I believe, they added a requirement that both parents names be listed on the birth certificate. Some did not have that information so people had to get new ones issued.

[sparks1093]

Last year, April I believe, they added a requirement that both parents names be listed on the birth certificate. Some did not have that information so people had to get new ones issued.

 

That is a State Department requirement for issuing a passport, it has nothing to do with DHS's requirements for using a birth certificate on a closed loop cruise.