Id Problems?

[blueiis_99]

has anyone had any problems with ID. I am divorced, and have kept my married name. We are going to the bahamas, and my TA suggested i take my marriage certificate to show how my name changed. (we are going with only our birth certificates). I work for the gov't and always carry my ID. I thought this would be enough, along with the drivers license, etc.

 

anyone else have this situation?

 

ps we are leaving in 4 days

[Jsme]

has anyone had any problems with ID. I am divorced, and have kept my married name. We are going to the bahamas, and my TA suggested i take my marriage certificate to show how my name changed. (we are going with only our birth certificates). I work for the gov't and always carry my ID. I thought this would be enough, along with the drivers license, etc.

 

anyone else have this situation?

 

ps we are leaving in 4 days

 

I do not understand you problem. Sorry.

 

You are divorced but you have kept your married name. I do not see where there is a problem. All you need is your birth certificate and your DL . You have to have some type of other id besides your BC, normally that is a DL or other approved photo id. I do not see why you have to have the marrriage certificate. I am totally confused on why you would need this. Many people divorce and keep their married name. Every BC has your name at birth not your married name on it. So why would this matter? I am not trying to flame you at all, just do not see the importance of the marriage certificate. The airline or cruise ship will not have a clue you are divorced. I doubt they care. If you were still married to this person you would still ahve a BC with your maiden name and your approved id with you married name.

[blueiis_99]

I agree,,, it's just that the TA brought up the fact that my BC doesn't match my current last name. I thought it was stupid too. I just wanted to check and see if anyone else had ever encountered this problem. I didn't take your response as a flame. But I ask cause I don't want any problems on my trip. like i said I work for the govt so that ID alone should prove my right to be back in the states.

 

 

The TA started this, and other poeple that i have spoken to suggested I find out any info in this direction.

 

thank you

[jcanino]

I agree,,, it's just that the TA brought up the fact that my BC doesn't match my current last name. I thought it was stupid too. I just wanted to check and see if anyone else had ever encountered this problem. I didn't take your response as a flame. But I ask cause I don't want any problems on my trip. like i said I work for the govt so that ID alone should prove my right to be back in the states.

The TA started this, and other poeple that i have spoken to suggested I find out any info in this direction.

 

As a TA, the people in my office always suggest to married women that they bring a copy of the marriage certificate (if the don't have passports) to show how you went from your maiden name to the name on the DL. This was not the case prior to 9/11. Prior, they would match up your DOB from both documents to show it was the same person. Now, we know of incidents where women were denied boarding on flights to the Caribbean and Mexico because names didn't match. There seems to be a 99% chance that no one will question the name change but we don't want to be responsible for a client not leaving because of that 1%. We make the suggestion to cover our butts.

[mrsfuzzmo]

I agree... you may be asked to prove your name change with your marriage certificate. It is possible that you will not, but I have had clients that were asked...especially if they are not traveling with their spouse to provide a marriage cert. to verify a different name than on BC. If time provides, get a passport and reduce the hassles and paperwork. If not, definitely take your MC with you just in case. You do not want to be turned away at the pier.

 

Mrsfuzzmo

[Jsme]

I still think this is nuts. I have cruised multiple times since 9/11 and I have never had a problem or seen a problem of this sort. Sorry I do not mean this as a flame, but it just blows my mind.

 

I guess it is better to be safe than sorry but I have never taken my marriage certificate with me on any cruise or any time I have went out of the country and I have yet to experience any problems.

 

I do not even have an offical marriage certificate. All I have is the one they gave us at the alter. Nothing that is offical.

[jcanino]

I still think this is nuts. I have cruised multiple times since 9/11 and I have never had a problem or seen a problem of this sort. Sorry I do not mean this as a flame, but it just blows my mind.

 

I guess it is better to be safe than sorry but I have never taken my marriage certificate with me on any cruise or any time I have went out of the country and I have yet to experience any problems.

 

As nuts as you may think it is, it is a reality. The world is in a turmoil and we are all along for the ride. All it takes is one person being very cautious and concerned when it comes to checking ID's, and one letter out of place between your document and official ID is all it may take to keep you home while others in your family travel. Yes, it is better to be safe than sorry because you don't want to be the one that someone targets for the perfect match ID.

 

One of my clients, a couple whose husband is in the Navy, went to the Bahamas last year. When they checked in at the airline counter, they were asked for ID. She had her passport but he forgot his home. What he did have was his DL and his military ID. The airline rep asked for his BC which he also did not have. He tried to argue that his military ID had his name, DOB, rank, security clearance, whatever on it and was just as good. He was told that without the passport or his BC, he was not getting on the plane to Nassau. He ended up driving home to grab his BC and take the next flight out to Nassau. In theory, his DL and military ID should have sufficed as he had to present a BC for his ID just as you would for a passport but someone was being very hard nosed.

[PurpleCow]

I've always used my maiden name as my middle name on IDs, so the disparity between birth certificate and current ID is evident and easily accounted for.

[CPT Trips]

Sometimes "officials" are overly cautious - and make our lives nuts.

When I applied for my passport (and I really recommend cruisers and other travelers got one asap) the clerk in our township initially refused to take my handwritten BC. It had the state seal - raised as required. Fortunately, her supervisor's boss came along and OKed it.

What's really strange is that the BC has to be sent into the Feds with the application . . . if there was a question, wouldn't you think they would let the Feds decide?

[Jsme]

I have to agree with PurpleCow. I use my maiden name as my middle name. Maybe that is why I have never had a problem. I always carry my BC and DL with me, but I have never taken my marriage certificate with me.

[Host Mick]

The safest solution for you is to get a passport. The passport is the universal identification so you won't have to mess around with drivers licenses, marriage licenses or birth certificates.

Security rules will soon require that you have a passport to cruise outside of US waters.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

while your correct that the passport is a great idea I am confused about you comments about soon to be required passport requirements. I thought that wasn't until January 2008?

 

Bill

[Jsme]

They keep changing the dates on when they are a must to have.