Help!!

[TMANGO]

My daughter booked a five day cruise out of Charleston to Nassau and Freeport in early September. We recently found out that a side table that was given to Goodwill in a move had her passport and original birth certificate in it. That move was a year ago...help!!

[jenng1976]

September is still a few months away - wouldn't there be time to order replacements for both?

[TMANGO]

Need birth certificate to get passport. In order to cruise without passport you have to have original birth cert + driver's license. Not sure about time frame...but we are dealing with the government....

Edited June 10, 2015 by TMANGO

[naz022292]

If you're not close enough to drive to get the birth certificate replaced, try calling. My husband was born in Portsmouth NH and we live in Massachusetts which is about a 2-2 1/2 hour drive. I called Portsmouth Clerks office to ask about their hours, directions, etc and they offered to send me a certified certificate. I just had to send them a check and they sent it (actually them... I asked for extras) right out. If you can get the birth certificate soon, you'll have time to get the passport.

 

I would check with the charity just on the OFF CHANCE that they still have the table.

[kelkel2]

How close do you live to the government agency that you can get a birth certificate? I would do that first! That's probably the item you can get the quickest. At least worst case scenario you can cruise with that and an ID. Then from there I would try to expedite a passport. It may or may not come, but you can always try!!

[cb at sea]

It's easy to get a new BC,,,,and thats all you need. A passport takes much longer.

[elliair]

Need birth certificate to get passport. In order to cruise without passport you have to have original birth cert + driver's license. Not sure about time frame...but we are dealing with the government....

 

You don't have to have the original birth certificate. Get her birth certificate from the county office in the county she was born. It will be the one that you send in for the passport. I'm in my 60's and I just got a copy of my "original" birth certificate. What's strange is that I was using a different declaration of birth and the passport office accepted it. Who didn't accept it was a county where I was trying to obtain a death certificate. That led me to get a copy of my real certificate. Don't panic, but get on it now! If need be, you can pay extra and have her passport faster. Good luck!

Edited June 10, 2015 by elliair

[TMANGO]

So a certified original birth certificate and driver's license is ok? When they said original...I am thinking ORIGINAL

[Wooshers]

Need birth certificate to get passport. In order to cruise without passport you have to have original birth cert + driver's license. Not sure about time frame...but we are dealing with the government....

 

Yeah, I'm pretty sure all she will need is the birth certificate which should be easy ish to get. Someone else can confirm that but pretty sure that's all she'd technically need.

 

If you get it quickly and have 2+ months left then I'd suggest try to get the passport. But I would think in the next few months you'd at least be able to get ahold of the BC.

[acmoral]

You might be able to order the birth certificate online if it's too far for you to drive to get. That's how I got mine last year but can't remember how long it took to get here but it didn't take more than a few weeks.

Edited June 10, 2015 by acmoral

[elliair]

So a certified original birth certificate and driver's license is ok? When they said original...I am thinking ORIGINAL

 

You will get a certificate with a stamped seal. That makes it "original."

[curious_st]

In my state, there is one office that covers the entire state for birth certificates. They are quite efficient. You can usually get a certified copy in about 30 minutes if you walk in. You can also order by mail, fax, or phone and get a certified copy within a few days. No biggie!

[TMANGO]

I really appreciate all the quick responses!! My daughter was freaking out (as we were) and then I thought....let me put it out there on Cruise Critic...again thanks!

[lizardhowson]

I really appreciate all the quick responses!! My daughter was freaking out (as we were) and then I thought....let me put it out there on Cruise Critic...again thanks!

 

No need to "freak out".

 

Even Google would have answered this.

[thomarvin]

So a certified original birth certificate and driver's license is ok? When they said original...I am thinking ORIGINAL

 

nope all you need is a picture ID and a birth certificate (long form) with a stamp as long as it is a closed loop cruise (start and end at the same place).

[naz022292]

You actually don't need an "original" birth certificate. You can use a copy of a birth certificate. A copy of of the birth certificate is acceptable both by Carnival and by US Customs. A family member of ours sailed with a copy in April without any trouble. Here are the links with the requirements. Have fun!

 

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1406

 

http://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/whti-program-background/docs-land-sea

 

*edited to clarify that the original isn't necessary for sailing... you would need the original certified certificate to apply for the passport.

Edited June 10, 2015 by naz022292

[bar1068]

FWIW...Before we cruised for the first time in 06, we decided going in we'd get passports...so my wife and I went to a local post office that processed passports one Saturday and turned in our paperwork and had pictures taken to start the passport process.

 

My wife received her passport in about 10 days, I on the other hand received a notice that I did not turn in the appropriate, certified birth certificate..I turned in what amounted to the hospitals record of birth...duh. Plus along with my birth certificate, I had to turn in my legal name change documents...long story.

 

Anyway, due to another long story, I requested a certified copy of my birth certificate online through VitalChek, who I believe goes through PA office of Vital Records...whichever, even with requesting and getting the proper birth certificate from PA, I still had my passport in a little over 2 weeks from my original date of submission, or only about 4-5 days after my wife received hers

 

YMMV....but could be time still to get a passport if thats what you'd prefer

[AnnaBeth]

Depending on the state you may be able to get it at DMV, I am in VA and we can now get copies of our birth certificate from DMV!

[cantthinkofanythingfun]

The birth certificate is easy. Many states have a division of vital records in every county. You can get a passport very quickly as well. There are numerous passport agencies that will do so for a fee, or if you live close to one, you can make an appointment with a state department office to get one quickly, in fact, if your passport was lost or stolen I don't even think you need the birth certificate to go to the state department office. You can also pay an extra 60 dollars through the regular renewal process to have a passport mailed to you within 3 weeks.

[TLC535]

Not difficult to get a new birth certificate in SC...check out the link below for 4 different options...depending on which you choose it wont take over a month...:)

 

http://www.scdhec.gov/VitalRecords/BirthCertificates/

[Gamecock_Cruiser]

Need birth certificate to get passport. In order to cruise without passport you have to have original birth cert + driver's license. Not sure about time frame...but we are dealing with the government....

 

I see that you are in SC. Google it and call the office in Columbia and you will have it in about 5 days if you expedite it.

[CruiseReg]

So a certified original birth certificate and driver's license is ok? When they said original...I am thinking ORIGINAL

 

No not original. Many people don't have originals. It only needs to be official with a raised seal. I ordered my birth certificate online more than 10 years ago from San Diego County while in Florida. It was super easy and arrived quickly! You have plenty of time, just do it now.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

[bingo3]

I think "original" means it comes from the official records office and is not just a copy of the birth certificate made on any copier.

[SadieN]

I think "original" means it comes from the official records office and is not just a copy of the birth certificate made on any copier.

 

 

Exactly. Here in California you get a Certified Copy from the county. The original is kept in the official records.

[huenix]

There is an elephant in the room you need to address very soon... A passport and birth certificate are identities for people. I would contact the nearest Passport Agency, or get forms online and report the passport lost. The two forms you need are:

 

DS-11 (Passport replacement)

DS-64 (Statement Regarding Lost or Stolen Passport)

 

Both of these forms can be obtained from:

 

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/forms.html

 

I would also contact the three credit reporting agencies and get copies of credit reports immediately and place a security hold on all requests for credit.

 

By the way, assuming two weeks to get a stamped birth certificate and 6 weeks to get a replacement passport, you should have no problems at all.