Marriage certificate???

[Travalerie]

I have a friend sailing on Carnival soon. She is using her birth certificate and driver's license. Her driver's license has her married name, and her birth certificate has her maiden name. Does she need a marriage license to show the link between her birth certificate and her driver's license? I always use my passport so I am not sure how it works otherwise. Thanks for your input.

[cruisemom67]

It is a good idea to bring it. Some places will ask, others won't. I'd hate to be denied boarding due to that.

[yogibear]

Most places on land require to show proof. Bring it just in case.

 

Murphy's Law: If you have it, you won't need it. If you forget it, it will be the first thing they ask for!

 

Karen

[Doctorsbaby]

She should bring the marriage certificate, it is the bridging document to show birth certificate name -> married name. If not, they could say that she has a random persons birth certificate that has the same first name.

[jcruise20]

Yes she will need the marriage certificate.

[springs741]

Since Carnivals Frequently Asked Question says:

It is important that the guest's full name on the cruise and airline tickets be the same as the guest's non-expired government-issued photo I.D. they plan to use for travel identification. In the event of a different name on the cruise/airline ticket and the guest's photo I.D. as a result of a marriage, divorce or a legal name change, documentation (original or clear, legible copy) supporting this change is required (at embarkation), such as a marriage certificate, marriage license or legal name change court document. Failure to bring documentation bridging the name differences could result in denial of boarding.

I think it would be a very good idea to bring the marriage certificate. You will have others say they had it and were never asked for it. But like Karen said: If you have it, you won't need it. If you forget it, it will be the first thing they ask for!

[sparks1093]

She should bring the marriage certificate, it is the bridging document to show birth certificate name -> married name. If not, they could say that she has a random persons birth certificate that has the same first name.

 

And the odds of having a random person's birth certificate that has the same first and middle name and birthdate? When a married person changes their name on their drivers license they submit a copy of the marriage certificate to the DMV and CBP would be able to verify that transaction if they needed to. If for some obscure reason they couldn't verify it then they might ask to see it and for that reason it is best to carry it. (And the FAQ talks about the names matching the names on the photo ID, doesn't mention the birth certificate.)

 

So yes, it's best to bring it but it's more of a just in case thing.

[llfrazer]

I would bring it..... My Travel Planner told me to bring it because I am using an Enhanced License.

[sparks1093]

I would bring it..... My Travel Planner told me to bring it because I am using an Enhanced License.

 

I don't know why your planner told you that. If you have an Enhanced Drivers License that has the same name on the reservation you need bring no other document as it verifies both citizenship and ID at the same time like a passport card does.

[Trevor Fountain]

Is it not easier just to carry a passport? I see lots of questions on these boards regarding ID, and I understand that travelling to some destinations do not require a passport, but for ease of identification, why do Americans choose not to use their passports?

[Wheels87]

Is it not easier just to carry a passport? I see lots of questions on these boards regarding ID, and I understand that travelling to some destinations do not require a passport, but for ease of identification, why do Americans choose not to use their passports?

 

The fact is that they don't actually have passports. It costs about $130 nowadays to get one and some folks don't want to pay for something that they will only use once per decade.

 

Personally...I never travel without one.

 

Cheers!

[Trevor Fountain]

Thanks for the explanation Wheels.

[sparks1093]

Is it not easier just to carry a passport? I see lots of questions on these boards regarding ID, and I understand that travelling to some destinations do not require a passport, but for ease of identification, why do Americans choose not to use their passports?

 

If they had a passport I am sure they would use it but many US citizens don't have one (and even if they did questions still arise when someone with a passport marries and travels with the passport in the maiden name). We have a choice as to what documentation to use on closed loop cruises and many don't want to spend money on something they don't need when they already have something that will work. I know that when we started cruising passports for our family would have cost around $850 and we decided that for a 4 day cruise it was not worth it, particularly since our future travel plans were uncertain. We decided to wait to get passports until we needed them to travel internationally by air, which did not happen until 2015.

[Perpetualbug]

Is it not easier just to carry a passport? I see lots of questions on these boards regarding ID, and I understand that travelling to some destinations do not require a passport, but for ease of identification, why do Americans choose not to use their passports?

 

We just booked our first cruise for July about 8 weeks ago. We've never traveled outside of the country and due to finances we don't travel often. The fact that we didn't need a passports was very attractive to us and one of the factors that helped us choose a cruise versus another vacation.

[Trevor Fountain]

I'm getting the picture now. It's obviously a lot different over here. As soon as we leave our little Island we need a passport. Totally get your reasons for not obtaining passports now. Thanks.

[bnorris10]

I did not use a passport to cruise until I went to Europe and actually was required to get one - Now I use it all the time it's a lot easier then bringing all the birth certificates etc with us - Now if I will keep them afterwards when they expire who knows .. Probably just because I think its convenient

[maryred]

Best to have any and all name change documents on hand. Even if that means carrying a copy of a first (or subsequent) divorce paperwork showing how the name on the BC finally changed to the name on the marriage certificate to the one on the picture ID.

 

Remember the name placed on the booking should exactly match the name on government issued photo ID. Especially now that many ports including ones used by Carnival tend to scan the photo ID and transfer the photo plus other pertinent info from it to the S&S card. When they first switched over to this DH had a small problem at the check-in desk (Baltimore) because a middle name (his confirmation name) was on the booking (because our online forms auto-filled from our previous Carnival log-on info) but has never appeared on any government ID because it was not part of his birth certificate. A senior member of port services and a Carnival officer had to come over to fix "problem".

[bosoxfan5]

I travel with my birth certificate and driver's license. I also bring my marriage certificate just in case. I've never been asked to show it at the ports in Charleston, Port Canaveral or Tampa. I will continue to bring it because the one time I don't will be the one time they ask for it :)

[ultrafighter]

I know the ability to use it is pretty restricted, but a passport card could be handy in this situation. They only cost $40 and will eliminate the need for a BC or anything else. You'll probably have to submit the marriage license when applying for the passport card, but it's two fewer documents you'd need to keep track of on the ship.

[cb at sea]

All women's BIRTH certificates show their BIRTH name...no married woman's BC shows married name!!! Lol! They are matching birth dates to the photo ID...she doesn't need the marriage certificate.

[sparks1093]

I know the ability to use it is pretty restricted, but a passport card could be handy in this situation. They only cost $40 and will eliminate the need for a BC or anything else. You'll probably have to submit the marriage license when applying for the passport card, but it's two fewer documents you'd need to keep track of on the ship.

 

Actually a marriage license for a married first time applicant for a passport card or a passport doesn't need to submit the marriage certificate with the application. (And a first time passport card costs $55, $25 for the fee and $30 for the card, at least it was last time I checked.)

[sparks1093]

All women's BIRTH certificates show their BIRTH name...no married woman's BC shows married name!!! Lol! They are matching birth dates to the photo ID...she doesn't need the marriage certificate.

 

No matter how often you get called out for this erroneous information you continue to post it time after time. I know and have known many married ladies that did not take their husband's name when they got married for one reason or another. I also knew one gentleman that took his wife's last name.

[ultrafighter]

Actually a marriage license for a married first time applicant for a passport card or a passport doesn't need to submit the marriage certificate with the application. (And a first time passport card costs $55, $25 for the fee and $30 for the card, at least it was last time I checked.)

 

You're right. We got a passport card for my youngest a couple of months ago, and it was $40, but I wasn't thinking about the difference in age when I replied.

 

Even better about not needing to send off the marriage certificate for a passport card.

[crzycick]

I definitely follow the better safe than sorry. We did 4 cruises years ago and I sailed with my BC, DL, and marriage certificate.

 

Our first cruise was in 2008 and we actually left my husband's BC at home!! We had a friend break into our house and email us a copy which we printed at a kinkos and she mailed it to the hotel so if I had to go back to the hotel after the cruise to retrieve it so my husband could get out of customs I could do that. The guy saw my husband's military ID and talked military with him and never asked for anything more and hardly glanced at my BC or DL. But I definitely wouldn't recommend leaving a BC at home :')

 

Our next cruise the customs person yelled at us for breaking the rules and that a passport was an absolute requirement. I calmly showed him the printed documents from the government showing we didn't need a passport and he still kept yelling at us. He still never looked at my marriage license and we had to have some other worker set him straight.

 

The next 2 cruises I think they may have asked for it. But I'm tired of all of the issues so even though I will probably only use the passport the one time I think I'm getting it for our next cruise.