I had 2nd dream about leaving Passport at home, has any one used taken pic's& used?

[gaylemh]

I was always told you needed an original birth certificate with the raised seal.

[BND]

Our passports are always in my carryon bag. If DH needs his for a work trip, I make sure he gives it back to me as soon as he gets back. Once in Baltimore we watched an older man berate his wife as she dug through her bag looking for their passports while we were in the security line. I don't know how that ended up, but he was being horrible to her. A photo of your passport could come in handy if you missed the ship. Not to use as a passport, but to use at the consul or embassy when applying for an emergency one. Apparently it's goes smoother if you can supply your number from your old one.

[dude_hdt]

Here's my story. We went on a new years cruise out of Galveston several years ago. Sailing Sunday Dec 26. Normally, passport is in bank safe deposit box. Got to point in line to check paperwork's and wife's passport was missing. Only mine and 2 little sons. We walked back and forth from entrance door to see if it was dropped...no dice. We happen to live 30 minutes from Port and my brother had dropped us off so we called him back to drive wife home to look. I stayed with the 2 boys.

 

RC gave us the 3rd degree about them not being the problem but immigration won't let us back after the cruise. Luckily we arrived to the port early as she had to make at least 2...maybe 3 round trips home searching for anything that would suffice. Photocopy of passport wasn't accepted. Finally, combination of photocopy passport + kids birth certificate with wife's maiden name + her birth certificate foreign born with maiden name + drivers license was good enough. Port employees were soooooo nice keeping one security line for her when she came back then last time to check in. Normal gangway was retracted long ago. Pursor walked us on thru employee gangway around 5 PM which shut right afterwards.

 

Oh the drama of the crying boys in the terminal that whole afternoon wanting to go, then not without mom, then go, back and forth. The pisser was when we came back after the cruise, immigration officer just looked at her photocopy and waved us thru even before I gave the long story and all of those other connecting documents!!!

 

The cause...she had taken her passport from the normal stack in the deposit box a few months before that for some paperwork and didn't put it with the other 3 in the total passport envelope so was by itself in the box still safe and sound on a Sunday after Xmas day.

 

Don't know how many times nowadays we physically check all paperwork with multiple eyeballs between sailing - 1 month all the way to several times on the drive to the port.

[actuarian]

If you are a US citizen and on a closed loop cruise (one that starts and ends at the same US port), then you can use a passport card instead of a passport booklet. The passport card is the same size as a credit card so I just keep mine in my wallet all the time. That way, the only way I can be without my passport card is if I am without my wallet.

[maryred]

I was always told you needed an original birth certificate with the raised seal.

You were told wrong. First off in the USA your original birth certificate is in a file with either you local or regional Department of Health or Vital Statistics. What your parents or you received is a certified copy. Secondly not every state used a raised seal and ones that did in the past may not any longer.

With the advent of new technologies different local Dept. of Vital Statistic or Health have all adopted different methods to validate what they issue. My DH's has micro writing as its security feature. Mine has intricate artwork featuring my birth state's seal all along the borders and a watermark stating official copy. I have cousins born in a county that now issues copies of birth certificates with a magnetic strip like credit cards have.

 

 

Sent from my STV100-2 using Forums mobile app

[Clarea]

I was always told you needed an original birth certificate with the raised seal.

You need a certified BC, which may or may not have a raised seal depending on the locality.

[moesyk4]

In 2007, my DH and I drove from Indiana to Florida for his 1st cruise, my 2nd. We were driving in the day before and staying a night in Daytona.

Somewhere in the north end of Georgia about 10 hours in, it hits me we forgot our birth certificates. We debated tirning around, but would've had to drive through the night to make the cruise. It was a Sunday so no one day mail.

My MIL and Dh's best friend broke in our 2nd story apartment through the window and faxed copies of them to our bed and breakfast. We got to the port as early as we could the next morning prepared for a big let down.

The agent was super sweet and just called her manager over, who begrudgingly alet us on the ship with just the fax, I was astonished.

We got quite the tongue lashing from customs coming back through, but he did let us back in. Trust me, we know how lucky we were and my older self would've turned the car around!

[gaylemh]

You need a certified BC, which may or may not have a raised seal depending on the locality.

 

Mine has a raised seal. So how would a photo copy work?

[Clarea]

Mine has a raised seal. So how would a photo copy work?

I don't think a regular photo copy would work. The localities that don't have a raised seal have some other authenticating method, like special paper, etc.

[boscobeans]

 

I'm pretty sure those with answers like gayler's don't mean you must have your 'ORIGINAL' BC.

 

Many of us , at least in my case, have 'ORIGINAL' BCs that are in worse shape than the Dead Sea Scrolls, and now have 'CERTIFIED' copies or better yet, passports.

 

I have no idea as to how strict or how carefully they inspect documents but a simple photograph or photocopy could very well be a problem getting on the ship or getting back into the U.S.

And as Clarea stated above, "

I don't think a regular photo copy would work. The localities that don't have a raised seal have some other authenticating method, like special paper, etc. "

 

 

bosco

Edited July 16, 2018 by boscobeans
add

[sparks1093]

Thank you all for your harrowing stories, and that it is not me! I am glad you all found ways to get on! Thanks for clarifying pix's don't work. I am putting it on my calendar when I get back from my birthday trip to start getting my passport renewed!

 

Sent from my SM-G955U1 using Forums mobile app

 

As stated pictures of the passports won't work but pictures of your birth certificates should work if you are on a closed loop cruise. It won't work for naturalization certificates or consular reports of birth abroad though, since those need to be original but the regulations do allow the use of birth certificate copies.

[sparks1093]

Mine has a raised seal. So how would a photo copy work?

 

According to the regulations passengers may present an "original or copy" of their government issued birth certificate. I do not know how Royal words its FAQ on the subject but I do know that Carnival does specify that a photo copy is acceptable and I have presented a photo copy to board a cruise. In any event it is clear that a photo of a birth certificate is acceptable by Royal and there is no difference between a photo and a photo copy when you get right down to it. Of course it is best to bring the original but it is good to know what alternatives are available in a pinch.

[sparks1093]

Here's my story. We went on a new years cruise out of Galveston several years ago. Sailing Sunday Dec 26. Normally, passport is in bank safe deposit box. Got to point in line to check paperwork's and wife's passport was missing. Only mine and 2 little sons. We walked back and forth from entrance door to see if it was dropped...no dice. We happen to live 30 minutes from Port and my brother had dropped us off so we called him back to drive wife home to look. I stayed with the 2 boys.

 

RC gave us the 3rd degree about them not being the problem but immigration won't let us back after the cruise. Luckily we arrived to the port early as she had to make at least 2...maybe 3 round trips home searching for anything that would suffice. Photocopy of passport wasn't accepted. Finally, combination of photocopy passport + kids birth certificate with wife's maiden name + her birth certificate foreign born with maiden name + drivers license was good enough. Port employees were soooooo nice keeping one security line for her when she came back then last time to check in. Normal gangway was retracted long ago. Pursor walked us on thru employee gangway around 5 PM which shut right afterwards.

 

Oh the drama of the crying boys in the terminal that whole afternoon wanting to go, then not without mom, then go, back and forth. The pisser was when we came back after the cruise, immigration officer just looked at her photocopy and waved us thru even before I gave the long story and all of those other connecting documents!!!

 

The cause...she had taken her passport from the normal stack in the deposit box a few months before that for some paperwork and didn't put it with the other 3 in the total passport envelope so was by itself in the box still safe and sound on a Sunday after Xmas day.

 

Don't know how many times nowadays we physically check all paperwork with multiple eyeballs between sailing - 1 month all the way to several times on the drive to the port.

 

CBP vets all passengers through a multitude of databases during the cruise so going through Customs is a formality (unless of course the vetting raises issues with a particular passenger in which case they will receive, um, special treatment). This is one of the reasons why copies are acceptable- CBP checks the state database to ensure the birth certificate is valid.

[ScottVV]

Also.. If you're leaving from a US Port, and returning to a US Port, you don't need a Passport to board the ship. It's considered a "Closed Loop" cruise.. All you need is proof of citizenship and a gov't issued ID. Leave the P/P at home if you REALLY don't need to use it. But if you're one of those who worry, bring it along.

[boscobeans]

Carnival Cruises Passport Requirements for Cruises:

Passports are required for all travelers, including citizens of U.S. and Canada, who enter or re-enter the United States by air, land or sea.

Regarding Carnival Cruises to destinations in Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, the Bahamas and Bermuda, there is a notable exception to this US passport rule, pertaining to land and sea crossings for US Citizens.

US Citizens on closed-loop cruises (cruises that begin and end in the same U.S. port) and travel to destinations in Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, the Bahamas, and Bermuda are able to re-enter the United States with proof of citizenship other than a passport or passport card. Acceptable proof of citizenship includes an original or certified copy of a government issued birth certificate (raised seal and signature) and a laminated government issued picture ID (typically, driver's license), Consular Report of Born Abroad Certificate, or a Certificate of Naturalization. NOTE: Baptismal records and certificates issued by a hospital are not acceptable.

ROYAL CARIBBEAN WEB INFORMATION;

Exceptions:

United States citizens on cruises that begin and end at the same port in the United States can use a original government-issued picture ID (i.e. driver's license) AND an original government-issued birth certificate or original Naturalization Certificate.

U.S. CUSTOMS AND IMMIGRATION

U.S. citizens on closed-loop cruises will be able to enter or depart the country with proof of citizenship, such as an Enhanced Driver's License (EDL), a government-issued birth certificate (issued by the Vital Records Department in the state where he or she was born) or passport, and if 16 or older, a government issued driver's license, picture ID, denoting photo, name and date of birth.

 

 

NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINES

Citizens

For Cruises Leaving From a U.S. Port to the Caribbean, Bahamas & Florida, Bermuda, Alaska, Mexican Riviera, Canada & New England, Pacific Coastal

You’re required to carry:

A Valid Passport

OR

Proof of Citizenship (see below) AND Government-issued photo ID

State certified U.S. birth certificate.

2018 Celebrity Cruises, Inc.

 

For a list of all approved documents look here

U.S. citizens on closed-loop cruises (cruises that begin and end at the same port in the U.S.) will be able to enter or depart the country with proof of citizenship, such as a government-issued birth certificate and laminated government issued picture ID, denoting photo, name and date of birth. A U.S. citizen under the age of 16 will be able to present either an original or notarized or certified copy of his or her birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad issues by DOS, or Certificate of Naturalization issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

 

bosco

[sparks1093]

This is what Carnival says when you click on the link for birth certificate on their web page:

 

"The following are acceptable:

• An original or copy of a birth certificate issued by a government agency (state/county/city) or the Department of Health and Vital Statistics
  
• A clear, legible copy of a birth certificate that was originally issued by a government agency (state/county/city) or the Department of Health and Vital Statistics. The copy does not need to be notarized or certified.
  
• Birth Certificate Card
  
• A Consular report of Birth Abroad
  
• Internationally adopted children (under the age of 18): If the adoptive parent was not issued a birth certificate, we will accept as proof of citizenship, a Certificate of Citizenship by the U.S. and adoption paperwork. A Certificate of Citizenship is issued by the U.S. once the adoption is finalized."
  

What you receive from the state is a certified copy of the original document filed with, and maintained by, the state (which you can't actually get). And finally here is what the DHS regulations themselves say:

 

"(2) When traveling entirely within the Western Hemisphere on a cruise ship, and when the U.S. citizen boards the cruise ship at a port or place within the United States and returns on the return voyage of the same cruise ship to the same United States port or place from where he or she originally departed. That U.S. citizen may present a government-issued photo identification document in combination with either an original or a copy of his or her birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad issued by the Department, or a Certificate of Naturalization issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services before entering the United States; if the U.S. citizen is under the age of 16, he or she may present either an original or a copy of his or her birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad issued by the Department, or a Certificate of Naturalization issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services"

 

None of this is advocating for everyone to start using copies of their birth certificates, but only to show what documentation is acceptable in case primary documents (like passports) get forgotten, lost or stolen on the way to the port.

[KamiKake]

I have that same absolute fear. Just reading these stories is giving me anxiety! For us, as soon as we book a cruise, I get out a white 3-ring binder and write our cruise, dates and reservation number on a piece of blank paper and put it in the front plastic part. Then, I print out all the reservation info and add (as we do it) plane tickets, hotel confirmation, tour confirmations, luggage tags etc and put it in the binder. 2 weeks out or so, I put our passports in the front pocket. As I'm packing my carry on, that goes in it. I either have everything or nothing. (I'm getting a zippered binder soon after it was suggested by a fellow CC so we don't risk things falling out as my carry on gets moved around!) Once on the cruise, that whole carry on goes into the bottom of the closet. I've never put anything in the safe. Just to afraid I'll forget it. It's never been bothered and I know exactly where everything is.

[mailmama]

When I book a cruise, I start a folder. It's a plastic see thru kind with a flap that closes with velcro. I put in all documents and confirmations. Also, the passports! I learned this from my daughter who is a travel agent. She has group cruises and always calls each client to remind them to bring passport. GUESS Who forgot her family's passport and had to turn around on the drive to Florida and go back for them??!! Yes, it can happen to the best of us!!! This has been great thread to remind us all!

[KBD1516]

This will not substitute for your physical passport but it will insure that you have a copy of it with you.

 

Use the app and scan the family passports into it. The app will be on your phone and you can email the link to yourself.

 

Sometimes the line for Mobile App is shorter so you clear customs quicker. (Not always!)

 

Since reading these responses, I have decided to scan our birth certificates and email them to myself.

 

https://mobilepassport.us/

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[sparks1093]

This will not substitute for your physical passport but it will insure that you have a copy of it with you.

 

Use the app and scan the family passports into it. The app will be on your phone and you can email the link to yourself.

 

Sometimes the line for Mobile App is shorter so you clear customs quicker. (Not always!)

 

Since reading these responses, I have decided to scan our birth certificates and email them to myself.

 

https://mobilepassport.us/

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

And it is a good idea to have a physical or electronic copy of your passport because if it is lost or stolen the copy may be used at the Embassy to issue a new passport.

[sparks1093]

And it is a good idea to have a physical or electronic copy of your passport because if it is lost or stolen the copy may be used at the Embassy to issue a new passport.

 

Here's what State Department says for replacing a lost/stolen passport overseas:

 

 

"The following list identifies a number of documents/items you should take with you to the embassy/consulate. Even if you are unable to present all of the documents, the consular staff will do their best to assist you to replace your passport quickly.

Please provide:

• A Passport Photo (one photo is required; get it in advance to speed the process of replacing your passport)
  
• Identification (driver's license, expired passport etc.)
  
• Evidence of U.S. citizenship (birth certificate, photocopy of your missing passport)
  
• Travel Itinerary (airline/train tickets)
  
• Police Report, if available
  
• DS-11 Application for Passport (may be completed at time of application)
  
• DS-64 Statement Regarding a Lost or Stolen Passport (may be completed at time of application)"
  

[Countrygurl]

Found out last year you cannot board without a passport. Four of us flew in the day before the cruise. When we got to check in, they asked for our passports. My aunt had left hers in her luggage. Yep, luggage was left for the porters and we had no idea where it would be!!! Fortunately, we had gotten out of the transport van and in our excitement had not waited for the porters to take our luggage. So they left it right where it was taken out of the van. (Found out you must stay with your luggage until the porter actually takes it too) So thankfully our luggage was sitting exactly where it was left, and thankfully my aunt hadn't taken her passport out or we would have been without luggage. Alot of lessons learned that day and it was hardly our first cruise!!!! When we all boarded, first up...a rum runner!!!!

[Desert Cruizers]

Many speak of the closed loop cruises and not needing a pass port, while this is true, one should also be aware that in the event of an emergency and needing to fly home, the airlines will ask to see your passport. A pass port Card can't be used for air travel back to the States.

Source : http://www.travelinsurancereview.net/hurricane-travel-resource-center/can-you-travel-to-the-bahamas-from-the-us-without-a-passport/

 

A US passport card is a travel document that can be used by US citizens to enter the United States from land border crossings or sea ports-of-entry from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Canada, and Mexico. The passport card cannot be used for entry into the states by air

[sparks1093]

Found out last year you cannot board without a passport. Four of us flew in the day before the cruise. When we got to check in, they asked for our passports. My aunt had left hers in her luggage. Yep, luggage was left for the porters and we had no idea where it would be!!! Fortunately, we had gotten out of the transport van and in our excitement had not waited for the porters to take our luggage. So they left it right where it was taken out of the van. (Found out you must stay with your luggage until the porter actually takes it too) So thankfully our luggage was sitting exactly where it was left, and thankfully my aunt hadn't taken her passport out or we would have been without luggage. Alot of lessons learned that day and it was hardly our first cruise!!!! When we all boarded, first up...a rum runner!!!!

 

On a closed loop cruise a US citizen may board without a passport, but must present other documentation showing identity and citizenship. (And it's a good thing your aunt had her lapse, otherwise it sounds your luggage would have stayed on the pier as you sailed away:o.)

[sparks1093]

Many speak of the closed loop cruises and not needing a pass port, while this is true, one should also be aware that in the event of an emergency and needing to fly home, the airlines will ask to see your passport. A pass port Card can't be used for air travel back to the States.

Source : http://www.travelinsurancereview.net/hurricane-travel-resource-center/can-you-travel-to-the-bahamas-from-the-us-without-a-passport/

 

A US passport card is a travel document that can be used by US citizens to enter the United States from land border crossings or sea ports-of-entry from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Canada, and Mexico. The passport card cannot be used for entry into the states by air

 

The DHS regulations do contain provisions for dealing with this and the passport requirement may be waived for an emergency or for humanitarian reasons. I read a thread not too long ago of a passenger who had to disembark in Mexico because of a minor medical emergency. He was directed by the port agent to go to the airport and if he had any trouble boarding to let him know. He spent 45 minutes at the airport finding someone to authorize him to board and then 10 minutes in secondary inspection after landing in the US. He did have a passport card but I do not know how much that helped.