Name misspelled on Birth Certificate

[dallasdan]

We are taking our grandkids on a 4 day cruise in the summer and I just found out one my Grand Daughters last name is misspelled on her birth certificate.  I have not added her name to the booking yet.  I don't want to add a misspelled name to the booking because I want her sail and sign card to print correctly.  My question is should I enter her name on the booking misspelled to match her birth certificate?  The misspelling is they listed the letter "a" twice Caa......

[Mike45LC]

I would accept the birth certificate as official until it can be corrected.  Check with your state's Department of Vital Statistics as to how to correct the birth certificate.  It might require a petition for name change.  

[cacruisin]

I would register the child as spelled on the birth certificate.  Assuming the child won't be showing any other form of ID that would contradict the spelling on the BC I would just avoid the hassle of it being an issue.

[dallasdan]

I understand my son will need to take care of getting the birth certificate changed.  She was born in Oklahoma and they live in Texas now so it won't be easy.  My question is do I need to make sure the name in the carnival booking matches exactly the BC

[dallasdan]

1 minute ago, cacruisin said:

I would register the child as spelled on the birth certificate.  Assuming the child won't be showing any other form of ID that would contradict the spelling on the BC I would just avoid the hassle of it being an issue.

No other id, she is 8 years old.  That is what I was thinking I would have to do, but then I thought about her sail and sign card having the name misspelled.  

[canes20]

14 minutes ago, dallasdan said:

No other id, she is 8 years old.  That is what I was thinking I would have to do, but then I thought about her sail and sign card having the name misspelled.  

Maybe the birth certificate is correct and everybody else has just been spelling it wrong for 8 years.

 

[dallasdan]

It is our last name that is spelled wrong.

[tonit964]

Since she doesn’t need any other form of ID, book her on the cruise as it shows on her BC.

[klfrodo]

Just a thought

How is the name spelled on the Social Security card. Might have bigger problems than just birth certificate. Not necessarily today, but down the road when it comes to drivers license, passports, college applications, etc, etc.

[Ferry_Watcher]

Dose everyone else in the traveling party have the same last name?  If so, I probably wouldn't worry that the 8 yr old granddaughter has a minor misspelling on her birth certificate for this particular cruise.  That said, it sounds like the parents know that they need to get it fixed before she gets too much older.

[BoozinCroozin]

There is a snafu here. You need to be sure her documentation is correct in general, not for a cruise. If her BC and SS card are misspelled, the parents have quite a few things to get fixed. As for the cruise, I would enter the name as it is on the birth certificate. If taking without the parents, you are in need of a notary to take them. With last names not matching, they may not do it. I would go to the Dept of Public Records, get it sorted out, and get a new BC.

[sparks1093]

10 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

Dose everyone else in the traveling party have the same last name?  If so, I probably wouldn't worry that the 8 yr old granddaughter has a minor misspelling on her birth certificate for this particular cruise.  That said, it sounds like the parents know that they need to get it fixed before she gets too much older.

Agreed. It would be more critical for a flight since TSA is pickier about such things. I would start the correction process now in any event since it needs to be resolved and it might be corrected by sailaway time. Someone made an excellent point about Social Security card and if the name is spelled correctly there I would bring it along if the BC isn't fixed.

[happy cruzer]

Her name is what it is on the birth certificate.  She will have to get a name change if she wants too.

 

Until she changes her name, use her legal name...

 

 

[Essiesmom]

Just curious…is this a long form birth certificate, listing parents names?  How are the parents names spelled?  If the parents names are spelled correctly, all that might be needed is an affidavit from the parents that the name was spelled wrong.  But you would need to find out from the state what is required.   Way, way long ago my mother, at age 49, needed a birth certificate to get a visitors card to take my Girl Scout troop to Mexico.  She had never had a copy, born at home…when it came, it had her names as Harriet Louise, rather than Olive Louise (family names).  All she needed was a letter from her mother, fortunately still alive, to have it corrected.  EM

[iheartmarshall]

Former TA here - book her as it is currently listed on her official birth certificate.  I'm not sure when you cruise, but it may or may not get corrected by then depending on how "easy" it is to fix.  Yes, her name will be misspelled on her S&S card but she will be okay and I'm sure there will probably be more S&S cards in the future (if she wants to collect them - I still have mine).  

If the BC is changed before the cruise, you can call and have them update the spelling. 

[Purvis1231]

I hope that the family would take whatever steps they can to get it fixed now before it causes more problems in the future. I do now in my state after a year it would require a court order (and legal fees.) 

[dallasdan]

Thanks for all the replies.  Her name is spelled correctly on her social security card.  We are driving to the port so I am not worried about TSA.  My last name is the same.  Her sister is also going with us and her name is spelled correctly.  Her parents names are spelled correctly on the birth certificate. They know they will need to get her birth certificate fixed in the future.  So far, it hasn't been an issue with school or sport leagues.  Since they live in Texas and she was born in Oklahoma, not sure when they can get it fixed.  

[teknoge3k]

Definitely get it fixed for the future. Otherwise it's going to cause major issues down the road, such as when she gets a license, etc. My wifes grandfather was in his 80's before he learned his name was "Ray" (as indicated on his birth certificate) and not "Roy". It was a pain for him to get it fixed.