kellbellscruise Posted July 8, 2009 #1 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Hi all. Trying to get things together for our 1st cruise on the Sensation on Sept 20, 09. Situation....my hubby has a very old and torn copy of his b-cert from Penn. It is a small copy... maybe 4x5.. ya know, a short one. So, i downloaded the form for a certified copy and sent them a copy of what we had. We got it in the mail today, and it is just another copy of what he already has. Not even sure if I can actually feel a raised seal or not. It does not list his parents on it either. Problem is that his mother died in 88, and they were not remotley close!! Also, he never knew who is father was. Name only. So no info there either. Since this copy is what the office of vitals sent us, could it be the right thing needed for the cruise? Ya know....thats our luck. I ALWAYS get the grocery cart with the wheel that only goes to the right!! Any help is appreciated. kell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RHefley228 Posted July 8, 2009 #2 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Have him get a passport---now. Right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastTexans2 Posted July 8, 2009 #3 Share Posted July 8, 2009 If it's a certified copy from the office of vital statistics.....that's all you need. Every state birth certificate looks different. Have a great cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kellbellscruise Posted July 8, 2009 Author #4 Share Posted July 8, 2009 will he be able to get a passport with this thing ya think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstery56 Posted July 8, 2009 #5 Share Posted July 8, 2009 It has to have a raised seal to get a passport. My birth certificate was very old and about the same size. The State Department rejected it and I had to order one. The new birth certificate had much less info on it than the old one but it had an embossed seal and they took it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kellbellscruise Posted July 8, 2009 Author #6 Share Posted July 8, 2009 The Division of Vital Records issues only certified copies of birth with the raised seal that are acceptable for numerous uses, i.e. passport, Social Security, employment, and personal identification. Records are available for births from 1906 to the present. I copied and pasted that from the website. I will have him go by post office anyway....It just doesnt seem like much of a raised seal... Thanks friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSQ Posted July 8, 2009 #7 Share Posted July 8, 2009 not all certified copies have a raised seal. Does it have any sort of stand indicating it is certified anywhere on it? Mine just has a purple stamp from the county recorders office, no raised seal at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shumdit1 Posted July 8, 2009 #8 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Hi, If it came from the Vital Statistics in PA it is exactly what you need. No they don't have much information. The raised seal is just a notary seal that your sometimes can't see but can feel usually more on the back. It will work but I think everyone should get a passport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlanoDebbie Posted July 8, 2009 #9 Share Posted July 8, 2009 It has to have a raised seal to get a passport. My birth certificate was very old and about the same size. The State Department rejected it and I had to order one. The new birth certificate had much less info on it than the old one but it had an embossed seal and they took it. Very few states are still using any sort of raised seals on their birth certificates. As long as it's an original certificate issued by the Department of Vital Statistics for your state, you should be fine. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w.htm Here's the website I give to parents who need to obtain a new birth certificate to enroll their child at our school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G'ma Posted July 8, 2009 #10 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Hi all. Trying to get things together for our 1st cruise on the Sensation on Sept 20, 09. Situation....my hubby has a very old and torn copy of his b-cert from Penn. It is a small copy... maybe 4x5.. ya know, a short one. So, i downloaded the form for a certified copy and sent them a copy of what we had. We got it in the mail today, and it is just another copy of what he already has. Not even sure if I can actually feel a raised seal or not. It does not list his parents on it either. Problem is that his mother died in 88, and they were not remotley close!! Also, he never knew who is father was. Name only. So no info there either. Since this copy is what the office of vitals sent us, could it be the right thing needed for the cruise? Ya know....thats our luck. I ALWAYS get the grocery cart with the wheel that only goes to the right!! Any help is appreciated.kell The only information they want off the birth certificate is proof that you are born in the U.S. They don't care about parents, etc. As long as the copy you have is a state issued copy, no problems...and, it sounds like it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinnieGi Posted July 8, 2009 #11 Share Posted July 8, 2009 My DH was born in PA and he ordered his certificate a few months back and it sounds just as you described. It is on the smaller side, no raised seal and just contains his name, date of birth and county. No other info. Myself and our children are all born in DE which in comparison has the raised seal tells more info like birth parents full names and is bigger in size. He will be able to get a passport with it, as that is the real PA certificate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rednose83 Posted July 8, 2009 #12 Share Posted July 8, 2009 It has to have a raised seal to get a passport. My birth certificate was very old and about the same size. The State Department rejected it and I had to order one. The new birth certificate had much less info on it than the old one but it had an embossed seal and they took it. Mine did not/does not have a raised seal and I have a passport. Our state sends them sealed electronically. To the OP, go to the passport office and try to apply. If it can't be used to get a PP they will let you know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaganView Posted July 8, 2009 #13 Share Posted July 8, 2009 My birth certificate (from VA) has a raised seal, parents' names, ages, all kinds of information. My children's certificates (also from VA) look like car titles. No seals, block printing, just basic info. They are very simple so they can shoot them out of a laser printer as quickly as possible. You've received the information here correctly. If it came from Vital Records, it's the real thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazingm42 Posted July 8, 2009 #14 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Some states don't have seals. Mine has just a bright purple seal or ink on it with the word certified on it. DW aunt and uncle just got their passports and only took 2.5 weeks once they dropped them off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovintravelin Posted July 8, 2009 #15 Share Posted July 8, 2009 We went to get passports last week. We live in Texas, but all four of us were born in California. They stated that the short form birth certs. from Calif. were not acceptable. Luckily we had the regular certified birth certificates. We are going on a "closed loop" cruise, but decided to better be safe than sorry and got passports. Think of it like insurance. There is a small outlay of expense, but a lot of peace of mind knowing you will be covered! Once you have it, it's good for ten years. No excuse to leave the country when a good deal comes your way! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAXCRUISER Posted July 8, 2009 #16 Share Posted July 8, 2009 When I ordered my Birth Certificate from PA about 13 years ago (to use for my Passport) I was surprised too at what I got. It was just like yours--small, yellow and said "Female Subject" and my name with no parents listed. But this is their Certified Birth Certificate. I had also ordered my husband's from Indiana and his listed his parent's names. The Birth Certificate you received is what PA sends and the seal is very faint. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dobiemom Posted July 8, 2009 #17 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Another vote to get a passport. It's a "peace of mind" thing with me. Just like travel insurance. ... I ALWAYS get the grocery cart with the wheel that only goes to the right!! You are TOO funny! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2tcdx2 Posted July 8, 2009 #18 Share Posted July 8, 2009 It has to have a raised seal to get a passport. My birth certificate was very old and about the same size. The State Department rejected it and I had to order one. The new birth certificate had much less info on it than the old one but it had an embossed seal and they took it. This is false information, not every birth certificate has a raised seal on it. It will have the state seal, but not all are raised. They haven't been that way in Virginia for years. I have 3 different VA birth certificates and none have a raised seal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tmrlovesjr Posted July 8, 2009 #19 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Hi all. Trying to get things together for our 1st cruise on the Sensation on Sept 20, 09. Situation....my hubby has a very old and torn copy of his b-cert from Penn. It is a small copy... maybe 4x5.. ya know, a short one. So, i downloaded the form for a certified copy and sent them a copy of what we had. We got it in the mail today, and it is just another copy of what he already has. Not even sure if I can actually feel a raised seal or not. It does not list his parents on it either. Problem is that his mother died in 88, and they were not remotley close!! Also, he never knew who is father was. Name only. So no info there either. Since this copy is what the office of vitals sent us, could it be the right thing needed for the cruise? Ya know....thats our luck. I ALWAYS get the grocery cart with the wheel that only goes to the right!! Any help is appreciated.kell New birth certificates are looking weird now. My son was born in 2007 there is no raised seal, and it looks almost like a sheet of typing paper, but if you look closely it is the palest blue and there is a water mark. Getting a passport is suposed to make life easier, we just got the cards, right b4 they announced that you could still use bc 4 closed loops (so we feel a little cheated) but it only took 4 weeks to get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stargate fan Posted July 8, 2009 #20 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Hey, it could be worse...my birth certificate is completly in Hebrew. :eek: (I used my citizenship paper to get my passport. I look nothing like the picture since I was a kid when it was taken and it had my maiden name on it, but I had no problem getting my US passport.) kellbellscruise, did the birth certificate come with any kind of letter, stating something like, "Here is your certified copy of your birth certificate"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaseballMomof4 Posted July 8, 2009 #21 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Another good hint is it is entitled "Birth Certificate". If you have a document entitled "Birth Notice" or "Birth Registration", they are not the official documents. I used to work at a passport issuance office, as long as your document was sent by your state government and is a Birth Certificate, you should be fine. Each state has their own version and not all have raised seals, particularly duplicates. Often they simply have a stamp on them that says it is a true and correct copy. These stamps should not be notary stamps, the office that issues the Birth Certificate has their own stamp. A notary can only witness a signature, and therefore having a notary on a document does not make it an "official" document, it just means someone is verifying a signature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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