Help!!! Can't find birth Certificate-have no passport!!!!

[fldad23girlz]

...now where did I put that d*** fireproof box???:confused:

[MrsPete]

It's very easy to get a birth certificate -- especially if you're close enough to drive to the dept. of records in the town where you were born.

 

Interesting little story: My cousin J -- let's just say he's something of a trouble maker -- suspected that a former girlfriend might have named him as the father of her baby (and he might be -- who knows?), but he didn't want to contact her. He went to the courthouse and asked for a copy of the birth certificate for a child born in the month of ____ to a woman named ____. For a couple dollars, he walked out with an official birth certificate for a child named ____ born ____, father unknown. He doesn't believe the child is his, and he's keeping the birth certificate in case she ever tries to come to him for child support. This was only about 3 years ago. I'm amazed that it's so very easy to get a birth certificate.

 

KansasScrapper -- While I feel sorry for the older couple Kitty9 saw, someone DID tell them. The travel documents and other papers clearly state exactly what IDs must be shown to board. Ignorance is not bliss! Very sad for them though.

 

Happyks -- Why is a passport easier to keep up with than a birth certificate? Some people say it's easier to carry too -- why? I've never understood why one piece of paper is harder to lose than another. Both are equally easy to replace if lost.

[KansasScrapper]

The BEST PLACE to keep them is a safe deposit box at a bank or credit union. We had a nice fire proof safe and it did not make it through our fire. It got so hot it melted our neighbors house. No fire reached their house but it was soooo hot it melted the siding on their house. It did get part of the other neighbors house cause it went down our fence (which we share with her). Don't take it for granted that a fire proof safe will keep it "safe". I lost all our paper work (BC, passports, my hubbys Air Force ribbons & certificates). Once we replced some of it we got a safe deposit box at our credit union for $20 a year. Now had we of done that in the first place. I even know put jewelry in it I don't wear or anything we want to keep. ANYTHING is replacable, it may take time. Since my son was born in the Azores while we were stationed there, because my hubby was in the Air Force, his BC took the longest to replace. So BC can be easy but not all of them are. It took 12 weeks to get his. Mine on the other hand took less than an hour (born in the US). We are getting passports for our cruise this year, but will also take our BC, since we have them. At least I know I can get back in the US with a BC. I had a friend just retunr from oversea (not on a cruise) and sitting in the airport (yes the airport) someone stole her backpack (yes the whole darn thing). It had her purse in it. But it did not have her DL or BC in it because she had it in her carry on. She split her IDs up (good thinking and something I will do as well now). You don't know what will or could happen why take that chance. Carry what you can and keep it in different places. You never know. I personally have not had any problems but have known people that have.

[Sea Island Lady]

The BEST PLACE to keep them is a safe deposit box at a bank or credit union. We had a nice fire proof safe and it did not make it through our fire.

Wendy - So sorry to hear about your fire. We had a fire in July of 2002. It also melted the siding off of our neighbors house. Although we lost a lot, we were able to salvage a good bit too.

 

I have been keeping our birth certificates and copies (we also divide up our ID when traveling) with us in our home because we had been going on so many cruises that it seemed silly to take them back and forth to the bank. Last month, I finally took them to the bank for safe keeping since we don't have another cruise until october 2005. would you believe that the next day my DS came in and asked for his birth certificate. He needed it for work. :rolleyes:

 

MrsPete - That is hard to believe!

[Happy ks]

Mrs. Pete, I think you mis-understood (or maybe I did). I don't think one piece of paper is easier to not lose than the other. Passports are just a much better form of ID than the BC/driver license combination. It is much easier to replace a lost BC than a passport, usually cheaper, too. I think your story about the nephew shows exactly why passports are a more secure document, they are much harder to obtain or falsify. The OP stated she was going to get her passport when returning from this trip.

 

KansasScrapper, I'm so sorry to hear of your fire, some dear friends of ours lost everything a few years ago, even the concrete foundation of their house was melted. I think your safe deposit box is a good idea.

 

We carry copies of our passports and credit cards in our carry ons, the originals are in our purse and front pockets.

 

I certainly hope the OP was able to make her cruise. I also hope this thread may urge other travelers to get their travel documents in order well before they are about to embark on their cruise.

 

Happy New Year!

[montekat]

So, has anyone heard if she was able to board the ship or not? Did she get the necessary documentation in time? I am so glad we have our passports--it is the only way to go.

[98Charlie]

dallygal's last post was Dec 30. She either made it :) or can't bear to even look at anything to do with a cruise. :eek: :eek:

[bluegrasshopper]

We went through a similar scare and found out that in order to help prevent identitiy theft California very recently tightened it's requirements for obtaining a birth certificate and they have specific restrictions on who is allowed to obtain one and if it is your own and you are ordering it through vital check or a similar service you must send or fax in a notarized statement. verifying the identity of the person requesting it. They will provide you with the form and the information but it is not as quick a process as it was a year ago. I don't have all the details but if you may ever need a California BC and don't live within driving distance be sure to look into these new requirements.