wallet-sized birth certificate?

[sunflwr19]

I read on here somewhere that someone had sent for a wallet-sized birth certificate. I was wondering where you could get one and if all states have them. I was born in the state of Alabama and my boyfriend in Pennsylvania. I think that it would be so much more convenient than carrying around the letter-sized bc.

[GoinCruisin]

Does Carnival accept those? I know that when I ordered mine, they sent one along, but my TA told me to take the full size B/C... both came with my order but she said I would likely have problems with the wallet size... That is also which one they took for my Passport.

[Jonathan Quayle Higgins]

I have one issued from Illinois. I have had it for 20 years. It has a raised seal stamped on it. I don't know if it will be excepted at ports because I use my passport.

[Kelly43]

Great question! Are there any experienced cruisers that have gotten a bc with wallet size from Oklahoma? Is the wallet size available? What about from all posters from other states? Have you used the actual wallet size and did it go smoothly?:confused: Happy sailing everybody, Kelly;)

[phlydude]

PA does not issue shrunken sized birth certificates. In order for a BC to be accepted, it has to have an embossed seal or be a notorized copy from the state.

[amarvel]

I have one of these, but was told it wasn't considered a valid BC for customs purposes, so I always take my full sized real certificate....

[finally928]

This may not answer anyone's question directly, but here is my experience.

 

I had a wallet sized BC from Massachusetts. It was in my wallet when it was stolen in January 2001. They replaced it with one that was index card sized.

 

When i went to get my passport this past November, I was told that after 9/11/01, they started to get more stringent on forms of identification and that my index card sized BC was not valid for travelling (IE -- I could not use it to get a passport). I had to go back to my city hall, obtain the letter sized version and send that with my passport application.

 

For those looking to use a small BC for ID purposes rather than the letter sized version (which is far more comprehensive), I would advise against it.

 

Just my experience -- hope this helps!!

[sunflwr19]

thanks... It sounds so convenient, but I think I would rather be safe than sorry!

[phlydude]

This may not answer anyone's question directly, but here is my experience.

 

I had a wallet sized BC from Massachusetts... I had to go back to my city hall, obtain the letter sized version and send that with my passport application.

I love that in MA you can just go to town or City Hall to get your certificate. In PA, you have to go to a state building or mail away for it. Even if you go to the state building, they still have to mail it to you. You learn after the 1st time to include pre-addressed priority mail envelopes with your requests to avoid the delays that can plague the state and their mail processing...

[cruisinqt]

We have been using our wallet sized birth certificates for cruising for a several years and have had no problems. :D We got them from the local court house and they come in a wallet sized see thru envelope. They have a raised seal and have always been accepted when all 4 of us use them to cruise. We are in the process of getting our passports because we want to travel out of the country, but we used our wallet sized birth certificates on our cruise this past November (which is long after the 9/11 incident) and had no problems at all. No one stopped us or even took a second glance at them. We used them on our cruises out of Galveston, Houston, and New Orleans without a hitch.;)

 

I have a friend that works in the cruise industry and he says that these wallet sized birth certificates are all the rage and are quickly becoming common place. I saw two cruisers behind us in line and they had the same wallet sized birth certificates that we had. They had no problem either.:) It may just be a Texas and Louisiana thing, I don't know. But you could call your cruise line and ask. Or you could call your TA and ask him.

[ccletzgo]

we use ours with no problem. They are easier to look at then the old folded up and ready to fall apart, paper one.

We can order on-line through the state vital statistics web site.

 

had them within 3 days of ordering.

[Knights on the Beach]

We used our wallet-sized bc cards for years (including two cruises after 9/11) until we got our passports a couple of years ago. The last time we used our cards, I actually took our full sized bc's with us just in case there was a problem. I showed the cards, and wasn't asked for the full sized ones. When we applied for our passports two years ago, however, they wouldn't take the cards, but wanted the full sized ones instead. If you call Carnival customer service and ask them, you are likely to get a different answer every time you call. :)

[Vicar]

In the state of Connecticut. You have to use the letter sized BC with the raised seal for travel purposes.

 

Here the wallett sized one is used like an ID card for people who do not have drivers licenses.

[madelinerose]

Simplify your life....get a passport. ;)

[sunflwr19]

I was thinking about it. But I saw somewhere that it was about $85. I dont travel much, so I wasn't sure if it would really be worth it.

 

Does anyone know if AAA issues passports? And how much are they?

[Valentinecruiser]

Hi...I ordered a wallet size AND regular size when my 14 year old was born.......we live in Kansas.

 

I haven't used the laminated, wallet size for her identification so I can't help you there.

[Guest Time2gocruzn]

:eek: :eek: I guess I better call Carnival! Both my kids, 2 and 4, have the wallet sized BC. These are the only ones we ever recieved and they were sent to us by the state shortly after they were born. BUT I went and got new ones for DH and I because our old copies were kind of ratty, and I wanted to be safe. We were issued the large size ones, from the same state(??). We are in Iowa....We were never given a choice of size..either time.:confused:

 

Edited to say...Just got off the phone w/ Carnival..he said that BOTH sizes are accepted as long as they are official state issued documents. Also added them MANY states are no longer using a raised real, most have gone to a thick paper that has a rough texture design around the edge. However, the older BC's WITH the raised seal are accepted as well. Hope that helps clear things up. I think the bottom line is that it has to be THE official BC, not a copy and not the cutsie one they give you in the hospital, lol.:)

[SouthernCaribbean]

Moving this up since someone asked a similar question.

[Lisichka]

We tried to use ours, and they (Carnival) would not let us. Good thing we had brought our passports too.