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goverment shutdown affect passport

Big2Little4me

By Big2Little4me,
in First Time Cruisers

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Big2Little4me

Big2Little4me

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My husband came home today and said that if the government shuts down due to obamacare issues tonight then passport won't be processed. Of course he just applied for his two weeks ago. Now he's stressing that it won't come in time for our cruse on Nov 25th.

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nana541

nana541

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My husband came home today and said that if the government shuts down due to obamacare issues tonight then passport won't be processed. Of course he just applied for his two weeks ago. Now he's stressing that it won't come in time for our cruse on Nov 25th.

 

you will be fine....Nov 25 is a long ways off! Those idiots in DC will mess around for a few days and this too will pass! Sad but true... the good news is that is has been slogging thru the system for two weeks so it should not be much longer.

 

Have a great cruise!

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notentirelynormal

notentirelynormal

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My husband came home today and said that if the government shuts down due to obamacare issues tonight then passport won't be processed. Of course he just applied for his two weeks ago. Now he's stressing that it won't come in time for our cruse on Nov 25th.

 

It's been continually on the news for weeks that this could happen. I'm surprised with this close to the date that you waited. Can I ask - did you just book your cruise? If not, you must have known you needed to do this and procrastinated. Stressful though it may be, a little planning could have avoided this situation.

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sparks1093 Great Review Rare

sparks1093

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My husband came home today and said that if the government shuts down due to obamacare issues tonight then passport won't be processed. Of course he just applied for his two weeks ago. Now he's stressing that it won't come in time for our cruse on Nov 25th.

 

As stated the passport offices are staying open but even if that turns out to not be the case isn't the Splendor's itinerary a closed loop cruise? If so DH can use his birth certificate and government issued ID to cruise.

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ducklite

ducklite

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As stated the passport offices are staying open but even if that turns out to not be the case isn't the Splendor's itinerary a closed loop cruise? If so DH can use his birth certificate and government issued ID to cruise.

 

Not if it's sitting with the passport application...

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Shorex

Shorex

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Not if it's sitting with the passport application...

 

Good point. Just a backup he should immediately apply to his state government (directly or via vitalchek) for an additional government-authorized copy of his birth certificate.

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spookwife

spookwife

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you will be fine....Nov 25 is a long ways off! Those idiots in DC will mess around for a few days and this too will pass! Sad but true... the good news is that is has been slogging thru the system for two weeks so it should not be much longer.

 

Have a great cruise!

 

I wish I could share your optimism....

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Keith1010 "Live from...." Rare

Keith1010

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In all liklihood yes, but contigency planning doesn't hurt.

 

If not for the government shutdown which by the way does not impact passports would we really be discussing birth certificates. As to contingencies the plane that is carrying the birth certificate could crash or the item could get lost in the mail but I doubt any of this would be discussed.

 

There is plenty of time for the passport to arrive back.

 

I worry about a lot but I wouldn't be worried about the birth certificate and if need be they can be obtained very quickly.

 

Keith

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Big2Little4me

Big2Little4me

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It's been continually on the news for weeks that this could happen. I'm surprised with this close to the date that you waited. Can I ask - did you just book your cruise? If not, you must have known you needed to do this and procrastinated. Stressful though it may be, a little planning could have avoided this situation.

 

Thank you for your input. However this isn't a procrastination issue. When we went to get my husbands passport last month ( when we booked the cruise) they said that his original birth certificate wasn't valid as it didn't have the raised seal on it. So we had to wait for that to arrive via mail then go back to the passport office.

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98Charlie

98Charlie

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My husband came home today and said that if the government shuts down due to obamacare issues tonight then passport won't be processed. Of course he just applied for his two weeks ago. Now he's stressing that it won't come in time for our cruse on Nov 25th.

 

  • Get a backup birth certificate. You'll feel better even if you don't need it in the end. Make sure it has the proper seal to be valid.
  • By all reports passports and visas will continue to be processed.
  • However during the last shutdown (1995) there were between 200,000 and 300,000 passport applications (new and renewal) that went unprocessed. That shutdown lasted 3+weeks. I haven't seen any report that indicates how long it took to eliminate the backlog.

 

Good news is that his passport was at least in the system prior to the shutdown.

 

Charlie

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OCruisers

OCruisers

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Seems you will not have a passport issue since they are being processed according to the news reports.

 

When you have some sort of special issue obtaining a passport, call the office of one of your US Senators or your Congressman. They can be amazingly helpful. ;)

 

LuLu

~~~~

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98Charlie

98Charlie

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From the State Dept. web site

As of ( Tuesday October 1, 2013 ), we are processing routine applications in an average of 4 weeks or less from the time of application.

 

So you should not have any problem. You're already 2 weeks in to the process with 7 or 8 weeks to your cruise.

 

You can check on the status of the passport application by clicking HERE.

 

Even with that I would personally have a spare birth certificate on order. It's nice to have a plan "B" even if you never use it.

 

Charlie

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notentirelynormal

notentirelynormal

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Thank you for your input. However this isn't a procrastination issue. When we went to get my husbands passport last month ( when we booked the cruise) they said that his original birth certificate wasn't valid as it didn't have the raised seal on it. So we had to wait for that to arrive via mail then go back to the passport office.

 

Didn't mean to offend you, I was really curious about the timing which is why I asked when you booked. There are lots of people that wait until the last minute to do things and for them, I have no sympathy. Like you I try to get all my documentation done as soon as I book the cruise. Then I can just sit back and relax until cruise time.

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Algebralovr

Algebralovr

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Actually, it depends on which office you sent the passport application to as to whether it is processed. If the office is in a Federal Building, the employees cannot get in to the building. If in a leased building that shares space with non-federal offices, your passport will be processed.

 

Just in case, I recommend ordering another copy of the birth certificate.

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grrl2grrl

grrl2grrl

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Actually, it depends on which office you sent the passport application to as to whether it is processed. If the office is in a Federal Building, the employees cannot get in to the building. If in a leased building that shares space with non-federal offices, your passport will be processed.

 

Just in case, I recommend ordering another copy of the birth certificate.

 

This is accurate info... I can't believe all the people telling you you will be fine. Not all of the offices will remain open as stated above. There is no way to know how long this grid lock will go on, as they have already proven themselves not to be able to get the job done on a deadline. Don't put your vacation and cruise at risk. Get the certificate with the correct seal. If the passport comes, then great, but at this uncertain point I would reprioritize. Birth certificate would be the main plan, and passport would be the back up. (This would not normally be my priority recommendation, but with circumstances such as they are...) As long as you're on the ship it doesn't really matter - no?

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