Boyfriends Birth Certificate Does Not Match ID

[notentirelynormal]

I guess the first DL I had with my nickname on it was probably issued 40 or so years ago when I was in college. They didn't ask for hardly anything way back then other than the first license you got and that was more to prove you were 16 than anything else. And on renewals, they just took your old DL and issued you a new one after you passed whatever test they may have required.

 

I got my first DL in Vancouver, BC. Back then it was a cardboard type fold out. There was no picture and very limited information. When I moved to California I had to give them that one and I got my first California DL. I was 17. I had to take the written and driven test. I did not have a SS number as I had just moved here and didn't work. I probably showed them my small wallet version of my birth certificate (which was a common form of ID back then). From that point on, all I do is mail in the renewal. I only WISH I weighed what my DL says I do!

 

When I was younger my mother remarried and for a few years I used my step father's last name. There was no legal change we just started using it. If they were still married I probably would have continued but after the divorce I went back to my maiden name. The school, therefore, has 4 years of my attendance using a different name - or probably no record of me attending.

[Three Rings]

I really HOPE the authorities are being careful enough not to board passengers with mismatched ID. What's the point of asking for ID if they're willing to accept things that don't match?

 

I'm not even sure how the OP's boyfriend has been able to register for school, or get a job, without proper ID. My kids even had to show 2 forms of ID for part-time minimum wage summer jobs.

 

OP, if this guy is "the one", you probably wouldn't be able to get a marriage license with mismatched ID. I'd encourage him to get this straightened out sooner than later.

[Langley Cruisers]

I am concerned about this situation; I'm thinking OP might just throw caution to the wind and go to the pier with full expectation of boarding since Princess said it would be OK (post # 15). I, too, would be concerned if he was permitted to board knowing that things are not "lined up" in the way of his ID. I'm not saying this to be mean, but like the previous poster, I hope the pier staff are being "careful" as well.

[greatam]

I got my first DL in Vancouver, BC. Back then it was a cardboard type fold out. There was no picture and very limited information. When I moved to California I had to give them that one and I got my first California DL. I was 17. I had to take the written and driven test. I did not have a SS number as I had just moved here and didn't work. I probably showed them my small wallet version of my birth certificate (which was a common form of ID back then). From that point on, all I do is mail in the renewal. I only WISH I weighed what my DL says I do!

 

When I was younger my mother remarried and for a few years I used my step father's last name. There was no legal change we just started using it. If they were still married I probably would have continued but after the divorce I went back to my maiden name. The school, therefore, has 4 years of my attendance using a different name - or probably no record of me attending.

 

EXACTLY

 

And anyone who was of driving age prior to 2000 probably never had to present much in the way of ID to get a drivers license. When 911 happened and E Verify started and computers and the internet actually started to work together, a LOT of things changed. Before that, every state was separate. You couldn't even get a driving record (I need them for my truck drivers) from a lot of states prior to 1998 without writing A LETTER and requesting they send one via mail. A lot of states wouldn't even fax them-they went snail mail.

 

I remember in college, 1/2 our sorority spent a couple of evenings reading some book about how to change the age on your ID so you could go into bars. I went to UCLA, so those of us with CA DL already were sort of out of luck. But those from out of state-we had a whole lot of 19 year olds who miraculously became 21 year olds just with a few strokes of the pen.

 

My, how times have changed. But you can still buy DARN GOOD FAKE CA driver's licenses off the street over by MacArthur Park in Los Angeles. $350 for DL, $1200 for BC/DL and SS card (of course that is a bogus number). So even though things have changed a lot, things are still very much the same

[greatam]

I really HOPE the authorities are being careful enough not to board passengers with mismatched ID. What's the point of asking for ID if they're willing to accept things that don't match?

 

 

What AUTHORITIES??? Boarding a cruise ship in the USA on a closed loop cruise-you have some part time people checking ID's. YES, they are supposed to be careful and YES, things are SUPPOSED to match. Those are Homeland Security rules. BUT they are NOT AUTHORITIES. While they have been schooled in proper ID, you certainly don't get the scrutiny you would at TSA or Immigration.

 

I'm not even sure how the OP's boyfriend has been able to register for school, or get a job, without proper ID. My kids even had to show 2 forms of ID for part-time minimum wage summer jobs.

 

OP, if this guy is "the one", you probably wouldn't be able to get a marriage license with mismatched ID. I'd encourage him to get this straightened out sooner than later.

 

He has a valid DL. MAYBE he has SS card to match. And if he has been using that name since he was a small child, Mom probably registered him for school without much hassle. I am sure he was born at least in the 90's or before or he wouldn't be going on a cruise with gf. I sure don't remember producing a BC to get a SS card years ago. Just went to the local office, filled out the form and they either handed you one or you got one in the mail in a few days. TOTALLY different now.

[Philob]

To the OP

 

Take the birth certificate and go get a state issued ID card. DO NOT try to change his DL at the last minute. It will take a court order, answering a lot of questions, SS card change, etc. etc. A BIG hassle-see my previous post.

 

But a state issued ID with birth certificate-EASY. And the only way to insure both ID and birth certificate match.

 

OP stated their cruise is 2 weeks away (less now); her location is California and California's DMV is known to be slower than cold molasses. BF will get a paper receipt almost immediately which will clearly state "not for id purposes" and the ID card 2-3 weeks after cruise.

 

Wither he gets to go on this cruise or not, the best advice here is to get his id paperwork straighten out NOW for the future.

[hamgela]

OP stated their cruise is 2 weeks away (less now); her location is California and California's DMV is known to be slower than cold molasses. BF will get a paper receipt almost immediately which will clearly state "not for id purposes" and the ID card 2-3 weeks after cruise.

 

Wither he gets to go on this cruise or not, the best advice here is to get his id paperwork straighten out NOW for the future.

 

So wait, pardon my ignorance but I've only ever lived in Florida when it comes to getting drivers licenses/ID's.... You can't go in that day and get another copy of your license or a state ID when you go to the DMV and provide the required docs? I've never realized this. In Florida if I show up with the required docs I can get what's called a duplicate copy of my license (issued when you have lost your copy of your ID or license) that day. There is no "weeks" involved. It's walk in, wait in line, do my business, and walk out with what I came for.

[ducklite]

To the OP

 

Take the birth certificate and go get a state issued ID card. DO NOT try to change his DL at the last minute. It will take a court order, answering a lot of questions, SS card change, etc. etc. A BIG hassle-see my previous post.

 

But a state issued ID with birth certificate-EASY. And the only way to insure both ID and birth certificate match.

 

Most state ID's are issued by DMV and require the same docs as a DL.

 

 

Autocorrect responsible for most typos...

[ducklite]

So wait, pardon my ignorance but I've only ever lived in Florida when it comes to getting drivers licenses/ID's.... You can't go in that day and get another copy of your license or a state ID when you go to the DMV and provide the required docs? I've never realized this. In Florida if I show up with the required docs I can get what's called a duplicate copy of my license (issued when you have lost your copy of your ID or license) that day. There is no "weeks" involved. It's walk in, wait in line, do my business, and walk out with what I came for.

 

Different states have different systems. I never understood the point of having to wait for a DL to arrive in the mail. NY and NJ they also issue on the spot if your docs are in order.

 

 

Autocorrect responsible for most typos...

[Happy ks]

I have all the e-docs and he is booked under what is listed on his drivers license .

 

at this point in time the simplest solution would be too change his name on the driver's license and change the name on the cruise tickets.. When he gets back home, he needs to straighten this out.

[greatam]

at this point in time the simplest solution would be too change his name on the driver's license and change the name on the cruise tickets.. When he gets back home, he needs to straighten this out.

 

THAT AIN'T GOING TO HAPPEN. Takes a COURT ORDER to change your name. IN TWO WEEKS, TAKE the birth certificate they have and GET an ID.

 

EASY, simple. DRIVE to YUMA AZ and get what you need.

[Happy ks]

THAT AIN'T GOING TO HAPPEN. Takes a COURT ORDER to change your name. IN TWO WEEKS, TAKE the birth certificate they have and GET an ID.

 

EASY, simple. DRIVE to YUMA AZ and get what you need.

 

from what she describes his name was never changed to begin with. His DL is under a different name than his legal name.

[6rugrats]

at this point in time the simplest solution would be too change his name on the driver's license and change the name on the cruise tickets.. When he gets back home, he needs to straighten this out.

 

He doesn't have time to do this in CA; new DL with the picture comes in the mail as already stated.

 

The "easiest" thing to do is to schedule an appointment at the San Francisco Passport agency to obtain a same day passport, and use that for id.

[Philob]

So wait, pardon my ignorance but I've only ever lived in Florida when it comes to getting drivers licenses/ID's.... You can't go in that day and get another copy of your license or a state ID when you go to the DMV and provide the required docs? I've never realized this. In Florida if I show up with the required docs I can get what's called a duplicate copy of my license (issued when you have lost your copy of your ID or license) that day. There is no "weeks" involved. It's walk in, wait in line, do my business, and walk out with what I came for.

 

@hamgela: In California, even for a replacement, you immediately get a paper receipt, but the actual ID/DL comes in the mail 2-3 weeks later. Oh, and they tell you not to inquire about it until 4 weeks have past.

Edited November 9, 2013 by Philob

[hamgela]

@hamgela: In California, even for a replacement, you immediately get a paper receipt, but the actual ID/DL comes in the mail 2-3 weeks later. Oh, and they tell you not to inquire about it until 4 weeks have past.

 

 

Wow... Government at its finest. LOL

[navybankerteacher]

He most likely will have a problem boarding. The rules are pretty simple: you need proof of right to be in the US (birth certificate, Green Card, or passport) and ID matching that proof. The people at the terminal checking you in are the ones you need to satisfy, not some anonymous, nameless clerk at the cruise line's sales office who will assure you with "no problem".

 

I'm curious how he came to have a driver's license in another name, because most states require ID before issuing a license - with birth certificate the most common form.

 

Regardless of the cruise, shouldn't he want to get his act together in any case?

[celle]

 

Regardless of the cruise, shouldn't he want to get his act together in any case?

 

And shouldn't he be doing something about this, not leaving it to his girlfriend?

[6rugrats]

.

Regardless of the cruise, shouldn't he want to get his act together in any case?

 

And shouldn't he be doing something about this, not leaving it to his girlfriend?

Really. And my new unsolicited advice to girlfriend, and I speak from experience, find a new boyfriend to cruise with :). Best of luck to you.

[Tiggertastic]

go and get it changed - when his name changed there has to be a document for it

[ducklite]

At this point I think the OP did a drive by post and isn't going to be back. I hope she read some of the responses and took whatever steps needed to get his documentation in order.

 

 

Autocorrect responsible for most typos...

Edited November 12, 2013 by ducklite

[Essiesmom]

go and get it changed - when his name changed there has to be a document for it

 

That's the point: His mother never officially changed his name. EM

[Langley Cruisers]

At this point I think the OP did a drive by post and isn't going to be back...

 

Hardly a drive-by. OP has posted 4 times in this thread, most recently post # 61 with her thanks and intentions. She also posted twice more, most recently in another thread yesterday morning. She is probably just tired of talking about it.

[navybankerteacher]

Really. And my new unsolicited advice to girlfriend, and I speak from experience, find a new boyfriend to cruise with :). Best of luck to you.

 

Might be good advice - perhaps he has simply been driving with a friend's license (possibly so he can buy a drink?). Yes, this may be an unlikely scenario - but no harder to grasp than how he could have gotten a license in the first place without showing proof of age - usually a birth certificate.

[hamgela]

Hardly a drive-by. OP has posted 4 times in this thread, most recently post # 61 with her thanks and intentions. She also posted twice more, most recently in another thread yesterday morning. She is probably just tired of talking about it.

 

 

That.

 

I'm sure she will post an update after her cruise of whether or not they made it on the ship. :)

[greatam]

I'm curious how he came to have a driver's license in another name, because most states require ID before issuing a license - with birth certificate the most common form.

 

 

 

 

Not so very long ago, they didn't even ask for all that stuff. I can remember my Dad signing the paperwork for a learner's permit which was issued in Driver's Ed class and the day I was 16, he drove me to DMV, I turned in my learner's permit and Driver's Ed certificate, took the written and driving test and out the door I went with a license. It could have been in any name that was registered at the school. Driver's Ed only checked to make sure you were 15.5 years old and of course registered at school.

 

And if this man has been Joe XXXX since he was a very small child, he may not have even known he had another name unless Mom told him or he actually needed his birth certificate for something.

 

They didn't ask for all this stuff until the last 20 or so years. Now it is almost mandatory for everything. My best friend found out when she was 52 (12 years ago) and wanted to go live in Mexico permanently that her name was REALLY Cecelia XXXX. But she had been Cecelia YYY for as long as she can remember and certainly when she started school in kindergarten. Her SS card, DL, house mortgage, everything she has was Cecelia YYY. It was a mess and took her well over a year to get it all straightened out with the help of an attorney.

 

Who looks at their birth certificate unless you want to get a passport or need it for some official thing like that? I know my own dear departed DH hadn't seen his birth certificate or looked at it ever until he had to get a security clearance in 1999. He was 49. His passport, which he had had since he was in HS, read his Dad's name. He always thought his Dad's name (who is his adopted father which he knew) was on his birth certificate. It wasn't, it had a completely different name and his Dad really didn't formally adopt him until he was 5 even though his Dad had always been there, even when he was born. So it took a lot of looking to even find the private adoption papers in the State of Iowa because it was basically filed in a small county between Mom, adoptive Dad and a judge. There wasn't even an attorney involved. And it was filed back in 1955 as an adoption but there was no formal name change papers to go with it. Paper was one small paragraph that said XXX XXX now becomes parent/father to DH. Mother is XXXX XXXX.

 

I think a lot of you forget that when we were kids in the 40-60's, even into the 70's, Moms and Dads just registered us at school without all the formal papers. If you were 4 years.XXX months old and were before the cut off date, you just automatically got registered for kindergarten on Mom or Dad's say so with whatever name and birth date Mom and Dad said was correct. I remember when I was in grade school, Mom hand carrying school records because we moved about every three years due to my Dad's job and if I would have been XXX at the first school, I would have been XXX at the second school and on down the line.

 

To this day, if I had to produce a certified marriage certificate, I could not. We were married in a small town in a courthouse in Northern Missouri in 1984, long before computers. Everything was hard copy. The courthouse where we were married was severely flooded during the Missouri floods of 1993. All the archived paperwork was in the basement, including the ledger books of marriages, divorces, probably birth and death certificates. AND it all got wet.

 

I had a friend go to the place they moved the boxes to after my husband died just in case I needed that certified marriage certificate. She said there were just boxes stacked all over, you would have to go through each box and on top of that, most of the paperwork was stuck together and either would rip if you tried to pull it apart or the ink was gone from being wet. The judge is deceased and the only other people there were his secretary and some lady from down the hall in the courthouse (needed two witnesses). I certainly don't remember their names.

 

So I just don't see why everyone is coming down on the OP and acting like the BF is a criminal. The OP never said he was 25 years old. He may be 40 or 50. Things are VERY different now than they were even 25 years ago.

Edited November 13, 2013 by greatam