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Photo Copy of birth certificate is valid?

Betzygz

By Betzygz,
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navybankerteacher

navybankerteacher

Posted
Posted
Cruiiselines do not refund money if traveler is refused boading for not having proper travel documents and, yes,,,,,,,,, most insyrance will not pay.I do not know fo sure if you will be denied boarding b ut fear there is a strong chance that will happen.

 

Correct - travel insurance almost always is limited to protecting you from losses arising from events outside of your control - it rarely compensates for loss due to your own negligence.

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Shorex

Shorex

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When questions like this appear (and they do with some frequency) there is always confusion and misunderstanding about the terminology, i.e., the precise meaning of "original" and "copy" in this specific application. In everyday life it's easy. If you need several copies of a letter, you go to a copy machine, push a button, and voila. The copies are indistinguishable from the original. Not so when you need a new, reissued or additional "copy" of a birth (or death or marriage) certificate.

 

Want several "copies" of your birth certificate that will meet all government standards for passports, social security and boarding a cruise ship? Just call Vitalchek or the appropriate Bureau of Vital Statistics and get them. The discussions about raised seals and photocopies are red herrings. Just get the government-issued documents, as many as you please.*

 

Unfortunately, some cruise line generated explanations of required documentation use fuzzy language. Thus confusion arises due to the stylistic choices of the writer and of the ambiguities inherent in the English language.

 

*Yes, at one time even some state-issued birth certificates did not contain sufficient information for passports. That's a separate complication.

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sparks1093 Great Review Rare

sparks1093

Posted
Posted
When questions like this appear (and they do with some frequency) there is always confusion and misunderstanding about the terminology, i.e., the precise meaning of "original" and "copy" in this specific application. In everyday life it's easy. If you need several copies of a letter, you go to a copy machine, push a button, and voila. The copies are indistinguishable from the original. Not so when you need a new, reissued or additional "copy" of a birth (or death or marriage) certificate.

 

Want several "copies" of your birth certificate that will meet all government standards for passports, social security and boarding a cruise ship? Just call Vitalchek or the appropriate Bureau of Vital Statistics and get them. The discussions about raised seals and photocopies are red herrings. Just get the government-issued documents, as many as you please.*

 

Unfortunately, some cruise line generated explanations of required documentation use fuzzy language. Thus confusion arises due to the stylistic choices of the writer and of the ambiguities inherent in the English language.

 

*Yes, at one time even some state-issued birth certificates did not contain sufficient information for passports. That's a separate complication.

 

It all starts with the DHS regulations which specify that an "original or copy" is acceptable. Now you could parse that phrase many different ways but the plain language reading means the "original" that you obtain from the government entity that issues them (and as you point out you may obtain as many of those as you wish to pay for) and a "copy" is just that, a photocopy of that original.

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Herfnerd

Herfnerd

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Posted
When questions like this appear (and they do with some frequency) there is always confusion and misunderstanding about the terminology, i.e., the precise meaning of "original" and "copy" in this specific application. In everyday life it's easy. If you need several copies of a letter, you go to a copy machine, push a button, and voila. The copies are indistinguishable from the original. Not so when you need a new, reissued or additional "copy" of a birth (or death or marriage) certificate.

 

Want several "copies" of your birth certificate that will meet all government standards for passports, social security and boarding a cruise ship? Just call Vitalchek or the appropriate Bureau of Vital Statistics and get them. The discussions about raised seals and photocopies are red herrings. Just get the government-issued documents, as many as you please.*

 

Unfortunately, some cruise line generated explanations of required documentation use fuzzy language. Thus confusion arises due to the stylistic choices of the writer and of the ambiguities inherent in the English language.

 

*Yes, at one time even some state-issued birth certificates did not contain sufficient information for passports. That's a separate complication.

 

 

Even more confusing - the ONLY place where the "original" birth certificate is kept is with the state's office of vital statistics, or similar. BC's issued by a hospital, thru Vital Check, etc are certified/notarized copies.......

 

And to make matters worse, many hospitals issue Certificates of Live Birth which are totally different than a BC. The CLB only states that a person was born - it is not valid to apply for a passport or to use on a closed loop cruise.. The BC states citizenship

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Shmoo here

Shmoo here

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Even more confusing - the ONLY place where the "original" birth certificate is kept is with the state's office of vital statistics, or similar. BC's issued by a hospital, thru Vital Check, etc are certified/notarized copies.......

 

And to make matters worse, many hospitals issue Certificates of Live Birth which are totally different than a BC. The CLB only states that a person was born - it is not valid to apply for a passport or to use on a closed loop cruise.. The BC states citizenship

Exactly. When I go to the Registrar's office to get my kid's birth certificates, what I actually get is a "certified COPY of an original document". Says so right on it.

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sparks1093 Great Review Rare

sparks1093

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Even more confusing - the ONLY place where the "original" birth certificate is kept is with the state's office of vital statistics, or similar. BC's issued by a hospital, thru Vital Check, etc are certified/notarized copies.......

 

And to make matters worse, many hospitals issue Certificates of Live Birth which are totally different than a BC. The CLB only states that a person was born - it is not valid to apply for a passport or to use on a closed loop cruise.. The BC states citizenship

 

Birth certificates are issued by government entities, not hospitals and Vital Check obtains them from those entities. Yes, the original always does remain with the government agency that issues them and what they actually issue is a "certified copy" of what that original shows. So following this line of reasoning the DHS regulations are asking travelers to produce something that they can never produce, the "original". However, if you ask most people to show you their original birth certificate most will pull out the certified copy that they received from the issuing authority.

 

I think everyone posting on this thread would agree that cruise lines can, and sometimes do, impose a stricter standard than that imposed by the regulations (as some luxury lines for example require passports of all passengers). I think everyone would also agree that a cruise line can not under any circumstances impose a lesser standard than that imposed by the regulations. CCL's FAQs were cited earlier in this thread and they specify that a photocopy of an official birth certificate is acceptable documentation for a US citizen on a closed loop cruise and they certainly couldn't say that unless it were actually allowable. There have also been numerous threads on CC where a faxed copy of a birth certificate saved a traveler's cruise. So whether anyone likes it or not a photocopy of an officially issued birth certificate is sufficient for boarding a closed loop cruise.

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alexspepa

alexspepa

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All BC are copies. They just have a raised seal. In the old days they would have a gold seal to keep the impression longer. That's why always do a loose fold so not to lose the impression.

 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Forums mobile app

again - not all certified BC's have a raised seal...depends on the state.

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taglovestocruise

taglovestocruise

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Some of these questions about documentation make me wonder if there are some people who go buy a car without having a drivers license.

 

 

Come on out to California, we have thousands of illegals buying cars who drive with no license, no insurance, and no registration. We are a kookie liberal state..

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6rugrats

6rugrats

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In post #1 the OP does not mention being born in PA and the phraseology is ....

That explains it. If people read only the first post, and nothing that comes after, no wonder there are so many multiple page threads where the question is answered over and over and over and over....

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micheecruise

micheecruise

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I travel in two weeks from SJU PR arriving to same port. I dont have passport. Cant get an original birth certificate because take to long. I only have photo copy and drivers licence. Has anyone traveled with copy? Is it ok? :loudcry:

Not sure you would need a passport if you are an American Citizen. You should call the cruise line (and air line) or check with a TA about this issue. If you need to have a passport, you would have to go to a passport office and get it same day, expedited thru mail probably would not be fast enough.

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Shmoo here

Shmoo here

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Not sure you would need a passport if you are an American Citizen. You should call the cruise line (and air line) or check with a TA about this issue. If you need to have a passport, you would have to go to a passport office and get it same day, expedited thru mail probably would not be fast enough.

IF you had read through the whole thread before responding, you'll find the OP has a solution that might work.

 

Often, TAs, as well as cruise lines, don't have the proper information. They will list their requirements and tell you it on you to find out what ID you need.

 

OP is having an issue with their birth certificate, not passport. And you need a birth certificate (ideally) to get a passport.

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navybankerteacher

navybankerteacher

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Some of these questions about documentation make me wonder if there are some people who go buy a car without having a drivers license.

 

 

Come on out to California, we have thousands of illegals buying cars who drive with no license, no insurance, and no registration. We are a kookie liberal state..

 

"When the Oakies left Okalahoma and moved to Calfornia, it raised the I Q of both states."

-Will Rogers

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easyboy

easyboy

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I called PA office, I can order thru Vitalchek and after I order, I call them again and they will expedidate with evidence of cruise purchase. I am very grateful for all your suggestion. Thank you!

That is nice to know! I hope that whatever you get is enough.

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navybankerteacher

navybankerteacher

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Fair enough. My point was that the OP does not seem to have the best grasp of the English language.

 

If we seriously start evaluating posts based upon the posters' "...grasp of the English language.", we will enter a vast new arena for disagreement, snide comment, and downward spiral of civility.

 

Let's not go there.

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