Birth certificate and driver's license last name don't match

[DQGal]

Thanks in advance for any help. I'm taking my mama on her very 1 st cruise.  She has been married twice.  She has her birth certificate and her 2nd wedding certificate.  But there is one step missing in her name changes, she doesn't have her 1 st wedding certificate,  that was 61 years ago.   Will she be able to get on the ship with her current info or should we get a copy from the court house? Please no snarky answers.  We cruise in a month and she doesn't have a passport.  She did have years ago. 

[Homosassa]

It  depends.  If she manages to get on the ship with incomplete documentation, she still faces a problem at debarkation with US Immigration.

 

If asked by Immigration on entry back into the country, she will need to have linking documentation to show name changes from the birth certificate to current name.

 

Here is the depends part: what name does the second marriage certificate show? Did she regain possession of her birth name before the second marriage and that is what shows for the second marriage license or did she still have the first alias on the second form?

 

It is always better to have too much documentation than not enough.

[Homosassa]

When my sister was the pier supervisor in San Francisco, she says women with names that don't match were a common problem. 

 

She had an US Immigration officer she could call to come examine the documents available and make a call on if the woman could board.

 

Sometimes they could, sometimes not.

[Sea42]

1 hour ago, DQGal said:

Thanks in advance for any help. I'm taking my mama on her very 1 st cruise.  She has been married twice.  She has her birth certificate and her 2nd wedding certificate.  But there is one step missing in her name changes, she doesn't have her 1 st wedding certificate,  that was 61 years ago.   Will she be able to get on the ship with her current info or should we get a copy from the court house? Please no snarky answers.  We cruise in a month and she doesn't have a passport.  She did have years ago. 

I would get a copy from the courthouse.

[DQGal]

15 minutes ago, Sea42 said:

I would get a copy from the courthouse.

Thanks I just got off the phone  with Holland and they seemed to think she'd need both certificates.  So I did call the court house and have a copy coming.  Thanks for responding. 

[Hlitner]

24 minutes ago, DQGal said:

Thanks I just got off the phone  with Holland and they seemed to think she'd need both certificates.  So I did call the court house and have a copy coming.  Thanks for responding. 

Thought we would expand (slightly) this topic because we had a similar ID situation with my FIL a few years ago.  There was an issue with his name which was difficult to resolve with various IDs.  The best permanent solution was to get him a US Passport.  Since there as an undocumented first name change (when he was young) the State Department accepted an affidavit from a relative (his Aunt) attesting to his name change (all of his current id was different than his birth certificate).  Getting the Passport was somewhat of a hassle, but once that was accomplished, he never had another ID issue.   Just a thought for the OP.

 

Hank

[Tampa Girl]

2 hours ago, DQGal said:

Thanks in advance for any help. I'm taking my mama on her very 1 st cruise.  She has been married twice.  She has her birth certificate and her 2nd wedding certificate.  But there is one step missing in her name changes, she doesn't have her 1 st wedding certificate,  that was 61 years ago.   Will she be able to get on the ship with her current info or should we get a copy from the court house? Please no snarky answers.  We cruise in a month and she doesn't have a passport.  She did have years ago. 

 

Where is the ship going that does not require a passport?  Question:  Isn't there another government document that can be used in place of a passport?  I also question why the first marriage certificate is required.  The second certificate clearly shows both the former name and the new name.  The second marriage certificate was the only document I needed to confirm my second change of name and for a new passport.

[Torquer]

The OP didn't say where the cruise is going, but it is hard to imagine a HAL cruise that does not require a passport...maybe a roundtrip from the mainland to Hawaii and back?  All other cruises I can think of at least go to Canada, Mexico, or a Caribbean island where passports would be required.  It is a hassle, but you can get one on short notice for travel by going to a US Passport center in person; I believe the closest ones to Ohio would be Detroit and Buffalo.  Certainly you need to call first to make sure you have all the documentation required for your unique situation.

[DQGal]

7 minutes ago, Tampa Girl said:

 

Where is the ship going that does not require a passport?  Question:  Isn't there another government document that can be used in place of a passport?  I also question why the first marriage certificate is required.  The second certificate clearly shows both the former name and the new name.  The second marriage certificate was the only document I needed to confirm my second change of name and for a new passport.

It's a closed loop cruise. So no pass port required. Safer yes, but not required. Grand turk, San Juan and and st Thomas. The problem is maiden name is on bc, then she married 1st time, so there is the 1st name change, the. Married  2nd time, which now is her last name which is what is on her dl.  I'm guessing she'll be ok but just hate to take the chance which is why I was reaching out to you all.  Thanks

[DQGal]

3 minutes ago, Torquer said:

The OP didn't say where the cruise is going, but it is hard to imagine a HAL cruise that does not require a passport...maybe a roundtrip from the mainland to Hawaii and back?  All other cruises I can think of at least go to Canada, Mexico, or a Caribbean island where passports would be required.  It is a hassle, but you can get one on short notice for travel by going to a US Passport center in person; I believe the closest ones to Ohio would be Detroit and Buffalo.  Certainly you need to call first to make sure you have all the documentation required for your unique situation.

Yeah it would be easier with passport, but birth certificate is all that is needed.

[1025cruise]

It is better to have the documentation and not need it, then to not have the documentation, and then need it.

[Tampa Girl]

1 hour ago, DQGal said:

It's a closed loop cruise. So no pass port required. Safer yes, but not required. Grand turk, San Juan and and st Thomas. The problem is maiden name is on bc, then she married 1st time, so there is the 1st name change, the. Married  2nd time, which now is her last name which is what is on her dl.  I'm guessing she'll be ok but just hate to take the chance which is why I was reaching out to you all.  Thanks

 

Have you examined what documents your mother might need to fly home from Grand Turk or St. Thomas in event of a medical emergency?  "Guessing" that she will be O.K. would not be my choice.

[DQGal]

4 minutes ago, Tampa Girl said:

 

Have you examined what documents your mother might need to fly home from Grand Turk or St. Thomas in event of a medical emergency?  "Guessing" that she will be O.K. would not be my choice.

I totally understand what you are saying,  but when I said I'm guessing she'd be ok,  I meant with boarding with the documents she has.  I've checked in to expedited passport for her but they couldn't guarantee they would be here in time.   So I was looking into seeing with just birth certificate, my back up plan,  I guess. 

[FOPMan]

Flying into the US requires a passport in almost all situations. Notable exceptions were/are Her Majesty The Queen and His Majesty King Charles III.

[Sea42]

33 minutes ago, Tampa Girl said:

 

Have you examined what documents your mother might need to fly home from Grand Turk or St. Thomas in event of a medical emergency?  "Guessing" that she will be O.K. would not be my choice.

I don't think St. Thomas would be an issue but Grand Turk would require some government assistance. Certainly not ideal but I'm sure there is a process in place in those situations.

Edited September 29, 2022 by Sea42

[lax19]

The first marriage license would be needed only if the second marriage license did not have her birth surname listed.

for example

Birth surname = Jones

Marriage license #1 - Ms Jones becomes Mrs Smith

Marriage license #2 - Mrs Smith becomes Mrs Johnson

Current ID = Mrs Johnson 

 

[regnig]

2 hours ago, lax19 said:

The first marriage license would be needed only if the second marriage license did not have her birth surname listed.

for example

Birth surname = Jones

Marriage license #1 - Ms Jones becomes Mrs Smith

Marriage license #2 - Mrs Smith becomes Mrs Johnson

Current ID = Mrs Johnson 

 

From what the OP has explained this appears to be her Mom situation.  I was advised years ago to use my birth surname on all legal or semi-legal documents.  It has taken the place of my "middle name". Over the course of my many many years (and marriages) I have never encountered a problem.  

[Hlitner]

I would add that for folks with these name issues, the long term solution is to go through the procedure to get a Passport!  That solves the issue when it comes to travel and eliminates any anxiety faced by those who always wonder, "will they let me board?"

 

Hank