Help-- mom needs a passport!

[Mark & Gail]

We just booked our mother (who is 75) on our March 14 trip. After we made
the reservation, she told us she does not have a passport. I believe I saw
a thread here about how to get a passport quickly. Does anyone have any
advice on how to get mom her passport in less than 4 weeks?

Thanks
Jupes

[Thomas Smith]

You can request expedited service if she already has all the documentation
handy. She really doesn't "need" a passport if she has the birth
certificate and photo ID unless she is leaving from Europe or on the
Norwegian Sky from Hawaii.

Tom Smith

"Mark & Gail" <jupe...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:l4n1a.43910$be.31261@rwcrnsc53...

[Kevin]

"Mark & Gail" <jupe...@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<l4n1a.43910$be.31261@rwcrnsc53>...

I don't really think you need to expedite the passport service. I
sent away for my renewal on Jan 11 - it arrived without expedited
service on the 23rd. Here is the link for the form and address to get
it done.

http://travel.state.gov/passport_services.html

Good luck.

[Jgcruzen]

This Website works:

http://www.passportvisaexpress.com/
Cathy and Jeff Gottesman
Cruise Value Center
Outside Agents
(732) 469-8128
7 days a week (9AM till 11PM)

[Mark & Gail]

More info: Mom lives near Houston, she has a drivers license and a birth
certificate.

TIA

[Mike Cordelli]

First, Where do you live? If it's in the area of one of the 14 or so
passport offices you can make an appointment, go one day and get the
passport the next day. You will have to show proof of the trip.

If you can not do that you can do expedited service, but you need to do that
like Monday to be sure you get it in time.

Lastly, you can use a passport express service, where you pay somebody to
stand in line for you and do it all.

Complete information on the first two is at

http://www.travel.state.gov/passport_services.html

Check the Getting Your passport in a hurry link, and the listing of offices
and additional information about setting up an appointment is at

http://www.travel.state.gov/agencies_list.html

"Mark & Gail" <jupe...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:l4n1a.43910$be.31261@rwcrnsc53...

[Kevin and Sue Mullen]

Does her birth certificat have a raised seal? If it does she is set to
cruise, assuming she is a US resident etc, etc.

sue

[Mike Cordelli]

She can get it all taken care of at the Houston passport agency, see

http://www.travel.state.gov/ppt_hn.html

for hours, location, etc, You will have to wait until march 1 to go,
because travel has to be within 14 days to do it in person there.

"Mark & Gail" <jupe...@hotmail.com> wrote in message

news:Biv1a.44973$iG3.5464@sccrnsc02...

[badger]

One more item, it has to be a STATE issued birth certificate. Mine has a
raised seal but was issued by the hospital and I almost did not get to board
the ship. They made a special exception and I had to fill out more
paperwork. They told me that by the end of March, NO EXCEPTIONS will be
made.
Clay .
"Kevin and Sue Mullen" <kjmu...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:3E468283...@comcast.net...

[Ray Goldenberg]

On Sun, 09 Feb 2003 17:14:18 GMT, "badger" <cferriola@1remove
numbers2triad.rr.com> wrote:

>One more item, it has to be a STATE issued birth certificate. Mine has a
>raised seal but was issued by the hospital and I almost did not get to board
>the ship.

Hi Clay,

As a matter of clarification, the birth certificate should be
government certified copy. In different states, this can mean cities,
counties, parishes, etc.

Best regards,
Ray
LIGHTHOUSE TRAVEL
800-719-9917 or 805-566-3905
http://www.lighthousetravel.com

[badger]

Thanks Ray, I did not realize that. It does make sense though. The people
behind the counter said State so I assumed that was the rule. Chalk one more
up to the pro's.
Clay

"Ray Goldenberg" <r...@lighthousetravel.com> wrote in message
news:sv4d4vs1hspb0d9oe...@4ax.com...

[Tom & Linda]

I'd make sure those are sufficient by checking with either the cruise
line or the TA. And, double check that the drivers license has a photo
on it.

If she has what she needs...

I would NOT risk getting a passport, in case there are any delays.
She'd have to send the birth certificate to get the passport, so it's
not worth risking not getting anything back (the passport or the birth
certificate) before the cruise if there are any delays.

If what she has is sufficient... go with that.

--Tom

[Mike Cordelli]

But if she goes to the passport office she will have the documents back the
next day. There is also plenty of time to get another copy of the Birth
Certificate unless it's from some town in Russia or something.

It's just bad advice to advise against getting a passport.

"Tom & Linda" <TKAN...@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:3E46B171...@worldnet.att.net...

[KeithF4281]

The links to the State Dept on this thread are good.

I would like to add one more, www.vitalchek.com

When we have pax who need an extra birth certificate, passport info, etc, that
is where we send them. Info on who to call, what to do in a hurry, or you can
pay them to expedite service. Click on your birth state on the home page, and
you will find phone numbers, costs, etc.

Regards, Keith

[KeithF4281]

>She'd have to send the birth certificate to get the passport, so it's
>not worth risking not getting anything back (the passport or the birth
>certificate) before the cruise if there are any delays.

Since she is in Houston, she should be fine if she goes to the actual Passport
Office rather than a post office. She can also get a second copy of her birth
certificate quickly as a back up if need be (www.vitalchek.com).

We did have an interesting one recently, and they obtained something I had
never heard of, namely a "temporary" passport valid for one year. Wife born on
US military base in Germany, of US (naturalized, born in Germany) and German
parents. Came into US umpteen years ago, no problem Birth certificate,
however, was from the US Military hospital, no raised seal, etc, etc. It had
also been glued inot their parent's scrapbook years ago! :)
Passport office gave her a temp because they were demanding copies of her
parent's birth certificates. Parents were born just before WWII, so the hall
of records, so to speak, had been bombed out and records of the original birth
certificates had been wiped out. Not sure what State (Dept of) will do, but at
least they issued a passport. Still, only time I can recall that a "temporary
passport" existed.

Regards, Keith

[Kevin and Sue Mullen]

Tom & Linda wrote:
> And, double check that the drivers license has a photo
> on it.
>

When it was time to renew our licnses, we took the lazy way out, mailed
in the application and got a non picture license. Big mistake, before
our recent cruise we had to make a trip to the DMV to get a picture
license. Otherwise we would of needed to take our passports ashore with us.

Sue

[Linsifer]

Wow, I didn't even know you could do that. I always thought the picture was one
way of identifying you. But, this is in CA. We also have California
Identication cards that look just like a drivers license with the photo and
all, but of course, not valid for driving a vehicle.

[Kevin and Sue Mullen]

In New Jersey we can get a photo or non-photo drivers license. I still
had my old photo license, which was accepted as ID for the new photo
license. DH didn't have his old license, so had to use his passport as
ID. When we lived in New York, there was no option, everyone had to get
a photo-license.

sue

sue

[BJ]

And by what authority does a cruise line confiscate your passport?
"Capt Mary Kidd" <mag...@operamail.com> wrote in message
news:200302092...@operamail.com...
> The message <3E46DC6...@comcast.net>
> from Kevin and Sue Mullen <kjmu...@comcast.net> contains these words:

>
> > When it was time to renew our licnses, we took the lazy way out, mailed
> > in the application and got a non picture license. Big mistake, before
> > our recent cruise we had to make a trip to the DMV to get a picture
> > license. Otherwise we would of needed to take our passports ashore with
us.
>

> My license doesn't have a picture and being a non-US citizen in the
> Caribbean the cruiselines retain my passport for the duration. A
> photocopy of the passport suffices for everything, along with the ship's
> card.
>
> --
> Pam
>
>

[Mike Cordelli]

It's standard practice, most cruise lines hold non us passports for the
duration of the cruise, and when we were cruising from Greece to Turkey they
held all passports for the duration of the cruise.

I can't answer by what authority they are holding it (there is a difference
between holding and confiscating), but since it's done all the time I'm sure
it's been challenged many times.

"BJ" <papac...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:laR1a.56$aq6.1...@news3.news.adelphia.net...

[Mark & Gail]

Thanks for all the help.

The passport is in the works!

"Mark & Gail" <jupe...@hotmail.com> wrote in message

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