Passport Question

[wdwstateofmind]

Maybe someone knows...my passport has my old NJ address and I'm debating on paying the $100 to get the address changed since I might not be at my current address for more than a year and don't want to spend money changing my passport address every year until I purchase a home. As long as I have a valid US Passport, regardless of the address, I should be okay right?

 

[ChuckElias]

I would think that you're ok, but I really don't like to answer these types of questions for my clients unless I'm 100% sure. Since I'm not 100% sure, I would urge you to contact the State Dept. directly. I looked through their website just now, but didn't see your specific question. Here's a link that provides a phone number and an email address:

http://travel.state.gov/passport/npic/npic_898.html

Good luck! (Hope you can keep your $100)

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Checking with the State Dept. is never a bad idea, but I can tell you my personal experience. We move every summer and the address on my passport hasn't been correct 90% of the time we cruise. They are using it for proof of citizenship, not to verify all of your details.

 

[wdwstateofmind]

So I figured it out...there are no addresses printed on them...it asks you to write it in on pencil so you can keep it up to date...probably should have looked at the thing before digging on the us passport site and on here...

 

[Disneyfalcon]

So I figured it out...there are no addresses printed on them...it asks you to write it in on pencil so you can keep it up to date...probably should have looked at the thing before digging on the us passport site and on here...

Lol! Me too! I was wondering why I never noticed our address on our passport before!

 

[ChuckElias]

id like to take my dad on a cruise out of florida to the bahamas or wherever , he doesnt have a passport can he just sail with his license?

This one, I know. For a cruise that leaves from the USA and returns to the USA, US citizens do not have to carry a passport. Photo ID and birth certificate will suffice. Passport comes in handy if you need to fly home from a foreign port in an emergency, however.

 

[wogwog]

This one, I know. For a cruise that leaves from the USA and returns to the USA, US citizens do not have to carry a passport. Photo ID and birth certificate will suffice. Passport comes in handy if you need to fly home from a foreign port in an emergency, however.

Just want to add a thought on the birth certificate as a cruise document. It must be an "original" with an official seal from the issuing authority. Copies made on a copy machine of an original will not work.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

I was late to this party! That's correct, make sure it's an official birth certificate. Vitalcheck.com is a good place to order them.

 

[wdwstateofmind]

Passports are just good to have in general, no one ever questions them unless they are over 3 years expired...they hold a lot more ground than a birth certificate too, especially if you're in my shoes and had your last name changed but never had your birth certificate amended...or if you're from a place like Hudson County in NJ and your birth was never an official record...

 

[TheMouseFan]

I was late to this party! That's correct, make sure it's an official birth certificate. Vitalcheck.com is a good place to order them.

The DCL site says it can be the original or a copy. Is that not correct? I don't really want to carry the originals of my kids' birth certificates. It's not a problem for me and my husband, as we have passports, but the kids don't.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

The DCL site says it can be the original or a copy. Is that not correct? I don't really want to carry the originals of my kids' birth certificates. It's not a problem for me and my husband, as we have passports, but the kids don't.

An official copy is okay, don't walk up with a photocopy though. If you want to keep originals at home, I'd order copies from VitalCheck.

 

[Phonedave]

Passports are just good to have in general, no one ever questions them unless they are over 3 years expired...they hold a lot more ground than a birth certificate too, especially if you're in my shoes and had your last name changed but never had your birth certificate amended...or if you're from a place like Hudson County in NJ and your birth was never an official record...

Or if 5 of you exist and you all vote.


-dave

 

[TDF]

To be honest, although a birth certificate is alright, a passport is the safest way to go. If something was to happen, may it never, and you need to get home a passport is the easiest way to do that.
- Justin

EDIT: Plus I heard a story from my aunt that when she sailed on a different cruise line they didn’t exactly like her sailing with a birth certificate. She was allowed to sail but they basically told her to get a passport.

 

[DBTAY]

The DCL site says it can be the original or a copy. Is that not correct? I don't really want to carry the originals of my kids' birth certificates. It's not a problem for me and my husband, as we have passports, but the kids don't.

Keep the originals safe at home and order certified copies of their birth certificates from VitalChek. I’ve used their service before and it was really easy and fast.

 

[5thGenTexan]

Did you know...

If you are on a Disney Cruise and one of the excusions is a park day you have to take your passport with you off the ship? Ok, thats pretty common knowledge here. BUT, did you know if your wife puts all 4 passports in her bag and the bottle you took that morning for the kid on the bus ride gets turned upside down in the bag that passport pages WILL stick together?