So, as most of you know I have been burning up the boards with planning our trip to Italy. I thought I would just share a funny but a bit nerve wracking incident that happened. Went to the post office, as a family, to get our passports. Husband and daughter were able to file their paperwork and get their mug shots taken. But when it came my turn it turns out the "birth certificate" I have been using all my life is nothing more than a pretty piece of paper that mothers were given after the birth of their child. They could place these "certificates" in scrap books.
Gotta love my mom!!
Since my mom and dad have both passed away it took some leg work but I was able to locate my birth certificate.
I am soooo glad we did not wait until the last minute to get our passports. I am still waiting for my passport to come in the mail, I will feel better when it gets here!
GG

Good for you! There is a lot to be said for advanced planning.

Have a great trip!

Good for you! I hope you have a great time.

GypsyGurl, my mother was convinced a baptismal certificate was all the identification one needed!

Well I used a British birth certificate all my life until I got to France, where it was rejected - I hadn't really noticed that my parents' names were not given. It was the 'short form', and I had to get the 'long form'. But nowhere in 40 years in Canada had anyone ever questioned it.

Thank heavens, presumably, that the details matched - or you might have been planning a new wedding ceremony, as well as your vacation!

Hope the postman is with you very soon,
Peter

Glad it worked out all right. I was afraid this thread was about Obama's birth certificate!

A_Brit_In_Ischia,
I never thought about our wedding certificate. I am going to have to check that out now. We may be celebrating our honeymoon in Italy instead of our 25th wedding anniversary!
GG

GG - what better place?

Peter

The good thing about birth certificates (and marriage certificates, for that matter) is that you can always order a new certified copy if you can not locate your original copy.

Good thing you aren't running for POTUS

Ha! Nope, not running for POTUS, just "living in sin" for 25 years.
I wonder if we could have the Pope marry us when we are in Rome?
GG

Not the Pope, but you could get Father Greg at Santa Susanna to do the honors. S Susanna is the home for American Catholics in Rome, with the facade designed by Maderno. The actual church goes back to about 290 AD, being the houses of the two brothers, Gabinius and Caius. Gabinius became a priest and Caius became Pope. The belief is that the brothers were related to Emperor Diocletian, who wanted the daughter of Gabinius - Susanna - to marry the son of Diocletian's sub-ruler, who later became Emperor Maximian. She refused, Gabinius was starved to death and Susanna was martyred in her father's home.

The actual church was first consecrated by Caius at the beginning of the Great Persecution. In 1475, Sixtus IV had the present church built. So, not a bad place to have a wedding.

You can contact Father Greg through the Santa Susanna website

http://www.santasusanna.org/

dave

Dave,
This looks like an amazing church! Thank you for the information!
GG

Wow, really surprising that the need for a certified birth certificate hasn't come up before this. Glad it was an easy fix for you.

Michele,
I know right? We were married by a hippie preacher and the piece of paper I gave him was good enough. All my schools took it and so did the DMV. Of course it was a small town DMV so maybe that explains why, I am just glad I am official now!
GG