passport disaster
 

My boyfriend has two middle names, one of which he's never used -- unfortunately, it's on his birth certificate. He applied for a passport but of course his birth certificate has the "extra" name and he forgot to put it on the application form.

Now the passport office wants three documents from the past five years that include his name (as it is now), date and place of birth -- we can't think of *any* documents that include all three. Have any of you been through this? Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm sick with worry.

I can't think of any either. But why can't he just submit a new application listing both middle names this time, to match the birth certificate?

If you have not already I suggest you contact an actual passport issuing center (in large city) rather than the passport application acceptance office or relying on emails or form letters from them.

While passports have become tougher to get, the Dept of State is generally not totally unreasonable if you can speak to a person. For example, there are various ways for a person to get a passport even if they do not even have a birth certificate (my father never had a birth certificate and had to jump thru all sorts of hoops, but eventually it worked out)

Don't know how old he is, but school records, insurance documents, health records come to mind as possibly having at least 2 of the 3. By documents, I do not think they mean legal official documents. He might also "google" himself to see if it creates any leads. But again, I think the first step is to talk with a real person in one of the official city passport offices.

Now is a good time for him to figure out what his name is and get it taken care of legally - future nightmares include social security, and legal proceedings such as wills and inheritances.

Good luck

Maybe things have changed since 9/11, but I have a middle name on my birth certificate, which I never use, not even an initial, and have changed the last name with marriage, and obtained a passport with no problem.

Even so, this does not make sense, in that if the passport is issued with a first, two middle, and a last name, the name on the plane tickets would have to match, and there are not enough fields when booking...

Does he have a baptismal certificate?

Thanks everyone.

NewbE, it seems he can't submit a new application because the current one is still current -- not denied. They're awaiting the new information.

Gail, thanks for all the ideas. He had already called the Los Angeles passport issuing place and they agreed with the letter he received -- he needs to send the three documents. He has tons of documents with his name and date of birth -- but nothing lists the *place* of birth.

DJKBooks -- I guess he's just unlucky that they noticed he "extra" middle name.

BoniseA -- Nope, he wasn't baptised.

I'm confused.

Did you say they already have the birtch certificate or a copy of it?

Why would they need any documents that include WHERE he was born? I would think the BC would be enough proof of that and I think that's all they usually ask for.

But you say they want additional documents which ALSO list the place of birth?

I just don't get this part.

Can you ask the passport office for examples of what documents would satisfy them?

Just guessing here, but maybe they need docs showing where he was born to match the b.c. - in other words, to prove that this current guy with one middle name is the same guy with two middle names in the b.c. Showing they were born in the same place is a good way to show that they are the same guy.

I have two middle names that I don't use either. I agree with the above post that they're trying to create a paper trail to connect the name on the BC with the current name.

A school record is an excellent recommendation. In most places, a child can't enroll in school without showing a birth certificate. The state (if not the city) of birth is usually recorded on the permanent record. In his request to the school district, he should ask that they include his POB.

Is he registered to vote? Check with the city/county clerk to ask if a transcript of his voting record would have his POB. He should have had to prove citizenship when he registered.

He can contact his local Social Security office and request a copy of the record established when he got his SSN. He'll have to send off for it and I think the cost is around $15, but it has all 3 pieces of info.

As a last resort, he can request a copy of a census record which shows name, age and POB. It used to take a while, but they may have improved their turn-around time. I'm not sure what the current charge is. Check www.census.gov.

Keep in mind one thing, as much as you want to help him, federal and state privacy laws prevent most agencies from releasing info/records about your boyfriend to you. So, you can point him in the right direction, but he'll have to make the requests himself.

What about notarized affidavits from people that were there at his birth? Like his mom, dad, etc.

Another option is to collect whatever documentation you can - using some suggestions above - package it with a nice letter explaining that this is what you can get, and see what happens.

I deal with State and Federal systems in my job all the time and they frequently send queries and requests for additional info, often with documentation that is impossible to get. So I do the best I can, send it off, and it usually works - especially since the person processing paperwork is not likely to be the same person who answered the phone.

I had a name issue when I got my passport too - this one was actually 2 last names. The passport was issued under the name on my birth certificate with an adendum in the back that says I am also known as ... Which is the name on my drivers license. THEN when I got married and changed my name, my passport was amended again, so now I have 2 AKA's in the back. It is kind of fun going through immigration control sometimes - people want to know what is the deal with the names, but it works.