Do you have your birth certificate or passport? Andy has his birth certifcate in our safe deposit box, but I have only a baptism certificate. When I first applied for a passport 66 years ago that’s all my folks had for me — I can’t remember why we couldn’t get my birth certificate from the county where I was born, but proof of baptism was all I needed at the time. Then in 1964 I married Andy and we immediately went to France for 13 months. There I went to the American embassy with my marriage license and had the name on my passport changed.
Ever since then Andy and I have renewed our passports before they expired. We were impressed this last December how easy the renewal process is now — we could do it online and received our new ones in about a month.
We have no intention of traveling, especially out of the country, but we do think it prudent in this day and age to have proof of citizenship.
What about you? Do you have your birth certificate or a passport? Do you think it’s a wise thing to have?
February 11, 2026
I do have my birth certificate but no passport. I never go anywhere so I’ve never thought a passport was necessary. I never considered needing proof of citizenship. It’s a strange world we live in these days
Yes!
…we have passports.
🙂
I have a birth certificate and a marriage certificate. My passport expired. I don’t travel anymore so I didn’t see the sense in renewing it. How were we to know we’d be in a “show your papers” country.
Yes. 🙁
There is talk that there might be problems for women voters because birth certificates and ID items post marriage would not have matching last names …duh… Of course, the problem might only happen in certain states or counties, or voting precincts… given the current administration’s pressure.
It looks as if that won’t pass the Senate before November. And apparently it wouldn’t apply to people who are registered and don’t have to change anything.
I do have my birth certificate, even though I was born in a very small town in a doctors office. I also have my passport.. I’m getting ready to use my passport in just 29 days, so I had to pull it out this past week and make sure I had it in a very safe place. Happy Wednesday..
I hope you have a great time on your trip. I’m looking forward to reading about it. 🙂
My birth certificate is in German, as I was born in Germany while my dad was posted there. I do have a passport though, in the hopes that one day, I might travel again:)
🙂
I may have both of our birth certificates. i know I have our marriage certificate. I am really unable to travel much at all. Going somewhere an hour away is a big deal, and about all I will do. So no passport.
We don’t want to travel either.
We have kept ours recent too…
It’s a good idea. Just in case.
I do have birth certificates and passports for everyone. I don’t know why, but I do feel they are important to have. Although I do not think I will be going out of the country again.
Same here.
I have both but I don’t travel much anymore.
Same here. I love staying home!
I don’t travel so I don’t need a passport.
🙂
I let my passport expire. My birth certificate is a certified copy but the print on the authentication certificate is fading. I do have a Real ID driver’s license I made sure to get before my passport expired but even that expires this coming summer so I MUST get that renewed in a timely manner even though I no longer drive. I was born abroad on a US Navy Base so I have to get copies of my birth certificate from the state department. I’m not sure what hoops I would have to go through to get that done now.
I forget what the rules are about renewing an expired passport. I’m guessing it would still be useful for identification purposes.
If I’m not mistaken I believe you gave me some good advice on that and I have renewed my driver’s license and my passport. It is such a good feeling to have those done.
Same here! 🙂
Identify here is vastly different
Passport, Drivers license, over 18years card.
With your name and photo on
And I believe a digital Real Me…but I don’t have that either, as to many hoops to jump through.
The only one I have with my photo on is a driver license, but the license itself is expired. But it seems to work.
It worked last week at the pension office “yay”
I’m glad you didn’t have any problems. 🙂