The power of the Birth Certificate

I just got my renewal for my NJ drivers license. I now need to get the North Carolina DL. Ok I hate taking tests, dosnt matter what kind I freeze. We go to get the drivers handbook so I could study. We ask what do you need. He tells me Birth cert and drivers lic. OK guess what I left it in the storage and cant get it. OK you can use a SS card. I go home and cant find that either, so I contact SS and you need a BC to get a replacement. SS said I can use a passport. Havent had time to get that either and guess what you need to get one. Not sure we could get a new BC in time. I told him I have my tax returns and the paper ss sends to you telling you what you are entitled to when you retire, no good. SO we went to the storage and pulled all my stuff out to get to file cabinet and got lucky and found it. I had to do most of the moving Rich's back was out. Now all I have to do is pass the test
So if you plan on moving the first thing I suggest is to make sure you have your Birth Cert handy. Thank god I dont have to do this in NJ you need 6 points to now get a Drivers Lic. and if you are a woman and married you need marrage certificate. That happened to me when I first got a NJ lic. It took 7 months to get a copy. Anyone want to take the test for me?

Fran,

Your story is absolutely hysterical. I can only imagine the frustration you must have had to endure. Time to come up for air. Just hang in there.

bobo

Fran,

Sorry you're having such problems- I just renewed my NJ DL yesterday. It took less than 45 minutes- of course i had my Passport and other documents to make up the 6 points.

I have heard other people having similar problems as you had- especially older women.

Dennis

You can't blame the various states for requiring several forms of identification before they give you a license. There are many people who try to get a legit license with phony documentation for criminal purposes. It's a known fact that criminals or illegals will flock to a Registry of Motor Vehicles or a DMV to try to get a legitimate license, if that state makes it easy to do so. If they can bluff their way through, it opens the door for plenty of illegal activity. Not only is it a license to operate a motor vehicle, it can also be a license to steal via phony credit cards or defraud banks, or other lending institutions. It is also a way to steal a person's identity.

:rolleyes: Bob :rolleyes:

I am glad that they are being more careful in supplying DL it still was a who's on first situation for me until I found my papers. This is just the tip of the iceburg of little problems we are going through with the building of the new house. I cant begin to tell you how many mistakes we have caught. Bathroom pipes were put in bedroom, some rafters were made backwards and had to be replaced, pantry door was installed yesterday into a spot that had a foot too much space on top and some trim work was mad to short and did not reach the end of the wall. Those are just a few. The builder does fix them it is just frustrating. Yesterday we went and 4 Oriental men were doing our trim. They did not speak any english and I tried to tell them that the columns they installed dont belong and they laughed and noded their heads. What happened to all the trade people that prided themselves on quality. Where are they? Does the builder think that redoing things is still cheaper than quality workmanship? June 14th is my final walk through

I don't understand this? "6 points?" as in driving infractions?

I've tried to get a certified copy of my birth certificate, mailed in the form and the $15 (for 2 copies) and got it back because I didn't send along a photocopy of my Driver's License!

Now even though this is a government agency (county), Do I really want to mail off a photo of my driver's license for their permanent records?

Catch 22.

... must be frustrating to build a house in any country!
I had the same kinds of problems a few years agai, when I bought a house half built and watched it being finished... NIGHTMARE !!!
Good Luck Fran! And looking forward to seeing pictures of the finished house!!! (hint hint!)

The new DL renewal process in NJ requires you to supply 6 points worth of documents from the list they supply.

Example: Birth Certificate or Passport are worth 4 points. Social Sercurity card, old DL, tax bill, utility bill are worth 1 point each. The list they supply has about 40 items to choose from.

I'm up to speed on this as I just renewed last month. Took less then an hour. The new DL's are for 6 years, used to be 4 years. Pictures on all NJ DL's are required now.

Thanks, Loon.

Arizona DLs are expire when you turn 60, then when you renew, next they expire @ 65, then I don't know.

Maybe that has been changed too.

I will post a picture when it is finished. I miss NJ and getting into the car and driving to a lighthouse. I think I am now 4 hours away from the nearest light.

Hang in there Fran...it's gotta get better! Sounds like you been through some serious stress...but this too shall pass.
Look forward to pictures!

Well Fran, at least you reaffirmed to yourself who you are! Now put all that stuff in a secure place - away from the id thieves but ready for Uncle Sam when you get near retirement. A safe or a safe deposit box would be the best choice.
Bob

On a somewhat related note, sometime in January of 08' you will need a passport to cross into Canada or Mexico in a car, currently you only need a birth cert. but to fly into Canada or Mexico you allready need a passport. The backlog is around 6 months for the passport currently.

This is part of the same thing - they don't want to give you a birth certificate unless you are who you say you are because the birth certificate could be used to steal your identity.

I couldn't even get my deceased FIL's death certificate without my husband's agreement.

Things are getting fixed. My husband got a job. YES . The end is near (for the apartment) I see the light at the end of the tunnel oh wait I have to pay the toll Closing June 15th.

Sounds like Virginia is way too easy. I just renewed my license and all I had to prove was that I could see...and even that is questionable.

The lady at the DMV window had me lean into the viewer and read only the top line which was about an inch high and highlighted in yellow. Then she asked if I could see the red light blinking on both sides of my head. Well yeah...

Fran, I know you are looking forward to that closing date and moving in. The norm is for the builder to do his own walk-thru and punch list, and then the buyers do theirs. Even then, you'll be making a list of stuff that needs to be done or changed. Keep breathing in and out. In the end, it'll all be worth it.

Judy

I wish CT would implement at least a vision test for license renewals starting at age 55 or 60. As it stands now, there is no test for anything if you're renewing your license. Just show up at one of the renewal centers (roaming bus or DMV building), sign the form you received in the mail, pay the fee, wait for your godawful picture to be developed, and leave with your new license which is valid for 4 years I think. Stan and I were in the discussion stages regarding getting my 84-year-old mother to hand over her license when she decided to turn it in herself following an accident. Altho' the car was totalled, she wasn't hurt and no other vehicles were involved. It scared her to the point where she didn't want to drive any longer and had DMV issue a non-driving picture license for ID purposes only. I know there would have been a real hassle getting her to relinquish her license had she not had that accident. Mandatory eyesight and road testing before renewing a 4-year license for people over 55 or 60 would certainly make life a bit easier on the families.

I now use those fake reading glasses that you buy in the store but dont need glasses to see. Last time I went to DMV I barely passed because of not really being able to read the letters in the machine. I cant use those glases to see with If I use them to pass the eye test I am worried they will mark down I need them to drive with. Have to wait and see.

When I went to get my license, I decided to flood them with ID to solve my problem. Everything from passport to BC to SS card to my latest bank statement to my checks to my report card to my student ID.

There were no issues.

I have even more fun, seeing as my first name isn't technically Gregory - a story for another day involving paternal family history and maternal ninth month of pregnancy.

And I get to do it all again next year, when I trade in my Provisional License for a Basic.

My mum had fun a few months ago renewing hers. Her marriage certificate was the one from the church, not the county. She had to have my Grandma go and get her original certificate - not a copy from the records bureau. That was fun.

Good luck with the test, Fran. As a tip from one who has just recently taken it - make sure you know that trivial stuff as well as the obvious info - all those measurements and all. I had one that asked me when I could use studded snow tyres in NJ. I probably got it wrong.

Greg,

When the roads are dry and the outside temperature is over 95 degrees?

I believe the correct answer is NEVER.

bobo

Judy,

I'm sure that we believe you. After all, many of us have seen you drive.

bobo

If you move to Florida you have it made. You don't need a passport to get here(just an old boat) and nothing to renew a driver's licence except money. You don't even need to carry car insurance unless the car is being financed. We're a "No-Fault" state and now there is even discussion about dropping the requirement for PIP(Personal Injury Protection). Just come on down and do your thing and then leave and let the responsible residents to pay the bill. The only good thing is NO STATE INCOME TAX!!!!

There may be no State income tax, but FL manages to squeeze out the same money in other ways. I was a FL residient for 28 yrs, and am now a NC resident. NC has State Income tax, but the total of my annual NC Income tax + Real estate taxes is equivalent to the FL Real Estate tax alone, with the same value house and income! There may be places in the US where it is more and less expensive, but the differences (imho) tend to be minimal, as each state needs a certain amount to run, and they get it in one way or another. Just hope they don't find a way to meter your breathe.

Well I got to disagree Pharologst, I used to live i n NC and when I moved to FL, my total taxes were about half what I paid in NC. The sales tax was about 1 cent higher here, and my property taxes were slightly higher in FL, but the difference was no were near as much as the savings from my income taxes.

I took my NC DL test today and I passed it's a miracle and official. I wounder if I will ever lose my brooklyn accent and turn southern.

Now that would be an accent - a Brooklyn accent with a bit of a nice NC drawl..... You could play "guess where I'm from" and no one would know, ya'll. eh?

Throw a little jersey in what a mess. Going to be going to chicago. Going to do Wisconsin but it looks like the weather is not so great.