Hi gang! God, it is so hot over here. The Dam Hoi went very well. 70 people showed up. It was originally planned for 30. We had to use all of the gift money to cover the overages. Oh well.

QUESTIONS: My fiancee was shocked to find her interview will be June 27. So was I. Anyway, I am having trouble explaining the Police Certificate and Sigle Status issue, plus copies. She does not know where to go and get the Single Status Certificate. Can someone tell me where? She is in District 3 HCMC.

For the Police Certificate showing no criminal record she goes to her most local Police Department, right?

I am really worried about the time frame. 4 weeks will not be enough time to get these documents and have them translated. My fiance was so certain that her interview would not be until August or September (based upon what she had heard for years here) that she never bothered to do this. Now she is in a panic.

What can be done to obtain these reports, short of bribery, on time? Are there companies or lawyers in HCMC that can obtain them quicker? My fiance will not be able to have any more time off before the interview, so she and I need to apply for these things by Friday night. Hopefully they will come in before the 27th and she can send her mother to have them all translated.

Besides these reports, what else needs to be translated? Her Birth Certificate, correct? Anything else?

Net Access at her apartment is abysmal, so researching these questions has been torture. Most times we can only connect for a few minutes. Right now I am at an internet shop.

Thank you all for your help.

Matt

Matt,

Police Certificate(s) issued within the past year by the Department of Justice office in your district of official residence as registered in your household registry (Ho Khau).

How can I apply the Police Certificate (Ly lich Tu Phap)?
If you live in Ho Chi Minh City, you may contact the Justice Department at 143 Pasteur St, Dist 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The telephone is 848-829 7052/ 848-822 3276. It is our understanding that a friend or relative may request the Police Certificate (Ly Lich Tu Phap) on your behalf. This can also be done at the local Department of Justice office of your last residence in Vietnam.

I can't help you much regarding the single certificate. However, I remember my fiancee saying that was the easy one for her to get (i.e. 1 day). She got it from the local ward office in her hometown (Can Tho). I'm not sure about HCMC. Hopefully someone can offer more input.

Best of luck! I'm hoping our interview date is right behind you!!

If you need anything else while your still in HCMC, remember that you have my MobiFone number that I sent you by personal message.

STL_HCMC

Matt,

I did some further digging for you regarding the single status certificate.

For what it's worth, and I'm not so sure that my fiancee obtained the correct single status certificate form, but I showed her the thread I linked for you below, and then she went to the local ward office near her home in Can Tho and they signed and certified a form for her called:

"Giay Xac nhan Tinh Trang Hon Nhan (de dung cho o nuoc ngoai)"

However, the form I've listed above, and the name of the form that is listed in the linked thread below differ.

Link: Certificate of Single Status

I asked my assistant (she is married) at my office about the forms, and she said the form that my fiancee received (Giay Xac Nhan Tinh Trang Hon Nhan) shows she is single and never married before, but that when she (my staff) got married (Vietnamese to Vietnamese) she applied for the form that was in the linked thread (Giay Chung Nhan Doc Than).

My assistant also told me that she got her single status certificate from her local ward office.

I guess on one hand it is excellent you have an interview date already, but on the other hand it definitely puts a rush on things. I remember Bruce_Han successfully getting the police certificate in VERY short time (i.e. 1 day if I remember right).

Link: Bruce_Han Police Certificate in Short Time

Tell your fiancee to give the local ward office a visit regarding the single status certificate. To be extra sure, you both could also visit the information unit window at the consulate and get the exact name of the single status document that they like to see.

Again - don't hesitate to give me a ring if you need any help!

STL_HCMC

OK, so I think we are now OK. Anh's former employer has a good friend at the District 3 Department of Justice. She called in a favor and we just went down there and Anh filled out the application and got some kind of receipt saying her Police Certificate will be ready June 12, which is her birthday, actually. So happy B-day to her. That gives her two weeks to get copies made. The guy her former employer knows at the DOJ said it's a four to five week wait right now, so this is a favor that is much needed.

This afternoon we hope to take care of the Single Status paper, though the rain is so severe right now we don't really want to go out. It should stop soon.

Matt,

Glad to hear the calming news for you both. It is ALWAYS helpful to know 'someone' that knows 'someone' - in Vietnam especially.

Good luck with the single status certificate. Let me know, if you don't mind, the exact wording (i.e. "Giay Xac Nhan Tinh Trang Hon Nhan" or "Giay Chung Nhan Doc Than") on the single status certificate that she gets. I'd like to see if it is the same as the one my fiancee received or different.

No rain in Q.Tan Binh yet, but I did look out the window just now and it looks dark near Q.3.

STL_HCMC

STL_HCMC, what do you do in vn? i am curious as to what line of work will a non native be working in vn. what is your plan after your fiancee got a visa? i mean will you move back to the states or continuos to work there?

justin728jn,

I work for a private Vietnamese company in Ho Chi Minh City. I was introduced to the company through a college friend of mine.

The fiancee visa as I understand is valid for 6 months upon issuance, thus I'm under contract here through the end of this year and I intend to fufill that.

STL_HCMC



In addition, don't be so surprised, there are many non-natives living/working in Ho Chi Minh City and throughout Vietnam.

STL_HCMC