Birth certificate and marriage in Senegal! help!

[rafetnatorop 0]

Hi Friends!

I finally got a job, so I'm headed to Senegal on June 24 and Drame and I want to get married as soon as possible! I was looking at the embassy's website, and they say that we both need a birth certificate that says "issued in anticipation of marriage." The NY page for the board of vital statistics says absolutely nothing about birth certificates with that on it, so I'm at a loss. Will my original birth certificate be ok?

Also, I'm supposed to register the marriage, but it doesn't give any information for how to do so. And I don't know what "publication of the banns" is, but apparently I need to do that too.

Any help you guys can give would be great! And if I posted this in the wrong place, please let me know!

Thanks everyone!

[Queeny 0]

Hi,

congrats on your upcoming marriage. I'm in the same boat. On my way to Senegal in the morning to marry. You have to go the US Embassy to get a atestation form in lieu of a birth cert with that stuff written on it. Then you register at the civil marriage building - not sure the exact name but the Embassy should be able to tell you. Good luck and congrats again. let us know how it goes... We are in Saly near Mbour.

[rafetnatorop 0]

Hi Queeny! Congrats on your marriage as well! I hope everything moves smoothly for you.

Thanks so much for your advice. Do you know how long it takes to get the certificate? or how long in advance you have to register?

Drame's family is from Ker Madiabel near Kaolack, but we'll probably be at the Universite de Gaston Berger in Saint-Louis for most of my stay there.

[WhidbeyGirl 1]

Hi there! I was married in Thiés. My birth certificate DID NOT say "anticipation for marriage" and there was NO PROBLEM whatsoever! My husband only had a color copy of my original birth certificate and they didn't ask for the original when I arrived. My husband's birth certificate didn't have the statement on it either AND the Nigerian Embassy messed up and put the wrong birth year on it - all they did was white it out and change it from 2006 to 1966.

As far as the banns, you and your fiancé take your birth certificates to the civil marriage building to do that, I'm sure Kaolauck has one, St Louis too. My husband did it prior to me getting there - not sure if he had to "tip" to be able to do that, but I do know that the cost was MUCH more than the fee they list on the certificate. The banns must be posted for 20 days prior to your marriage. It's kinda like in the US when the minister says, "Are there any objections to this marriage", except the community has 20 days to respond instead of 20 seconds.

One of my fellow Whidbey Islanders is near Kaolauck with the Peace Corps.

[2kingdomrunners 0]

Hi Queeny! Congrats on your marriage as well! I hope everything moves smoothly for you.

Thanks so much for your advice. Do you know how long it takes to get the certificate? or how long in advance you have to register?

Drame's family is from Ker Madiabel near Kaolack, but we'll probably be at the Universite de Gaston Berger in Saint-Louis for most of my stay there.

Good morning, I also was married in Dakar in 2007 and we never posted anything in the Banns, we did have both our Birth Certificates and they took copies of , as for the Us Embassy they did give me not my husband , a attestation celibrat to certify i was single. As for your getting married there in the Civil Court, yeah you can get married without posting it in a Banns but it will cost you more than a penny, we had to pay Sengelese style if you can understand that. One thing I definetely know about Senegal is you pay extra for everything!! Not just as a foreigner, but more especially as a USC. I have lived there for six months in Mbour and Saly so I do know what I am talking about!! But congradulations and May God bless you both! And no your Birth Certificate does not have to say in anticipation for marriage, it only needs to be certified with the seal from Vital Records.

[rafetnatorop 0]

Hi everyone! Thanks again for your advice. The only thing that I'm worried about is if we do not post the banns (or if we post them and i'm not there yet, or if we get married before the 15 days)-- is the US going to recognize our marriage as valid? I really don't want to screw anything up.

Has anyone had experience with this before?

Thanks!

[2kingdomrunners 0]

Hi everyone! Thanks again for your advice. The only thing that I'm worried about is if we do not post the banns (or if we post them and i'm not there yet, or if we get married before the 15 days)-- is the US going to recognize our marriage as valid? I really don't want to screw anything up.

Has anyone had experience with this before?

Thanks!

Yes your marriage will still be valid, all they are interested in is the certified sealed marriage certificate from the civil court which makes it valid and legal in the US.

[Queeny 0]

Hi everyone! Thanks again for your advice. The only thing that I'm worried about is if we do not post the banns (or if we post them and i'm not there yet, or if we get married before the 15 days)-- is the US going to recognize our marriage as valid? I really don't want to screw anything up.

Has anyone had experience with this before?

Thanks!

Hi rafetnatorop,

wanted to touch basis to see how everything went with your marriage in Senegal? It went pretty smoothly for us. Now hopefully the visa process at the embassy in Dakar will go well.

[rafetnatorop 0]

Hi Queeny (and everyone)!

Sorry its been so long!

Everything went well for us-- we had the religious ceremony June 27, and the civil one July 9, both in Saint-Louis. At this point, I just miss him torop-- and no one here understands.

Where are you in the process? We have the 1st part of the spouse visa filed, and are completing the second pt so it will be ready when they ask for it.

Also my husband is going to hear any day now about getting the fulbright. Does anyone know what will happen to our petition if he comes to the US on a student visa?

Thanks everyone!!

Hi Queeny (and everyone)!

Sorry its been so long!

Everything went well for us-- we had the religious ceremony June 27, and the civil one July 9, both in Saint-Louis. At this point, I just miss him torop-- and no one here understands.

Where are you in the process? We have the 1st part of the spouse visa filed, and are completing the second pt so it will be ready when they ask for it.

Also my husband is going to hear any day now about getting the fulbright. Does anyone know what will happen to our petition if he comes to the US on a student visa?

Thanks everyone!!

[2kingdomrunners 0]

Hi Queeny (and everyone)!

Sorry its been so long!

Everything went well for us-- we had the religious ceremony June 27, and the civil one July 9, both in Saint-Louis. At this point, I just miss him torop-- and no one here understands.

Where are you in the process? We have the 1st part of the spouse visa filed, and are completing the second pt so it will be ready when they ask for it.

Also my husband is going to hear any day now about getting the fulbright. Does anyone know what will happen to our petition if he comes to the US on a student visa?

Thanks everyone!!

Hi Queeny (and everyone)!

Sorry its been so long!

Everything went well for us-- we had the religious ceremony June 27, and the civil one July 9, both in Saint-Louis. At this point, I just miss him torop-- and no one here understands.

Where are you in the process? We have the 1st part of the spouse visa filed, and are completing the second pt so it will be ready when they ask for it.

Also my husband is going to hear any day now about getting the fulbright. Does anyone know what will happen to our petition if he comes to the US on a student visa?

Thanks everyone!!

[/quote

Hello rafetnatorop, Congrats on both ceremonies and God bless, As for your SO applying for a student visa, I would advise you strongly not to, just file for your spouse visa is all you can do at this point, I know this as my SO has tried before to file on a student, B2, R1 and was denied. Dakar Embassy will flatly tell you that they will not issue because of the law that says your spouse is an intending immigrant and is not qualified for any other visa and they will not isssue as they say it is just trying to circumvent the visa system. We been down that road before many times so my advice would be to file asap for either the K3 or CR1. May God bless and again Congrats!!

[TBoneTX 43,373]

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