Mailing Birth Certificates

[Cixelsyd 1]

So I'm about to go through the NVC process with the CR-1 petition and I was looking through the forms for some helpful ideas, when I noticed this thread:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=226655

It's a thread from November and basically it's a topic about how someone was unable to send birth certificates out of Russia, because it's not allowed.

So I'm curious to know how other IR-1/Cr-1 filers got around this particular issue, since we're about to run into it.

Do you use a certified copy?

Do you just mail it out and hope it doesn't get yanked?

Do you enlist the aid of the CIA to run a covert ops to retrieve a birth certificate?

Let me know if I'm missing something. Also, I'd welcome any other helpful ideas/information on the process that is specific to Russia.

[Oksana81 0]

She can send a certified copy. See if she can have a notary public person notarize a copy of a birth certificate, then translate those 2 documents into English and submit them to NVC.

The other suggestion I have is to use one of translation agencies here in the US. Most of them don't need to see an original and will do a translation and a certification from a faxed or e-mailed document.

Edited January 28, 2010 by Oksana81

[Turboguy 6]

You never send an original document to the USCIS anyway and the translation services only translate what they get so I would think you could just have her scan the front and back of the birth certificate and e-mail it to you and you could sent that to a translation service to get it translated and you would be set.

If you have any trouble finding a good translater I can recommend an outstaning one that is very reasonable. I could also give you her contact info and you could ask her since she does this day in and day out.

[Cixelsyd 1]

She can send a certified copy. See if she can have a notary public person notarize a copy of a birth certificate, then translate those 2 documents into English and submit them to NVC.

The other suggestion I have is to use one of translation agencies here in the US. Most of them don't need to see an original and will do a translation and a certification from a faxed or e-mailed document.

Awesome, thanks; makes more sense to be able to send a certified copy.

You never send an original document to the USCIS anyway and the translation services only translate what they get so I would think you could just have her scan the front and back of the birth certificate and e-mail it to you and you could sent that to a translation service to get it translated and you would be set.

This is actually going to the NVC, since it's IR-1/CR-1, according to the guides here it says you should send in originals or certified copies. Of course I would love to find out the guides are a little off and we can just send in scanned versions.

[Cixelsyd 1]

Stumbled across this information when I was researching around. It runs in line with this topic:

http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/reciproc..._3656.html#docs

It's a US gov link explaining where to get acceptable documents for Russia. Things like birth certificates, police records etc...

And for a good laugh read how police certificates are required to be provided within 30 days.

I know we're lucky hers is only going to take a month and a half.