Question re: Notarized Forms

[Tjl3909 0]

Hello everyone! Can anyone help me re: the Police and Birth Certificates must be translated, but do they have to be notarized as well? Our interview is 8/11 in Kiev. Thanks..

[payxibka 10,044]

Hello everyone! Can anyone help me re: the Police and Birth Certificates must be translated, but do they have to be notarized as well? Our interview is 8/11 in Kiev. Thanks..

Nope, nor do any Russian or Ukrainian documents require translation

Per the Kiev website:

TRANSLATIONS: Documents in English, Ukrainian or Russian do not need to be translated. When you arrive for the interview, you MUST present all the original documents accompanied by an English translation, which is produced by a certified translator, only if the document is not in English, Ukrainian or Russian. After the interview, all originals except the medical examination report will be returned to you. The consular officer has the right to request translation of any submitted document.

http://ukraine.usembassy.gov/visa-forms.html (Instructions for K Visa Applicants (PDF))

Edited July 17, 2010 by payxibka

[Alan-and-Ira 1]

Make notarised copies of all the certificates, and then translate the copies - that will be enough.

[payxibka 10,044]

Make notarised copies of all the certificates, and then translate the copies - that will be enough.

Have you actually been through the Kyiv interview/document process for a K-1?

OP: follow the link the the consulate website and read the K-1 instructions. Everything you need is detailed there. Read it, learn it and follow it and you will then provide everything that they are expecting in the form they require.

Edited July 17, 2010 by payxibka

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Have you actually been through the Kyiv interview/document process for a K-1?

OP: follow the link the the consulate website and read the K-1 instructions. Everything you need is detailed there. Read it, learn it and follow it and you will then provide everything that they are expecting in the form they require.

Pay is correct. NOTHING needs to be notarized and they have recently dropped the requirement for translations for the Kiev consulate IF the documents are Russian/Ukrainian.

[Alan-and-Ira 1]

Hi, You will need the notarized copies of the Birth, Divorce, Name Change and other official state registration certificates with the translations. As for the Police Certificate - you need to give them ORIGINAL with the translation. The translations need to be certified either by the seal of the translation company or by the notary.

Have you actually been through the Kyiv interview/document process for a K-1?

OP: follow the link the the consulate website and read the K-1 instructions. Everything you need is detailed there. Read it, learn it and follow it and you will then provide everything that they are expecting in the form they require.

Edited July 18, 2010 by Alan-and-Ira

[payxibka 10,044]

Hi, You will need the notarized copies of the Birth, Divorce, Name Change and other official state registration certificates with the translations. As for the Police Certificate - you need to give them ORIGINAL with the translation. The translations need to be certified either by the seal of the translation company or by the notary.

I am sorry but your information is incorrect. If the document is in English, Russian or Ukrainian... translations are NOT required.

[Alan-and-Ira 1]

I am sorry but your information is incorrect. If the document is in English, Russian or Ukrainian... translations are NOT required.

I would personally better be overprepared than something appears to be missing at the time of the interview.

Since there is no detailed step-by-step instructions on the consulate site, everyone decides what to do on his (her) own. In my case for my K1 interview in Kyiv I submitted ORIGINAL Birth Certificate, previous Marriage Certivicate, Divorce Certificate and name Change Certificate WITHOUT translations. Those documents were returned to me after the interview. Additionally for the Consulate records I submitted notarised COPIES of the mentioned documents and the ORIGINAL Police Certificate with the translations (notarized in my case, but they can also be certified with the official seal of translation company). After the interview the Consulate kept the Police Certificate and the copies with the translations.

As for our visa refusal, it was for a different reason (IMBRA).

I notarized and translated the documents according to my friends' pieces of advice, who previously had passed their interviews succesfully at Kyiv Consulate. But if someone wants to take a chance and submit usual photocopies without the translation - they are always welcome. From my own experience I tell you, when something goes wrong after the interview and the visa is not issued one can blame only himself. There is nothing he or she can do when got refused, because those guys do not speak on the phone and the communication via e-mail takes long weeks and months.

Sorry for my English.

Edited July 18, 2010 by Alan-and-Ira

[payxibka 10,044]

I would personally better be overprepared than something appears to be missing at the time of the interview.

Since there is no detailed step-by-step instructions on the consulate site, everyone decides what to do on his (her) own.

Have you actually read the K-1 instructions listed on the Kyiv website (link provided earlier)? It is actually very detailed. It is a checklist of all the documents required and which documents require a translation and which ones do not. The CR/IR spousal visa process is very different than the K-1 process. It is important not to mix the two.

Very detailed instruction form for K-1 in Kyiv:

http://photos.state.gov/libraries/ukraine/164171/pdf/k-instructions.pdf

Edited July 18, 2010 by payxibka

[Alan-and-Ira 1]

Surely I read it! :-) Thank you for the link. The provided form dated 05-2010. I had the interview on 01-2009 and in my package the copies were clearly listed. In a new instraction package I think the key phrase is: "* Documents in English, Ukrainian or Russian do not need to be translated. Translation is required only if the original document is done in a language other than English, Ukrainian or Russian. The consular officer may request a certified translation of any document into English." (last page). Here is the previous intruction in the attached file.

[payxibka 10,044]

Surely I read it! :-) Thank you for the link. The provided form dated 05-2010. I had the interview on 01-2009 and in my package the copies were clearly listed. In a new instraction package I think the key phrase is: "* Documents in English, Ukrainian or Russian do not need to be translated. Translation is required only if the original document is done in a language other than English, Ukrainian or Russian. The consular officer may request a certified translation of any document into English." (last page). Here is the previous intruction in the attached file.

Thank you for proving my position. Current instructions (5/2010) trump 2008 instructions every day.... It is a fluid situation and obviously the consulate changed their position on translations. All applicants that interview after this date can rest assured that they will be asked to provide documents in accordance with the latest instructions. Of course if you come with translations you won't be harmed, but you cannot be asked to be held to a standard that they do not require anymore. Since it is not in the instructions, it is no longer required and that was the premise of the OP's original question, about what is currently REQUIRED.

In addition, for someone who did not even know about the I-129F until after 5/2010 cannot does not even know about how the consulate used to do the documents prior, therefore how would they ever know?

Edited July 18, 2010 by payxibka

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Surely I read it! :-) Thank you for the link. The provided form dated 05-2010. I had the interview on 01-2009 and in my package the copies were clearly listed. In a new instraction package I think the key phrase is: "* Documents in English, Ukrainian or Russian do not need to be translated. Translation is required only if the original document is done in a language other than English, Ukrainian or Russian. The consular officer may request a certified translation of any document into English." (last page). Here is the previous intruction in the attached file.

Alla has done dozens and dozens of translations for the Kiev consulate. NONE have been notarized. NO ONE has been denied a visa because her translations were not notarized. Anyone competent in both languages can translate and certify a translation. You can even do your own. Notary is NOT required and translations are no longer required for documents in Ukrainian or Russian.

Being "over-prepared" does nothing to assure a visa. having what is needed will result in success, having facetious, redundant things does not help and cannot make up for missing items.

I encourage ALL members to download the current instructions from the consulate (instructions, including packet 3, have always been available at the website, in both English or Ukrainian language, we downloaded ALL our forms and instructions from the website in 2008)