Having doubts!!!! Marriage Certificate for AOS

[BlueBubbles 0]

Hello guys, again asking for your advice

We've got a couple of questions on the table,

Is it possible to send a Certified Copy of our Marriage Certificate for the AOS package? or do we have to wait until we get the Original Certificate?

Now that we've gotten married, we are planning to change my wife's name with the Social Security and Department of Public Safety. Do we need to change it also with Immigration?

Thank you so much for your reply.

Welovecandies.

[HeatDeath 430]

Certified copy of the Marriage certificate is fine.

Fill out the I-485 with your wife's married name. Her GC will be printed with whatever you enter for her name at the top of the I-485 form. Put her maiden name in the field for "Other names used." As long as you put the right A# on the form, it will hook up properly with her existing file, and that's all the name change USCIS need.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

Hello guys, again asking for your advice

We've got a couple of questions on the table,

Is it possible to send a Certified Copy of our Marriage Certificate for the AOS package? or do we have to wait until we get the Original Certificate?

Now that we've gotten married, we are planning to change my wife's name with the Social Security and Department of Public Safety. Do we need to change it also with Immigration?

Thank you so much for your reply.

Welovecandies.

You won't get the original certificate. The county clerk keeps it in a file. The only thing you can get is a certified copy. You can send a photocopy of the certified copy. Bring the original certified copy to the interview in case the IO wants to see it.

You will be changing her name with immigration when you send the AOS package. You write her new name on the forms. There isn't any other name change document you're required to submit at this time.

[katie & sifa 25]

You won't get the original certificate. The county clerk keeps it in a file. The only thing you can get is a certified copy. You can send a photocopy of the certified copy. Bring the original certified copy to the interview in case the IO wants to see it.

This must vary by state. In Texas you get the original - when you apply for the marriage license they give you the certificate to have signed by whoever marries you, then that person is supposed to mail it in. They process it, stamp it, copy it and mail the original back to you. I got a certified copy to send for AOS and it was just a photocopy of a photocopy that had a raised stamped seal on it saying it was a certified copy.

Edit: Regardless, DO NOT mail in the original if you get it back. Send off for a certified copy. I have seen people here who just photocopied the original and mailed that and had no problems as well. But don't give ANYONE the original, that is for you to keep.

Edited October 28, 2010 by katie & sifa

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

This must vary by state. In Texas you get the original - when you apply for the marriage license they give you the certificate to have signed by whoever marries you, then that person is supposed to mail it in. They process it, stamp it, copy it and mail the original back to you. I got a certified copy to send for AOS and it was just a photocopy of a photocopy that had a raised stamped seal on it saying it was a certified copy.

Edit: Regardless, DO NOT mail in the original if you get it back. Send off for a certified copy. I have seen people here who just photocopied the original and mailed that and had no problems as well. But don't give ANYONE the original, that is for you to keep.

It may very well vary by state. I don't know how they do it in every state. In California they keep the original and produce a certified copy from that. I know at least two other states do the same. If they didn't have the original document then they couldn't produce a certified copy of the original. The best they could produce would be a copy of a copy.

[JMR 3]

Our original marriage certificate got given back to us the day of the wedding, there was an attachment that she had to fill in and send off back to the marriage license clerk, a week later we went and picked up our certified copy and also ordered like 3-4 more certified copies for cases like this.

Keep your original send in a certified copy

[BlueBubbles 0]

Thank you so much to all of you.

And yes in Texas it is as Katie and Sifa described it,

Welovecandies