Jump to content
ManuFred

Marriage certifcate lost

 Share

20 posts in this topic

Recommended Posts

Filed: Country: Netherlands
Timeline

Darn, just gathered some stuff for interview in a month. I'm filing based on marriage and now I found out I can't find the original marriage certificate. I do have certified copies though. My guess is that IO will accept this as substantial evidence. What do you guys think? Should I go through the hassle of getting another one (not even sure if that's possible)?

ManuFred

Edited by ManuFred

N-400 application timeline

02-22-2012-- (00): documents sent

02-23-2012-- (01): NOA date

02-27-2012-- (05): check cashed

03-02-2012-- (09): bio appointment notice sent, bio date 03-15 (23)

03-05-2012-- (12): bio notice received

03-06-2012-- (13): early bio

03-12-2012-- (19): in line for interview scheduling

03-21-2012-- (28): scheduled for interview

03-28-2012-- (35): interview notice received

05-02-2012-- (70): interview. Rec. for Approval!

05-16-2012-- (84): in line for oath scheduling

06-19-2012-(118): scheduled for oath

06-21-2012-(120): oath letter received

07-06-2012-(135): oath

Passport application timeline

07-10-2012-- (00): application sent (card+book/routine service)

07-17-2012-- (07): application status online

07-26-2012-- (16): application on hold (name too long)

07-28-2012-- (18): RFI Tucson passport center (proposed shortened name) letter received

07-30-2012-- (20): reply sent to Tucson passport center

08-18-2012-- (39): passport book received

08-21-2012-- (42): passport card received

08-21-2012-- (42): CON received

Link to comment
Share on other sites

All our copies are certified copies with raised seal. They never give an actual original where I live. The license is signed by everyone, the person performing the marriage sends it in, then you go get certified copies.

K1 from the Philippines
Arrival : 2011-09-08
Married : 2011-10-15
AOS
Date Card Received : 2012-07-13
EAD
Date Card Received : 2012-02-04

Sent ROC : 4-1-2014
Noa1 : 4-2-2014
Bio Complete : 4-18-2014
Approved : 6-24-2014

N-400 sent 2-13-2016
Bio Complete 3-14-2016
Interview
Oath Taking

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Canada
Timeline

The instructions state to send a copy not an original. You should have no problem with sending a copy.

-------------------------------------------- as1cE-a0g410010MjgybHN8MDA5Njk4c3xNYXJyaWVkIGZvcg.gif

Your I-129f was approved in 5 days from your NOA1 date.

Your interview took 67 days from your I-129F NOA1 date.

AOS was approved in 2 months and 8 days without interview.

ROC was approved in 3 months and 2 days without interview.

I am a Citizen of the United States of America. 04/16/13

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Filed: Country: Netherlands
Timeline

The instructions state to send a copy not an original. You should have no problem with sending a copy.

You don't not need to send any originals filing N-400 but the interview letter states to bring the following (I'll type it out for people who are interested in this):

You MUST BRING the following with you to the interview:

* This letter

* Your Alien Registration Card (green card)

* Any Evidence of Selective Service Registration

* Your passport and/or any other documents you used in connection with any entries into the United States

* Those items noted below which are applicable to you:

If applying for NATURALIZATION AS THE SPOUSE of a United States Citizen;

* Your marriage certificate

* Proof of death or divorce for each prior marriage of yourself or spouse

* Your spouse's birth or naturalization certificate of certificate of citizenship

If applying for NATURALIZATION as a member of the United States Army Forces;

* Your discharge certificate or form DD 214

If copies were submitted as evidence with your N-400 application, the originals of those documents should be brought to the interview.

N-400 application timeline

02-22-2012-- (00): documents sent

02-23-2012-- (01): NOA date

02-27-2012-- (05): check cashed

03-02-2012-- (09): bio appointment notice sent, bio date 03-15 (23)

03-05-2012-- (12): bio notice received

03-06-2012-- (13): early bio

03-12-2012-- (19): in line for interview scheduling

03-21-2012-- (28): scheduled for interview

03-28-2012-- (35): interview notice received

05-02-2012-- (70): interview. Rec. for Approval!

05-16-2012-- (84): in line for oath scheduling

06-19-2012-(118): scheduled for oath

06-21-2012-(120): oath letter received

07-06-2012-(135): oath

Passport application timeline

07-10-2012-- (00): application sent (card+book/routine service)

07-17-2012-- (07): application status online

07-26-2012-- (16): application on hold (name too long)

07-28-2012-- (18): RFI Tucson passport center (proposed shortened name) letter received

07-30-2012-- (20): reply sent to Tucson passport center

08-18-2012-- (39): passport book received

08-21-2012-- (42): passport card received

08-21-2012-- (42): CON received

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Hungary
Timeline

Darn, just gathered some stuff for interview in a month. I'm filing based on marriage and now I found out I can't find the original marriage certificate. I do have certified copies though. My guess is that IO will accept this as substantial evidence. What do you guys think? Should I go through the hassle of getting another one (not even sure if that's possible)?

ManuFred

I had a similar problem. I submitted my application with the copy of a certified copy I obtained in July 2011 which I couldn't find the week before my interview (March 2012) ... So I went to the courthouse, requested a new certified copy and presented that one during the interview. They didn't question why it was from a different date. It was valid and original, showing my current marital status.

I hope that it won't be a problem for you either. Or that you find the original in the month ahead :)

Edited by Bodza
Link to comment
Share on other sites

All our copies are certified copies with raised seal. They never give an actual original where I live. The license is signed by everyone, the person performing the marriage sends it in, then you go get certified copies.

I agree with this post.

County Clerk's office keeps official records of marriages that occur in each county. So, Certificate copy is what they issue not an original. Don't know in other cities but here in Chicago you can get as many certificate copies as you want anytime. Also, you're able to get it on the spot if you request it in person. But again, It might be different in others cities.

K1-K2 Visas Journey

(Day 1) 05/23/07: Packet sent to CSC

(Day 247) 01/25/08: Interview. Approved!

(Day 254) 02/01/08: Visas Received.

AOS Journey K1-K2

(Day 1) 04/20/08: Application sent.

(Day 73) 07/02/08: EAD,AP Approved!

(Day 108) 08/05/08: AOS Approved!

(Day 114) 08/11/08: 2 years GC received.

ROC Journey K1-K2

(Day 1) 05/09/10: Application sent.

(Day 129) 09/14/10: ROC Approved!

(Day 135) 09/20/10: 10 years GC received.

Naturalization Journey

(Day 1) 10/02/11: Application sent.

(Day 122) 01/31/12: Interview. PASSED!

(Day 125) 02/03/12: Oath Ceremony. Done!

End of our Journey:

Daughter and I became U.S. Citizens on 02/03/2012.

(Day 1) 02/09/12: Applied for U.S. Passport & Passport card.

(Day 16) 02/24/12: Passport received.

(Day 19) 02/27/12: Passport Card received.

(Day 24) 03/03/12: Got CoN back.

N-600 for Daughter

(Day 1) 02/04/12: Application sent.

(Day 117) 05/30/12: Picked up Certificate of Citizenship at USCIS local office Chicago.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Filed: Other Timeline

You can bet the farm that the I.O. will not want to see your marriage certificate. He knows that you got married, when you got married, where you got married, and to whom you got married, because you got a Green Card based on it. All he wants to know is if you are still married, and that is not something your marriage certificate would reveal.

There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism. When I refer to hyphenated Americans, I do not refer to naturalized Americans. Some of the very best Americans I have ever known were naturalized Americans, Americans born abroad. But a hyphenated American is not an American at all . . . . The one absolutely certain way of bringing this nation to ruin, of preventing all possibility of its continuing to be a nation at all, would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities, an intricate knot of German-Americans, Irish-Americans, English-Americans, French-Americans, Scandinavian-Americans or Italian-Americans, each preserving its separate nationality, each at heart feeling more sympathy with Europeans of that nationality, than with the other citizens of the American Republic . . . . There is no such thing as a hyphenated American who is a good American. The only man who is a good American is the man who is an American and nothing else.

President Teddy Roosevelt on Columbus Day 1915

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Colombia
Timeline

Certified copies are history in the state of Wisconsin, and any copy of a marriage certificate can carry a $10,000 fine with it. Took no gamble and sent in an original, plus brought in another original in for the interview that had to be shown. Not only that, but our divorce papers, original from our previous marriages.

This may depend upon your IO, USCIS, sure wouldn't bet my farm on this. But one would think with everything we had to go through with the USCIS during the AOS and ROC stages, would think they would accept that green card as proof of marriage.

Is away around this, just wait another couple of years before applying. Can also skip that ton of evidence they want that your are living, buying, paying bills together stuff. Go way overboard in my opinion and experience on this marriage thing.

As a Wisconsin resident, could have been fined another $10,000.00 if we applied for a marriage license anywhere else except the county we live in. So not only USCIS rules, but state rules as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Filed: Country: Netherlands
Timeline

You can bet the farm that the I.O. will not want to see your marriage certificate. He knows that you got married, when you got married, where you got married, and to whom you got married, because you got a Green Card based on it. All he wants to know is if you are still married, and that is not something your marriage certificate would reveal.

That was my thought too. The only thing it might reveal is that USCIS made a mistake in the past in some cases. My case is not one of them.

N-400 application timeline

02-22-2012-- (00): documents sent

02-23-2012-- (01): NOA date

02-27-2012-- (05): check cashed

03-02-2012-- (09): bio appointment notice sent, bio date 03-15 (23)

03-05-2012-- (12): bio notice received

03-06-2012-- (13): early bio

03-12-2012-- (19): in line for interview scheduling

03-21-2012-- (28): scheduled for interview

03-28-2012-- (35): interview notice received

05-02-2012-- (70): interview. Rec. for Approval!

05-16-2012-- (84): in line for oath scheduling

06-19-2012-(118): scheduled for oath

06-21-2012-(120): oath letter received

07-06-2012-(135): oath

Passport application timeline

07-10-2012-- (00): application sent (card+book/routine service)

07-17-2012-- (07): application status online

07-26-2012-- (16): application on hold (name too long)

07-28-2012-- (18): RFI Tucson passport center (proposed shortened name) letter received

07-30-2012-- (20): reply sent to Tucson passport center

08-18-2012-- (39): passport book received

08-21-2012-- (42): passport card received

08-21-2012-- (42): CON received

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Certified copies are history in the state of Wisconsin, and any copy of a marriage certificate can carry a $10,000 fine with it. Took no gamble and sent in an original, plus brought in another original in for the interview that had to be shown. Not only that, but our divorce papers, original from our previous marriages.

What does "Certified copies are history in the state of Wisconsin, and any copy of a marriage certificate can carry a $10,000 fine with it" mean? You can be fined $10,000 for what?

And how do you have more than one original? In most states, a certifeid copy is exactly the same (legally) as the original. Seems strange that WI would not have a process for issuing a certified copy of a marriage license or a birth certificate or a death certificate.

Service Center : California Service Center

Consulate : Manila, Philippines

I-129F Sent : 2008-12-02

I-129F Receipt Notice : 2008-12-05

RFE: 2009-02-26

Approval Notice: 2009-03-13

NVC Received: 2009-03-23

Left NVC: 2009-05-12

Stuck at NVC 50 days

Interview: 2009-06-23 Passed!

Visa picked up: 2009-06-25

POE Detroit: 2009-07-04

Married: 2009-09-11

Filed for AOS: 2009-09-22

Biometrics taken: 2009-10-29

Advance Parole approved 2009-11-04

Employment Authorization approved 2009-11-04

AOS Appointment 2009-12-15

AOS Approved 2009-12-15

Green Card Received 2010-01-02

Filed for ROC: 2011-09-17

ROC approved 2012-03-21

Green Card Received 2012-03-26

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Colombia
Timeline

Charged us $8.00 for the first one, $5.00 for each additional one, everyone looks identical. Says right on our marriage certificate, will be fined $10,000 if you make a copy of it. As we also wanted to register our marriage in my wife's home country, we needed additional certificates for that and an apostile, but that only cost two bucks extra. All have their seal on it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Filed: Country: Netherlands
Timeline

Charged us $8.00 for the first one, $5.00 for each additional one, everyone looks identical. Says right on our marriage certificate, will be fined $10,000 if you make a copy of it. As we also wanted to register our marriage in my wife's home country, we needed additional certificates for that and an apostile, but that only cost two bucks extra. All have their seal on it.

Exactly, they don't want you to make a copy. They themselves issue you as many as you want them too. The 10.000 dollar fine is just warning people not to do anything fraudulent with the certificate. I'm pretty sure nobody is gonna prosecute you for sending a copy to USCIS upon their request.

O that reminds me that a naturalization certificate states a similar thing but USCIS doesn't seem to mind receiving copies at all.

Edited by ManuFred

N-400 application timeline

02-22-2012-- (00): documents sent

02-23-2012-- (01): NOA date

02-27-2012-- (05): check cashed

03-02-2012-- (09): bio appointment notice sent, bio date 03-15 (23)

03-05-2012-- (12): bio notice received

03-06-2012-- (13): early bio

03-12-2012-- (19): in line for interview scheduling

03-21-2012-- (28): scheduled for interview

03-28-2012-- (35): interview notice received

05-02-2012-- (70): interview. Rec. for Approval!

05-16-2012-- (84): in line for oath scheduling

06-19-2012-(118): scheduled for oath

06-21-2012-(120): oath letter received

07-06-2012-(135): oath

Passport application timeline

07-10-2012-- (00): application sent (card+book/routine service)

07-17-2012-- (07): application status online

07-26-2012-- (16): application on hold (name too long)

07-28-2012-- (18): RFI Tucson passport center (proposed shortened name) letter received

07-30-2012-- (20): reply sent to Tucson passport center

08-18-2012-- (39): passport book received

08-21-2012-- (42): passport card received

08-21-2012-- (42): CON received

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Charged us $8.00 for the first one, $5.00 for each additional one, everyone looks identical. Says right on our marriage certificate, will be fined $10,000 if you make a copy of it. As we also wanted to register our marriage in my wife's home country, we needed additional certificates for that and an apostile, but that only cost two bucks extra. All have their seal on it.

I'm pretty sure that's the definition of a certified copy... aka a copy made after the original was issued, that has all the real seals and signatures of the original... a photocopy is not a certified copy, and not what people are referring to when they say certified copy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Colombia
Timeline

Our register of deeds use to do that, bring in any document and a dollar, she would copy and file it, if you ever lost it. If lost, she would make a copy from her file, stamp it with her seal and sign it, was suppose to be just as good as the original. Did take in my wife's and stepdaughter's foreign birth certificates in after so many years. They don't do that anymore and haven't done this for years I was told. This would be a certified copy.

This led to a net search on this subject, from what I found, certified copies no longer exist in this country. Can you find such a thing as a certified copy? And one that is acceptable to agencies like the DOS? All government agencies we dealt with, want to see the original. But this is just experience, not fact.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Filed: Country: Netherlands
Timeline

I'm pretty sure that's the definition of a certified copy... aka a copy made after the original was issued, that has all the real seals and signatures of the original... a photocopy is not a certified copy, and not what people are referring to when they say certified copy.

Indeed. A certified copy is ussualy made by the institution that issued you the original certifcate and has this institutions' certification it's an true copy of the original.

N-400 application timeline

02-22-2012-- (00): documents sent

02-23-2012-- (01): NOA date

02-27-2012-- (05): check cashed

03-02-2012-- (09): bio appointment notice sent, bio date 03-15 (23)

03-05-2012-- (12): bio notice received

03-06-2012-- (13): early bio

03-12-2012-- (19): in line for interview scheduling

03-21-2012-- (28): scheduled for interview

03-28-2012-- (35): interview notice received

05-02-2012-- (70): interview. Rec. for Approval!

05-16-2012-- (84): in line for oath scheduling

06-19-2012-(118): scheduled for oath

06-21-2012-(120): oath letter received

07-06-2012-(135): oath

Passport application timeline

07-10-2012-- (00): application sent (card+book/routine service)

07-17-2012-- (07): application status online

07-26-2012-- (16): application on hold (name too long)

07-28-2012-- (18): RFI Tucson passport center (proposed shortened name) letter received

07-30-2012-- (20): reply sent to Tucson passport center

08-18-2012-- (39): passport book received

08-21-2012-- (42): passport card received

08-21-2012-- (42): CON received

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 
Didn't find the answer you were looking for? Ask our VJ Immigration Lawyers.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
- Back to Top -

Important Disclaimer: Please read carefully the Visajourney.com Terms of Service. If you do not agree to the Terms of Service you should not access or view any page (including this page) on VisaJourney.com. Answers and comments provided on Visajourney.com Forums are general information, and are not intended to substitute for informed professional medical, psychiatric, psychological, tax, legal, investment, accounting, or other professional advice. Visajourney.com does not endorse, and expressly disclaims liability for any product, manufacturer, distributor, service or service provider mentioned or any opinion expressed in answers or comments. VisaJourney.com does not condone immigration fraud in any way, shape or manner. VisaJourney.com recommends that if any member or user knows directly of someone involved in fraudulent or illegal activity, that they report such activity directly to the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. You can contact ICE via email at Immigration.Reply@dhs.gov or you can telephone ICE at 1-866-347-2423. All reported threads/posts containing reference to immigration fraud or illegal activities will be removed from this board. If you feel that you have found inappropriate content, please let us know by contacting us here with a url link to that content. Thank you.
×
×
  • Create New...