Birth Certification

[Mr & Mrs S 0]

Hello fellow VJ members,

I would like some advice for my current situation. Husband (US citizen) and myself have been married for 11 years, no problem with proving that! I am however having issues with providing my birth certificate. My parents are Cambodian citizens who left during the PolPot regime to the border of Thailand. I was born in a refugee camp in Thailand and one month later, the whole family was sponsored to Australia by family under a special visa program. 31 years later....

I do have a birth record but it is not a "Long Form Birth Certificate". It is a very old and flimsy piece of paper that definitely looks like it has traveled (and has)through war. Due to the delicate nature of the record (Short Form Birth Certificate), I had the documentation notarized with an apostille by the Australian Justice Department and sent that with my DS-230 forms.

I have just received a letter from the NVC asking for my Birth Certificate. Do I:

1. Send the Short Form Birth Certificate in its condition along with my Parents Affidavit (would the affidavit need to also be notarized?)

2. Contact the Thai consulate to ask them if they can create a Long Form Birth Certificate for me or give a written statement as to why they can't supply me with a Long Form Birth Certificate

3. Go in my time machine and make sure I remind my parents at my birth to request a Long Form so that I do not have to troll through forums for answers

Would love to hear your thoughts and even better if someone has had the same experience.

Thanks in advance!

[TimeTravel 78]

Try option 2nd! :-) and see how it works.

[pushbrk 14,250]

Hello fellow VJ members,

I would like some advice for my current situation. Husband (US citizen) and myself have been married for 11 years, no problem with proving that! I am however having issues with providing my birth certificate. My parents are Cambodian citizens who left during the PolPot regime to the border of Thailand. I was born in a refugee camp in Thailand and one month later, the whole family was sponsored to Australia by family under a special visa program. 31 years later....

I do have a birth record but it is not a "Long Form Birth Certificate". It is a very old and flimsy piece of paper that definitely looks like it has traveled (and has)through war. Due to the delicate nature of the record (Short Form Birth Certificate), I had the documentation notarized with an apostille by the Australian Justice Department and sent that with my DS-230 forms.

I have just received a letter from the NVC asking for my Birth Certificate. Do I:

1. Send the Short Form Birth Certificate in its condition along with my Parents Affidavit (would the affidavit need to also be notarized?)

2. Contact the Thai consulate to ask them if they can create a Long Form Birth Certificate for me or give a written statement as to why they can't supply me with a Long Form Birth Certificate

3. Go in my time machine and make sure I remind my parents at my birth to request a Long Form so that I do not have to troll through forums for answers

Would love to hear your thoughts and even better if someone has had the same experience.

Thanks in advance!

I would call NVC and explain the above, then get their advice. The CAN request the requirement be waived but they might not. Otherwise, follow their normal recommendations for unobtainable documents.

Unobtainable birth certificates

If your birth record is not obtainable for any reason, a certified statement must be obtained from the appropriate government authority explaining why your birth record is unavailable. You must also submit secondary evidence such as:

• A baptismal certificate that contains the date and place of birth, as well as both parents names (providing the baptism took place shortly after birth)
• An adoption decree for an adopted child
• An affidavit from a close relative, preferably your mother, stating the date and place of birth, both parents names, and your mother’s maiden name.

Note: An affidavit executed before an official authorized to take oaths or affirmations must also be provided. More specific information is available from the NVC.

[Mr & Mrs S 0]

Thank you both for the reply. Sorry for the delayed response.

Just an update... I called the Thai Embassy and Consulates and came to a dead end each time. I ended up submitting the original birth record and it was accepted.

Now onto the next step!