Original Birth Certificate needed for I-129F package?

[chelseaandyamir 0]

Hi all,
We are just starting to get our affairs in order to start the process for the K1 Visa but I have a few questions first--

On the checklist for the I-129F package, it says:

"Copy of the Birth certificate (front and back) for the US Citizen or a copy of ALL pages of the US Citizen's passport issued with a validity of at least 5 years or a copy of the US Citizen's naturalization certificate (front and back). This is used to establish citizenship."

So... this "copy"... does it mean original copy as in one issued by the county courthouse? Or can it be a copy of my original, as in a photocopy I myself have made? Or could I also send copies of all of the pages in my passport? However does validity of 5 years mean I have had my passport at least 5 years or it has 5 years more until it expires?

I am going to be gathering these documents and sending them FROM nicaragua to the lockbox in dallas, i believe, so i want to get everything correct and if i am needing an original copy from the courthouse, i have to have my mother retrieve that for me from the courthouse in illinois, send it to me, so i can send it to them.

I had brought a "photocopy" of my birth certificate with me back from my last trip to the states (but it's pretty funky... looks to be a copy of a copy...) and then a friend told me it needed to be "original."

Any advice?

Thanks!

[KayDeeCee 4,891]

It just needs to be a copy of one you already received from the court.

If using your US passport instead, you need to copy the entire passport, ALL pages of it. It needs to be unexpired and needed to be issued with a validity of at least 5 years, is what that means. Yours was most likely ussied with a validity of 10 years, so it is fine.