Submitting Birth Certificate of US Citizen Abroad

[alicia98981 128]

I've seen that for the purpose of filing the CR-1, you should have a certified birth certificate. I was born abroad to US parents. Does this mean I have to get multiple copies of my actual birth certificate to submit? I have yet to find out how to get a "certified copy" of my birth certificate and the State Department website on says how to replace it or make amends to a current birth certificate. Would making a copy of my current birth certificate and having that copy notarized be considered certified?

[li_09 40]

For the first stage you only you need a copy. Certified copies are not needed until your case reaches NVC.

If in doubt you can just send a copy of all pages of your U.S passport to prove citizenship then that gives you plenty of time to sort out your birth certificate. It's going to be a long wait before you get to NVC

[NickD 203]

Our total experience with the USCIS was to only send in photocopies of everything, then to bring all the originals for whatever interview, and also walk out with them.

Only exception to this was when dealing with the DOS for a US passport, for me, wanted to see my original US birth certificate, never got that back, but was only five bucks from the State of Illinois to get a certified copy. But sending in the original certificate of citizenship was a concern, 400 bucks to get a replacement from the USCIS for that. Was glad to get those back.

Just couldn't include these with an insured traceable overnight envelop with the passport, came back in a plain brown envelope with a first class untraceable stamp on it.

But the USCIS is no different in this respect, every bit of extremely important documents we received from them, even green cards were sent to us by untraceable first class mail. Some of it looked like junk mail, so had to open all of my junk mail to make sure I wasn't pitching anything important.

Regardless of the form, also have to download the instructions with it, tells you what you need to send and what to send. Everything was photocopies of important evidence. Like a birth certificate from a foreign country that would be extremely expensive to replace.