Copies of Translations O.K for Marriage & Divorce certificates USCIS I-130 CR1 ?

[jaiyen17 6]

Greetings to everyone here on Visa Journeys! I have been closely following this site for awhile and am getting close to submitting my I-130 CR1 petition for my Thai Husband, I am a U.S resident. Your advice and experiences have answered most of my questions but there is a question I haven't been able to find a clear answer for or am finding opposing answers and I'm hoping for some help here on V.J.

I have had Marriage, Divorce & Birth Certificates translated for my husband, the beneficiary. They were done by an agency recommended on the Bangkok U.S Embassy website here in Thailand. Each page has a small stamp on the bottom that says "certified correct translation" with her signature. They were then taken to and stamped by the Thai "Ministry of Foreign Affairs." There is no address on the stamp and she did not include an additional statement. I paid quite a bit for these "translations" and they are my only ones.

My question is: Can I send in a copy of these translations or do they need to be the original as her signature is on the main page and I don't have an additional signed statement. If I were to go back to her and get a "signed statement" per uscis guidelines could I then attach that to COPIES of the original translation to send to the uscis so that I may retain the originals for future use? Your opinion will be greatly appreciated as I've searched many, many hours for this information. Thank you kindly in advance ~ Christy

[Pitaya 2,577]

Send only complete and legible copies, provide originals at interviews for comparison with previously provided copies. That is the way we have done it with my family's Chinese "White Books" of birth certs, divorce certs, etc., and have had no issues.

Refer to form instructions for details.

Edited March 23, 2014 by A&B

[jaiyen17 6]

Thank you so much for your prompt reply :.) So the USCIS doesn't need an "original" signature of the translator? I'm thinking I need to go back and have her write 3 statements for us and sign them, one for each document so that I can hold onto the original translations. The translations also are Double Sided which i have read is a "No-No" for the USCIS. I have referred to all the guides and instructions over and over and haven't been able to find a clear answer~

Edited March 23, 2014 by jaiyen17

[Karee 4,191]

Thank you so much for your prompt reply :.) So the USCIS doesn't need an "original" signature of the translator? I'm thinking I need to go back and have her write 3 statements for us and sign them, one for each document so that I can hold onto the original translations. The translations also are Double Sided which i have read is a "No-No" for the USCIS. I have referred to all the guides and instructions over and over and haven't been able to find a clear answer~

You don't need originals for filing the I-130 with USCIS. Copies are fine. However, you will need the original documents and translations for NVC when you get to that stage.

[Ning 619]

Greetings to everyone here on Visa Journeys! I have been closely following this site for awhile and am getting close to submitting my I-130 CR1 petition for my Thai Husband, I am a U.S resident. Your advice and experiences have answered most of my questions but there is a question I haven't been able to find a clear answer for or am finding opposing answers and I'm hoping for some help here on V.J.

I have had Marriage, Divorce & Birth Certificates translated for my husband, the beneficiary. They were done by an agency recommended on the Bangkok U.S Embassy website here in Thailand. Each page has a small stamp on the bottom that says "certified correct translation" with her signature. They were then taken to and stamped by the Thai "Ministry of Foreign Affairs." There is no address on the stamp and she did not include an additional statement. I paid quite a bit for these "translations" and they are my only ones.

My question is: Can I send in a copy of these translations or do they need to be the original as her signature is on the main page and I don't have an additional signed statement. If I were to go back to her and get a "signed statement" per uscis guidelines could I then attach that to COPIES of the original translation to send to the uscis so that I may retain the originals for future use? Your opinion will be greatly appreciated as I've searched many, many hours for this information. Thank you kindly in advance ~ Christy

The cheapest and I think easiest way to do this is at most any language school. Having said that a translation can be done by anyone competent in both languages. They state that on the translation along with date ect. That becomes the " certification ". Its a good idea to obtain several of these original translations when you have this chance. Plan on 15 bucks per page.

You can submit copies but will need original at some point.

Type translation in the search block here on V J.