Juarez - Police Certificates / DS 160

[seekingknowledge 2]

OK. I am going to see my fiancée this coming Friday. She got her passport this past Friday. I also got the letter from consulate (but she didn't).

1) How can she get her police certificates from Tijuana?

2) I will be driving to TJ to help her fill out the DS 160 at a internet café. Could I do a practice DS 160 here (so I can know what to expect and fix) and not worry about multiple accounts?

[jaimelee 12]

I am not really quite sure how to get a police certificate from Mexico...

However… I did recently just finish the DS-160 with my fiancé and can let you know some of the things I remember being on there...

1. Her general information including full name, birthdate, address, passport number and where passport was received

2. Her parents names, birthday's, address

3. Relatives information in United States (Including yourself, Fiancé)

4. Previous and current employers and/or higher education

5. The rest is mostly yes and no questions regarding security

That is all as far as I remember, I filled out the information for my fiancé and then he did the electronic signature as legally required. I may have forgotten some things I apologize if I did.

[RobbieG 94]

I'm trying to figure out police certificates in Mexico too. Can anyone help us?

The US State Dept website says they aren't available, but others her on VJ have talked about getting them. I just can't get a solid answer. Anyone? Thanks!

[KayDeeCee 4,891]

OK. I am going to see my fiancée this coming Friday. She got her passport this past Friday. I also got the letter from consulate (but she didn't). 1) How can she get her police certificates from Tijuana? 2) I will be driving to TJ to help her fill out the DS 160 at a internet café. Could I do a practice DS 160 here (so I can know what to expect and fix) and not worry about multiple accounts?

Search for Carta or Certificado de No Antecedentes Penales. That is what you need. Some have managed to get them from the police station, some from the ministry of safety and some from city hall.

This guide for the DS-160 is helpful > http://philippinefiancevisa.weebly.com/sample-ds160.html

~ Moved from K-1 Process to Mexico, Latin & South America regional - topic about getting PC in Mexico ~

[RobbieG 94]

Search for Carta or Certificado de No Antecedentes Penales. That is what you need. Some have managed to get them from the police station, some from the ministry of safety and some from city hall.

This guide for the DS-160 is helpful > http://philippinefiancevisa.weebly.com/sample-ds160.html

Thank you.

I spoke with someone who recently had a case approved at NVC and an interview in Juarez. No police certificate was required if the beneficiary had not committed any crime in the past.

~ Moved from K-1 Process to Mexico, Latin & South America regional - topic about getting PC in Mexico ~

[KayDeeCee 4,891]

I spoke with someone who recently had a case approved at NVC and an interview in Juarez. No police certificate was required if the beneficiary had not committed any crime in the past.

That is how it always was in the past, and how I had always known it to be and advised people of going through Juarez. However, the instructions for Juarez used to read differently, and they did not include that you needed the PC. They only stated that you needed past criminal records, if you had any. When the consulate was asked directly, they also stated they were not required if you had no criminal history. The travel.state.gov site used to point out that requirements in Montreal and Juarez were different than the ones posted at that site. Juarez used to require the DS-260 for a K-1 even. Skip ahead to Oct. 2013 when they changed things over to the DS-160 replacing the other K-1 forms. Juarez put out new instructions, and they did not just list the form change. They added into their instructions that the police certificate was required. The travel.state.gov site still says police certificates are not available in Mexico, but people do manage to get the carta/certificado de no antecedentes penales so they must be available.

Since someone just went through Juarez and the police certificates were still not required, then perhaps you could get by without one. They really should not state they are required in the instructions if they are not though. It is really confusing for people, such as yourself. My best advice at this point is to have the Mexican spouse ask about getting one in his town, and/or emailing the consulate directly and asking them if the police certificate is definitely something that is required at the interview or not. I would be interested to know their answer too.

[kostohryz1 0]

Hello Kay Dee Cee:

After reading your recent post discussing the recent (2013) change in police certificate requirements by the Ciudad Juarez consulate, I have really been agonizing, searching avenues for obtaining the police certificates. I have been on the verge of expensive travel and hotel arrangements to Mexico State (Mexico D.F. and Toluca) to various offices for different types of police certificates. My Mexican wife is the beneficiary (IR-1) visa whom lived many years in Mexico D.F. I am a US citizen. We both now live in a smaller Mexican province and there will probably be less of a problem getting some type of police certificate here if need be. The problem would be another certificate from Mexico City.

Admittedly I am new at these procedures, so I would hope that other neophytes will take pause before accepting what I have to say.

I may be misinterpreting Kay Dee Cee’s information, so I will apologize in advance for disagreeing somewhat with her well intentioned information.

I realize that she is speaking of K-1 visa information and she implies that it should be helpful for IR-1 visas also. The 2013 information that she quotes http://photos.state.gov/libraries/ciudadjuarez/231771/PDFs/k1k4dec13.pdf does tell of the need for the police certification in Item #5, but that same paragraph quotes a statement from Page 2, Travel State:

http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/immigrate/immigrant-process/documents/submit/documents-to-submit-to-nvc.html#police

and from there, in turn, after following another two links, you will end up on this page:

http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/fees/reciprocity-by-country/MX.html

If you followed correctly, after scrolling down on that page quite a bit, you would find the statement for Mexico,

“Police Records Unavailable.”

This unavilablity would override the need to include the police certificate, both for the K-1 and IR-1 visa. There is a separate requirement to submit documents if major crimes have been committed (which is another topic). For that requirement, documentation should be available. If major crimes were not committed, no police certificates would be needed.

I hope that I am correct but if someone can show me that I am definitely either right or wrong, I would be especially grateful. Further good information would help to remove stress for me, and probably for others. As Kay Dee Cee mentions, it would be helpful if more recent interviewees through the Juarez process would post of their experiences especially as related to Mexican police certificates.

[KayDeeCee 4,891]

Yes, I am well aware of what the travel.state.gov site states. It has stated that for years, and still does. See this post > http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/497732-interview-date-enough-time/?p=7030418

It is possible you could print that out and give it to them, if they ask for a police certificate and you do not have one. It is possible they may be unavailable still in certain areas, but available now in others. People are managing to get them, but perhaps not everyone can.

This person, OP of this thread, got theirs at City Hall > http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/497751-form-i-134-and-other-documents/?p=7042293

This person got theirs through a site online. You could send them a private message to ask what the website is > http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/497751-form-i-134-and-other-documents/?p=7042967

As I said, it is confusing to add them into the instructions as a requirement, if they are in fact still not required unless you have a criminal history. Again, if you want a straight answer from the consulate about whether or not the are for sure required, then email the consulate and ask them directly. No one seems to have done that yet.

[kostohryz1 0]

While the requirements are poorly stated, it might be rationalized that the applicant might have spent part of early life in a country from which police certificates are available and part of life in Mexico. In this case, the police certificate would indeed be required at Juarez, but only for that portion of life spent in the country from which they are available. Needless to say it is confusing. And hopefully others will contribute their experience in Juarez with the police certificate requirement.

The types of police certificates that you mention these people are citing seem to be either expedited for other purposes and of doubtful validity for what is needed. Some only would show if the applicant has been incarcerated.

The type police certificates that might come closest to what are needed here in Mexico would need an official letter of request from the US Embassy or some such governmental authority. All of this can cause considerable effort and cost depending on the situation of where the applicant lives.

All of this now makes me respectfully ask the questions of why this thread has not produced:

1. evidence that the requirements have actually changed as far as Mexico is concerned,

2. or evidence that anyone has been rejected for not submitting Mexican police certificates (other than as needed for those that might have a criminal history)?

Nevertheless, seeds of doubt continue to linger. I will continue to make inquiries and report if anything useful appears. Hopefully others, that have completed the process will be commenting.

[Arroyo77 2]

I am starting my interview on June 18th at Juarez and I'm flying in from Mexico City. I have lived here for about 2,1/2 years and previously lived in the US before I came back. I had the same question regarding Pcs but I went to this government site that allows me to enter information about me such as CURP, RFC And such and the database searches to see if I have criminal records. I searched and it sated I had no criminal records. I thought the site was not legit but then one of my co workers who had been arrested in the past entered his info and the site showed he did in fact had records listed and to call a certain number to get more info. Only reason I, sharing this is because when I went to City Hall they told me I had to have a letter of request for the certificates and when I went to the PGR they told me I needed to have my cartilla militar which I don't have and do not want to obtain because I know I'd have to march in the military for a year or such...so I feel pretty confident with the report I obtained online and even though it may not have a seal or a letter from the government I will take that instead of going empty handed.

[KayDeeCee 4,891]

This is how the instructions used to read >

5. Persons convicted of a crime must obtain a certified copy of each court record and any prison record, regardless of the fact that they may have benefited subsequently from an amnesty, pardon, or other act of clemency.

This is how they read currently >

5. Police certificates from your present country of residence and all countries where you have lived for 6 months or more since age 16 (Police certificates are also required for accompanying children age 16 or older.) Details on obtaining police certificates can be found at http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/info/info_3195.html#police.

Now, whether or not the average person without much immigration experience would know that police certificates did not used to be required, or that the travel.state.gov site stated they are unavailable from Mexico is an entirely different matter. If they do not want police certificates from Mexico because they know they are unavailable, then they should have worded it that way and stated they were required from everywhere else you lived besides Mexico and the US. It would help alleviate a great deal of confusion and worry for those scrambling to get their documentation for their interview.

The 2 members in this thread were not the only ones to have posted about getting police certificates. I have seen quite a few over the years here on VJ, and the topic of whether or not they are needed has been debated a few times as well. The consulate stated they were not required when someone emailed them directly. That was about 3 years ago, which is why I have suggested someone email and ask them how it stands currently with the changes to the instructions that have been made.

My husband was asked for a police certificate when he interviewed back in 2010. He told them he understood that one was not needed if you had no criminal past. He said the woman looked at him strangely, as if he was lying, but went ahead and said, "OK." I have not heard of anyone being rejected for not having a police certificate, but I do not follow and know about all cases that go through Juarez.

Police certificates are not always easy to obtain in other countries where they are available either, so just the fact that it would cost money and take some time to obtain is not really a reason to state they are definitely unavailable and no one can get one. Perhaps they are slowly making them more available and accessible in Mexico.

As to why this thread has not produced the two things you think it should have, well.. this is a small thread without many people posting in it. Without people posting their recent experiences dealing directly with the police certificate issue, then you are not likely to get those answers. Also, without someone asking the consulate directly if the instructions, as far as Mexico is concerned have truly changed, then we are just speculating based on how their instructions read.

My best advice for those interviewing soon is:

1) Email the consulate and ask them directly if a police certificate from Mexico will be required at your interview.

2) If you can easily obtain a police certificate or document stating you have no criminal history, then do so.

3) If you have not done either of the two above, then go to the interview without one and if asked, tell them the travel.state.gov site says they are unavailable for Mexico and you were not able to get one anywhere you asked.

[kostohryz1 0]

Hello Arroyo 77

I am happy to see that you are so close to the finish.

I think that you must have used this website:

http://portal2.edomex.gob.mx/pgjem/atencion_ciudadana/servicios_periciales/certificadadenoantecedentespenales/index.htm

for your police certificate. We got one from that source. Readers other than you should understand that website, for various types of police certificates is only for those applicants that have lived in the State of Mexico. At this point, I am of the (inexperienced) opinion that in your and my wife´s cases related to Mexico, the US immigration service does not require police certificates because we have never been incarcerated. We will take the document along in case they insist on something. This particular Informe de no Antecedetes Penales only relates to prison type offenses. You mentioned in an earlier post that someone had recommended offices in Toluca. That office supposedly expedites something more on the order of what Consulates and Embassies require. It is called Constancia de Notas Registrales and covers more judicial actions. This would require a formal request from the US embassy or the US government office requesting it. That would add to the red tape and time required (of which you have little). In fact I have some doubt that the embassy would issue such a request since Travel.States specifically infoms that it is not required for Mexico. At this point we do not intend to request that document for ourselves. All of this will soon be water under the bridge for and yours. Try to relax. I believe you will be alright.

All of this discussion leads up to a favor for all of us. Would you please inform us of the success you have as related to the police certificate? Whether you needed anything at all, or if the Informe de no Antecedetes Penales was of any use. We will be keeping an eye open for your post.

We wish you the best.

Edited June 3, 2014 by kostohryz1

[Arroyo77 2]

Thank you! I intend on posting my experience in full detail once this process is over and satay active so that I can help newcomers as well. I am going with just this certificate and hope it is enough for my case. Either way, I will post my experience as to how it went and how I got there. This website has really been of great help and since we did not hire a lawyer or such, we really needed this website. But yes, I will post my adventure and hope it will help others when it is over. Wish me luck! And thank you!

[KayDeeCee 4,891]

Thank you! I intend on posting my experience in full detail once this process is over and satay active so that I can help newcomers as well. I am going with just this certificate and hope it is enough for my case. Either way, I will post my experience as to how it went and how I got there. This website has really been of great help and since we did not hire a lawyer or such, we really needed this website. But yes, I will post my adventure and hope it will help others when it is over. Wish me luck! And thank you!

I am glad you will take the time to make a review and let people know how it went for you. A lot of people do not bother to do so, and it is a helpful step for others that will come after you. Some leave a review, but it lacks actual details. I am always happy to see when people make detailed reviews of how it went for them in Juarez.

If any of you with a pending immigrant case could use the email form to ask about the interview instructions and whether or not a police certificate from Mexico is actually required, and post their answer here on VJ, that would be great. It can take up to 2 weeks to get a reply though, but would still be helpful to others to get the answer straight from them and clear up their confusing new instructions. > http://ciudadjuarez.usconsulate.gov/public_inquiry_form.html

This was their response 3 years ago > http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/309404-juarez-consulate/?p=4664545

Hopefully their current answer will be that direct and the same. Not needing them still will relieve a lot of people of the stress of trying to get one.

[Arroyo77 2]

I just submitted the question. I know they might respond back before my interview date or maybe after but I can post their answer and finally get this question answered directly form them instead of having to guess!