Divorce decree

[Toddandcamilla 34]

Hi everyone! So i have a question. At my interview they took my fiance the petitioners divorce decree, the original. I forgot to copy it zz. Now we need it to obtain a marriage license dor our upcoming wedding in Hawaii, and i have no clue if we can even get a new original? The embassy is keeping his, so we wont get it back. Anyone tried to get a new original? He lives in San francisco california. Thanks in advance! Camilla, Copenhagen

[waitingstill21 44]

You can always go to the courthouse where the divorce was finalized and request a certified copy, its as good as an original

[Ash.1101 1,755]

He'll need to contact his county clerks office in the county that he got the divorce in.


The most you'll get is a certified copy, but that's normal. I don't even have my own original as my county clerks office does not give the originals out, they're merely scanned into the system and then filed away in their records office.

So for me, I just have to go down to my county clerks office and request a copy, pay the money, and then they make a copy and certify it with a seal and everything. Either way the process should be the same as him.

[Toddandcamilla 34]

Thanks guys! My fiance is kinda upset we forgot to make a copy and now its gone. But i hope it will do with a certified copy instead. For AOS and for marriage. Silly how they keep our things! Thanks you guys! Appriciate it!! Camilla

[Ash.1101 1,755]

Thanks guys! My fiance is kinda upset we forgot to make a copy and now its gone. But i hope it will do with a certified copy instead. For AOS and for marriage. Silly how they keep our things! Thanks you guys! Appriciate it!! Camilla

You're very welcome and dont' worry a certified copy is as good as the real thing. I live in San Antonio so it's a fairly large city (I think 7th largest in the US), so I imagine if they ONLY give certified copies here then there are probably plenty of other locations that do the same. I'm also in a place that gets a lot of immigrants so I'm sure they're used to certified copies. =]

[Pitaya 2,576]

That is why it is always best to provide a copy, with the original available for comparison. Thankfully, most of the USCIS applications and petitions only request a legible photocopy.

There is a USCIS procedure to get original documents back: http://www.uscis.gov/g-884 I am not sure of the promptness or success associated with this route.

Good luck on your immigration journey.

[Toddandcamilla 34]

That is why it is always best to provide a copy, with the original available for comparison. Thankfully, most of the USCIS applications and petitions only request a legible photocopy.

There is a USCIS procedure to get original documents back: http://www.uscis.gov/g-884 I am not sure of the promptness or success associated with this route.

Good luck on your immigration journey.

awesome thank you so much!! The interviewer promised me i would get the divorce decree back cause i specifically asked for it back. But i didnt get it. But i will try ur link! Thanks you guys!!

[bublik 26]

Hmm...

I live in SF, California. And as an 'original' divorce decree all I have is a copy from the courthouse with the stamp, a copy only. The original is kept in the courthouse, and they scan it and keep the original and give out only printed copies, in black and white.

May I ask, how did you 'original' look like? Did it have a colored (blue) stamp on it?

[bublik 26]

I am guessing if your decree had a color court stamp and the stamp 'ORIGINAL'

[Paul_Shannon 5]

I have never had my original divorce decree. I always go to the court clerk office and get certified ones all the time for everything that requires my divorce decree. It is the same as having an original. I live in Oklahoma. :-) don't worry!!!!

[bublik 26]

sorry, my post was interrupted...

so if it had a colored stamp and 'ORIGINAL' stamp on it, it was still a copy, but prepared for your fiancee. The 'original' is still kept in the courthouse, and all they do is make a copy (or print out a scanned file), and stamp it again.

So it is not big deal at all. Your buddy has to go to the court and request it. Once he does, scan it immediately and never ever submit the original you get from the court to anywhere. The xeroxed copy from it in black in white is enough for all your purposes.

[Shauneg 762]

I know not all states are the same but Oklahomas can be accessed online by anyone. I just go on the site and print it off everytime I need it. Never had a problem.

[Ms Hogan 295]

The actual original is not usually provided to the divorcee in most places. I actually haven't heard of ANY originals being given out. The original document is the court document which is filed permanently with the clerk of courts. The only version you would get is going to be the same as what you already received. It is a certified copy of the original. So although it was perhaps the first one received, it is not actually the original.

[Karo&Fer 10]

I received an RFE and what they wanted is proof of divore. I had originally sent the state certificate of the dissolution of marriage and apperently not enough. So from what I am reading on this thread, they want the courthouse copy? Have any of you sent the state certificate and still got an rfe? Or have any been accepted just with the state certificate?

[raven52 233]

I do not think you can ever get the original back. We used a "certified" copy from our local court house, and a judge signed the "red stamped area".,,.,.,and this is just as good if not better

than the original.

We have used copies of this document several times, the first certified copy was used for AOS. We did not have a problem with the cert. copy.