Question - certified copy of the marriage certificate - Los Angeles [merged threads]

[MariaR323 199]

Hi Maria R323, it went well! We got married on June 10th and we tried to get the copy of our certificate right away but they say that they could not give it to us on the same day. They told us that because we got married at the Norwalk office, our request was put on top of any other requests from different offices. They say to start calling them June 15th (I should try to call tomorrow) and see if the certificate copy is ready (so not even a week after the marriage). If we want, we can get it faster by going back to Norwalk but because we already paid for 2 copies, we are going to wait to receive them and apparently it should not take more than 4 days after the certificate copies are ready to be sent.

So if you want to get your copy quickly, you should go to the Norwalk office, otherwise you will have to wait 6 to 8 weeks...

Good luck!

Sounds great! Thank you for the info!!

Keep me (us) posted here when you get the certified copies.

[jordan85 8]

I've seen so many threads with Los Angeles couples stressing about the long wait for their certified copy of their marriage certificate. I went through AOS back in 2013 and sent USCIS the souvenir/non-certified marriage certificate that you get at your wedding. They accepted it. No RFEs, no problems, no need to wait for the certified copy.

[MariaR323 199]

We have to remember that things change... and what was accepted back in 2013 is not necessarily the same now - 3 years later.

Everything I've read recently indicates to send the certified copy, not the "temp" copy you get at the time of the marriage.

[Daveykins 17]

You can send a copy of the certified copy. This worked for us both for AOS and ROC. Just remember to bring it to the interview if you have one, they asked us for it to review it and then gave it back at the end of the interview. Glad you figured out where to get it the fastest, good luck!

[Bamboo33 1]

Just wanted to update people if anyone was wondering how long it takes from the day you get married at Norwalk to when you get it in the mail.

So far, I just called them today and they told me that our marriage has just been registered (2 weeks after the day of the marriage). The copy was not sent yet to us but she said that it won't take more than 1 to 2 weeks before I receive it by mail.

So for sure less than 6 weeks but probably more than 3 weeks total from the day of the marriage.

[Bamboo33 1]

I went to get my certified copy at the Van Nuys location before I received the copies via mail because it was taking forever... So I had to pay an additional $15. One thing you should know is that when you go to the counter, you can only get one copy at a time. The line was long, I waited more than an hour but not sure it's the same at every location.

The certified copies that I ordered the day we obtained our licence just arrived, which corresponds to 5 weeks after the marriage date. So from my recent experience, I would order maybe one copy for your one records (that will arrive later) and after you get married, call them regularly to see if your marriage has been registered and if you can go and get a copy. You will save probable 2 to 3 weeks if you are in a rush to send everything to USCIS.