CR1 Documents required?

[Zero3012 0]

I want to bring my fiance to the US, I was thinking of making a trip to the Dominican Republic and getting married with her. I am a US Citizen, I was wondering which documents would I need from her during that trip to make this process smoother for the CR-1 Visa? I am trying to avoid making multiple trips and get anything that I can during this one trip since she is not tech savvy and does not have access to a computer with a scanner. Also which of her documents must be translated into English or notarized? Also will using the notary and translator in the Dominican Republic acceptable? Once we get the marriage certificate in the Dominican Republic should we translate it to English over there? Also which of the overall documents including I the US Citizen should I have Apostilled? 

[A&H Rincon 11]

Hi, the CR1 process starts with a petition. Check the guide in this website.  The petition i-130 is mostly about you( the US citizen). The whole CR1 process takes about a year. 

However, Getting married in the DR could get really expensive and complicated due to Dominican Immigration laws and regulations for foreigners. Maybe it’s better if you apply for a K1 and then get married in the US. 

 

 

 

[John & Rose 7,237]

6 hours ago, Zero3012 said:

I want to bring my fiance to the US, I was thinking of making a trip to the Dominican Republic and getting married with her. I am a US Citizen, I was wondering which documents would I need from her during that trip to make this process smoother for the CR-1 Visa? I am trying to avoid making multiple trips and get anything that I can during this one trip since she is not tech savvy and does not have access to a computer with a scanner. Also which of her documents must be translated into English or notarized? Also will using the notary and translator in the Dominican Republic acceptable? Once we get the marriage certificate in the Dominican Republic should we translate it to English over there? Also which of the overall documents including I the US Citizen should I have Apostilled? 

At this point the only thing you ned from her is for her to sign the I-130a form.  Signature isn't required but since you will be there it won't hurt.  Keep in mind that you won't be able to file until you receive the marriage certificate.  The marriage certificate and her birth certificate are two things that come to mind that may need to be translated.  I'm sure others here will have better information as I am not familiar with filing for a DR beneficiary.

[pushbrk 12,106]

Exactly which documents you'll need from her depend on circumstances.  Start by studying the I-130 instructions.  Check also on the mechanics of actually marrying in the DR.

[C&AH 104]

It is not very difficult or expensive to get married in the DR. It is about a two week waiting period while the DR officials check your paperwork.

 

The biggest challenge is to make sure your civil documents (for the USC) are apostilled. You can have that done in through the Secretary of State in the state capital where the USC resides.  The local courthouse in the DR city where you wish to marry has a list of required documents, one of which is an Affadavit of Single Status (which is simply a statement drafted and signed by the UCS). To be on the safe side,  I paid a local attorney in my hometown to certify the Affadavit. The easy part is getting married. The hard part is the long wait through the CR 1 process. Best of luck on your journey! 

Edited November 13, 2018 by C&AH

[C&AH 104]

16 hours ago, Zero3012 said:

I want to bring my fiance to the US, I was thinking of making a trip to the Dominican Republic and getting married with her. I am a US Citizen, I was wondering which documents would I need from her during that trip to make this process smoother for the CR-1 Visa? I am trying to avoid making multiple trips and get anything that I can during this one trip since she is not tech savvy and does not have access to a computer with a scanner. Also which of her documents must be translated into English or notarized? Also will using the notary and translator in the Dominican Republic acceptable? Once we get the marriage certificate in the Dominican Republic should we translate it to English over there? Also which of the overall documents including I the US Citizen should I have Apostilled? 

Yes it is perfectly acceptable to use a translator from the DR. In fact, it is more cost efficient.  Just make sure he or she certifies the translation. We went through a law office in the DR and the translations were done by a paralegal in Santiago. If you don't have anyone in mind, email me and I can give you her contact information. She works with a lot of Visa cases.

Edited November 13, 2018 by C&AH

[Zero3012 0]

1 minute ago, C&AH said:

It is not very difficult or expensive to get married in the DR. It is about a two week waiting period while the DR officials check your paperwork.

 

The biggest challenge is to make sure your civil documents (for the USC) are apostilled. You can have that done in through the Secretary of State in the state capital where tge USC resides.  The local courthouse in the city where you wish to marry has a list of required documents, one of which is an Affadavit of Single Status (which is simply a statement drafted and signed by the UCS). To be on the safe side,  I paid a local attorney in the my hometown to certify the Affadavit. The easy part is getting married. The hard part is the long wait through the CR 1 process. Best of luck on your journey! 

I am in NYC/NJ.. my birth certificate is from Massachusetts..bDoes vitalchek provide that birth certificate? I was thinking of ordering 3 just to be safe, when I tried to look through the options where it says reasons.. it says Marriage International, Apostille, ECT.. would choosing Apostille be enough or would I have to go to an office in NYC?

[C&AH 104]

11 minutes ago, Zero3012 said:

I am in NYC/NJ.. my birth certificate is from Massachusetts..bDoes vitalchek provide that birth certificate? I was thinking of ordering 3 just to be safe, when I tried to look through the options where it says reasons.. it says Marriage International, Apostille, ECT.. would choosing Apostille be enough or would I have to go to an office in NYC?

I'm not sure about your first question regarding how to obtain your birth certificate since New York might be different with regards to obtaining an out of state birth certificate. Your local health department should have this information.

 

It is a great idea to order at least 3 however because you'll need one for the marriage license, one to send to USCIS, and one for the interview. (NVC will require a copy). Make sure it is the long form birth certificate. 

 

In our case, the Apostille was sufficient for every step. Again, the Secretary of State in NY or NJ should have an office that handles Apostiles. 

Edited November 13, 2018 by C&AH

[carmel34 3,529]

All you need to file the I-130 petition is your marriage certificate, with a certified translation to English accompanying the photocopy of the marriage certificate from the DR.  That is the only document you need to bring with you from getting married in the DR.  No apostilles needed for filing I-130, perhaps for the marriage in the DR, but no apostilles needed for US immigration purposes.  All the other documents needed for the I-130 are your documents (US citizenship, divorce documents if applicable, and evidence of an ongoing marital relationship--visits, etc.).

[C&AH 104]

17 minutes ago, carmel34 said:

All you need to file the I-130 petition is your marriage certificate, with a certified translation to English accompanying the photocopy of the marriage certificate from the DR.  That is the only document you need to bring with you from getting married in the DR.  No apostilles needed for filing I-130, perhaps for the marriage in the DR, but no apostilles needed for US immigration purposes.  All the other documents needed for the I-130 are your documents (US citizenship, divorce documents if applicable, and evidence of an ongoing marital relationship--visits, etc.).

Correct. Just to be clear, I was referring to the Apostilles for marriage in the DR. Not needed for the CR 1 process.