Does anyone know if a judgement of divorce is the same as a divorce certificate?

[jingo 38]

Hi all,

 

I have my citizenship interview soon and as part of my application I submit a judgement of divorce. It's a 3 page document titled 'certification' signed by the county clerk followed by two pages of information and then stamped 'JUDGEMENT OF DIVORCE'.

 

Is this document the same as a divorce certificate? For some reason I couldn't find anything else in my files.

 

I know they might look different in every state, so in case this is useful to know, this is from Brooklyn NY.

 

Thank you.

[Wuozopo 4,293]

2 hours ago, jingo said:

Hi all,

 

I have my citizenship interview soon and as part of my application I submit a judgement of divorce. It's a 3 page document titled 'certification' signed by the county clerk followed by two pages of information and then stamped 'JUDGEMENT OF DIVORCE'.

 

Is this document the same as a divorce certificate? For some reason I couldn't find anything else in my files.

 

I know they might look different in every state, so in case this is useful to know, this is from Brooklyn NY.

 

Thank you.

The N-400 checklist says divorce decree, annulment, or death certificate.

 

NY says:

Vital Records has the Certificate of Dissolution of Marriage for all divorces or civil annulments for New York State since 1963.

There are two (2) types of divorce records.

• Divorce decree. This document is prepared by the court. It details the terms and conditions of the divorce. It is signed by the judge and filed with the County Clerk, usually in the County where the plaintiff resided. To get a copy of a divorce decree, contact the County Clerk. If the divorce was granted before January 1, 1963, the divorce decree is the only type of document available.
• Divorce Certificate. This document contains basic information about the spouses, and the date and place the marriage ended. It is filed with the New York State Department of Health for divorces granted on or after January 1, 1963.

https://www.health.ny.gov/vital_records/divorce.htm

 

I think the first one is what USCIS is wanting. Then again the interviewer may not care. You never know.

[jingo 38]

16 hours ago, Wuozopo said:

The N-400 checklist says divorce decree, annulment, or death certificate.

 

NY says:

Vital Records has the Certificate of Dissolution of Marriage for all divorces or civil annulments for New York State since 1963.

There are two (2) types of divorce records.

• Divorce decree. This document is prepared by the court. It details the terms and conditions of the divorce. It is signed by the judge and filed with the County Clerk, usually in the County where the plaintiff resided. To get a copy of a divorce decree, contact the County Clerk. If the divorce was granted before January 1, 1963, the divorce decree is the only type of document available.
• Divorce Certificate. This document contains basic information about the spouses, and the date and place the marriage ended. It is filed with the New York State Department of Health for divorces granted on or after January 1, 1963.

https://www.health.ny.gov/vital_records/divorce.htm

 

I think the first one is what USCIS is wanting. Then again the interviewer may not care. You never know.

Thank you so much! So hopefully the decree I have is what they need. Apparently ordering a certificate from the health dept takes 35-40 business days to process so that's not a possibility before my interview 😬

 

Would love to hear anyone else's experiences with this if they applied for naturalization as a divorced person.