Copia del Folio not available - what happens now?

[Kurt y Dora 1]

Have any of you who are applying for the K1 for a Colombiana run into problems with not getting the correct paperwork for the Birth Certificate (Copia Del Folio)? My fiancee is from a small town in Colombia and is in the process of gathering information for her eventual interview in Bogota. She has a copy of her Baptismal Certificate, which was sufficient proof of birth/citizenship to apply for the I129, but I have concerns based on some other friends who recently went through the interview process in Bogota that her paperwork will be insufficient (my friends were eventually able to come up with the copia del folio). I have explained that she needs the "copia del folio" (Complete copies of the page of the book where the birth was registered which are issued on plain white paper and signed by the notary public), but she tells me that that is not available from her pueblo and that she only has the Baptismal Certificate. I am afraid that when we eventually get the interview, that she will be denied without the appropriate paperwork and so I am desperately trying to solve this problem well in advance.

Has anyone had similar problems (no "copia del folio" available, or substitute paperwork being allowed)? What did you do or what did you use?

Help, please.

[TBoneTX 44,679]

Perhaps a moderator or an organizer can move this post into the Latin American subforum, where replies will surely be forthcoming.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

moved from K-1 visa to Latin American sub-forum

[Kurt y Dora 1]

moved from K-1 visa to Latin American sub-forum

Thanks. I am new here and still learning how to navigate and post correctly.

[Mononoke28 134]

Have any of you who are applying for the K1 for a Colombiana run into problems with not getting the correct paperwork for the Birth Certificate (Copia Del Folio)? My fiancee is from a small town in Colombia and is in the process of gathering information for her eventual interview in Bogota. She has a copy of her Baptismal Certificate, which was sufficient proof of birth/citizenship to apply for the I129, but I have concerns based on some other friends who recently went through the interview process in Bogota that her paperwork will be insufficient (my friends were eventually able to come up with the copia del folio). I have explained that she needs the "copia del folio" (Complete copies of the page of the book where the birth was registered which are issued on plain white paper and signed by the notary public), but she tells me that that is not available from her pueblo and that she only has the Baptismal Certificate. I am afraid that when we eventually get the interview, that she will be denied without the appropriate paperwork and so I am desperately trying to solve this problem well in advance.

Has anyone had similar problems (no "copia del folio" available, or substitute paperwork being allowed)? What did you do or what did you use?

Help, please.

You're both talking about two different things. In Colombia a birth of a child has to be registered in a notaría, once this is done a birth certificate is issued. A baptismal certificate is a document where the baptism of a child is registered, it will also show date of birth but it is NOT a birth certificate. The only way your girlfriend can get a copy of her birth certificate is by going to the notaría (notary) where her parents registered her, that's where the folio number comes into play.

Now, many people who live in rural areas will not register their babies with a notary but will get them baptized due to their strong Catholic backgrounds, so a birth certificate is not available. The US embassy is aware of this and that's why they ask for a baptismal certificate as a back up document to the birth certificate. The best way to find out if that document is enough to bring to the interview is by contacting the embassy itself. They may ask her for a birth certicate though, so that means she will have to go to a notaría to get that done once and for all.

Also, how was she able to get a cédula and passport if her birth certificate was not available?

Diana

Edited August 3, 2009 by Mononoke28

[Mononoke28 134]

Kurt,

You can find packet 3 in the US Embassy in Bogotá web site. It clearly states that a birth certificate is needed the day of the interview. The only people who are allowed to bring in their baptismal certificates are those who were born before 1939.

Packet 3 (Spanish) PAGE 5:

CERTIFICADOS DE NACIMIENTO: Cada solicitante debe presentar un original o una fotocopia autenticada de su registro civil de nacimiento. Se requiere copia del folio. La fecha y lugar de nacimiento, nombres de los padres y fecha en que se registró el nacimiento deben incluirse. No aceptamos “formas abreviadas” de los registros civiles de nacimiento, ya que ellas no son extraídas de los registros del gobierno.

•

Nota especial para solicitantes nacidos en 1939 o antes: Usted puede presentar un certificado de bautismo recientemente expedido, con notas marginales en lugar de certificado de nacimiento.

Packet 3 (English) PAGE 4:

BIRTH CERTIFICATES: Each applicant must present an original or a notarized copy of his/her birth certificate. A copy of the Folio is required. The date and place of birth, parents’ names, and date the birth was registered must be included. We do not accept ‘short form’ birth certificates, as they are not official extracts from government records.

•

Special note for applicants born in 1939 or earlier: You may present a recently issued baptismal certificate with marginal notes in lieu of a birth certificate.

Diana

[Kurt y Dora 1]

Kurt,

You can find packet 3 in the US Embassy in Bogotá web site. It clearly states that a birth certificate is needed the day of the interview. The only people who are allowed to bring in their baptismal certificates are those who were born before 1939.

Packet 3 (Spanish) PAGE 5:

CERTIFICADOS DE NACIMIENTO: Cada solicitante debe presentar un original o una fotocopia autenticada de su registro civil de nacimiento. Se requiere copia del folio. La fecha y lugar de nacimiento, nombres de los padres y fecha en que se registró el nacimiento deben incluirse. No aceptamos “formas abreviadas” de los registros civiles de nacimiento, ya que ellas no son extraídas de los registros del gobierno.

•

Nota especial para solicitantes nacidos en 1939 o antes: Usted puede presentar un certificado de bautismo recientemente expedido, con notas marginales en lugar de certificado de nacimiento.

Packet 3 (English) PAGE 4:

BIRTH CERTIFICATES: Each applicant must present an original or a notarized copy of his/her birth certificate. A copy of the Folio is required. The date and place of birth, parents’ names, and date the birth was registered must be included. We do not accept ‘short form’ birth certificates, as they are not official extracts from government records.

•

Special note for applicants born in 1939 or earlier: You may present a recently issued baptismal certificate with marginal notes in lieu of a birth certificate.

Diana

Thank you Diana. Dora has had her cedula "forever" and obtained a passport last year when we started dating. The documentation that she has (her baptismal certificate and a copy of some document which IS NOT the copia del folio) were apparently sufficient for Colombian authorities to issue her a Colombian passport. But we are facing the US government requirements and that is what I am concerned about. I had already found and read the information from the US Embassy site in Bogota that you also presented and had previously sent that to her. She says that she has contacted a notaria in the small pueblo where she was born and they claim that there is not a copy of the folio that exists for her. So, I am wondering what options we might have. I am going to have her contact other notaries in that town to see if something can be located. But in the event that fails, I was wondering if anyone else here had a similar experience and what the solution was.

[Mononoke28 134]

The only time I've read here on VJ of anyone not having their birth registered at a notaría was for a younger child who lived in Barranquilla but they went to the notaría to have it registered before the interview.

If your fiancée was not registered at the notaría (which I find hard to believe) then she'll have to go register. If her parents did register her when she was born, then the notaría HAS to have a copy of it. It would be impossible not to find it.

In the meantime, try to e-mail the US Embassy in Bogotá to find out what options you may have, they're pretty good about replying to the e-mails they get. But still, it would be a good idea to get her birth certificate just in case you need again for her AOS.

Diana

[Kurt y Dora 1]

The only time I've read here on VJ of anyone not having their birth registered at a notaría was for a younger child who lived in Barranquilla but they went to the notaría to have it registered before the interview.

If your fiancée was not registered at the notaría (which I find hard to believe) then she'll have to go register. If her parents did register her when she was born, then the notaría HAS to have a copy of it. It would be impossible not to find it.

In the meantime, try to e-mail the US Embassy in Bogotá to find out what options you may have, they're pretty good about replying to the e-mails they get. But still, it would be a good idea to get her birth certificate just in case you need again for her AOS.

Diana

GOOD NEWS!

Dora was able to contact a different Notaria in her birth village and she was able to locate the Copia Del Folio and is having it sent to her. So, problem solved for her interview. Now we just have to wait...and wait for the rest of the process to catch up to us.

[TBoneTX 44,679]

Congratulations, si man!

[Mononoke28 134]

Awesome! That is great news.

Diana