Montreal question re: previous marriages...

[Andy and Kayla 45]

So we're moving onto the consular stage and we've begun gathering documents. My fiance was previously married. We have a certified copy of the divorce decree, which I'll assume we'll need for our interview, but I notice it also requests the original marriage certificate.

Um, we don't have that. Would getting a certified copy of that as well suffice?

[decocker 7,198]

i'm the usc and i was married before, i provided my certified divorce decree (initially with the K1 application and again at the interview). i didn't have to provide my first marriage certificate. i actually never had a copy of it to begin with : )

the consulate uses the same sheet of requested documents for CR1/IR1 visas and I believe that the marriage certificate would only pertain to those applications.

they only care that you're free to marry when applying for the K1 and his divorce decree will prove that he is.

[Shorah 2]

i'm the usc and i was married before, i provided my certified divorce decree (initially with the K1 application and again at the interview). i didn't have to provide my first marriage certificate. i actually never had a copy of it to begin with : )

the consulate uses the same sheet of requested documents for CR1/IR1 visas and I believe that the marriage certificate would only pertain to those applications.

they only care that you're free to marry when applying for the K1 and his divorce decree will prove that he is.

exactly they want the marriage for the CR1 not the K-1.

My fiance was married before so I had a certified copy of the divorce decree as well.

Make sure you have the original as well as a photocopy.

When I went to my interview the woman at the first window took both the original and the photocopy. She said she would keep the copy but give me back the original.

The guy at the window who did my actual interview gave me the original back after he approved me.

[HeatDeath 430]

Generally speaking, whenever any immigration process requests an "original" marriage certificate, what they really mean is a certified copy - printed off, signed, and usually embossed by the county marriage office. By "original", they just mean they don't want you running one off at Kinko's.

We sent a certified copy of our marriage certificate with my AOS papers. It was no problem at all. We don't even have the original. The original - the piece of paper I, my wife, the officiant, and the witnesses signed and dated at the ceremony - is filed at our local county's records office. We can get as many certified copies from them as we want, but they will never give us the original back.

Edited May 4, 2011 by HeatDeath

[LuvIllinois 1]

I was previously married and I needed to request a certified copy of my original marriage certificate, only because that was a name change for me and they needed some type of proof of my previous last name (since it was different from my maiden).

[sdw 10]

I had my divorce decree from my previous marriage and wasn't asked for a marriage certificate for that marriage.

[Andy and Kayla 45]

Huh, I guess I was misinformed on the marriage cert being necessary for us. Thanks all! That makes things much more simple.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

I have heard that couples going through Vancouver have often been requested to provide copies of former marriage certificates and couples going through Montreal aren't. Former marriage certificates are often used to track a name change to verify the identity of a certain individual so if you are a woman whose name has been changed by marriage, the marriage certificate is the legal document that shows that change. The list of instructions are in common for both male and female applicants. If you have a copy of the marriage certificate, bring it. If you don't, it sounds like you should be fine without it.

My now husband - the US petitioner - had been married twice before. I brought both of the divorce decrees but did not have to bring or show any of his previous marriage certificates as his name had not changed. We went through Montreal.

Edited May 5, 2011 by Kathryn41