A Belgian BC

[Clint86 2]

Hello hello,

We're at the last stage of NVC.

We got one issue that delayed us for almost a month! The BC!

NVC says its a copy of my BC. I delivered an international and a long BC together with a sworn translation and stamps.

My Belgian BC is an abstract of the original BC, the original is in a big book with all the other births around that time.

Easy to say that the city hall won't give me the book to send it to the States.

What I have now, is the abstract of the original BC + a blue ink stamp of the city hall + a signature.

I'll get an apostille from foreign affairs, I don't know what else to do..

Grtz

Clint

[oohpartiv 484]

And what would your question be?

[Clint86 2]

What do I have to do for NVC to accept it..

[pushbrk 12,824]

What do I have to do for NVC to accept it..

Are you sending something different this time than what they didn't accept the first time? If it's the most "original" document available from the applicable government office holding the original, then it's the right one. Send what they gave you, not a photocopy of it. What did you send the first time? Is this a short form abstract or does it contain your parents names as well?

Edited April 21, 2013 by pushbrk

[Clint86 2]

We only have an abstract of the BC. The original is in a book full of births. I asked around and they all say the same. I even went back to the town Hall, they said the same and gave me another abstract of the BC + a blue ink stamp and a signature.

I'm going to get an apostille and that's all I can do about it.

It's very frustrating

It's a long version btw, I included a sworn translation with stamps of the translator and court.

[pushbrk 12,824]

We only have an abstract of the BC. The original is in a book full of births. I asked around and they all say the same. I even went back to the town Hall, they said the same and gave me another abstract of the BC + a blue ink stamp and a signature.

I'm going to get an apostille and that's all I can do about it.

It's very frustrating

It's a long version btw, I included a sworn translation with stamps of the translator and court.

The translation was not necessary. If you want advice, please answer the questions I asked you, each of them, directly.

[Clint86 2]

It's the most original.

It's the same with an extra blue ink stamp

Its the long version with both parents names

I send what they gave me and not a copy of it

[Clint86 2]

Are you sending something different this time than what they didn't accept the first time? I'm sending the same thing but with an extra stamp of the city hall in blue ik If it's the most "original" document available from the applicable government office holding the original, then it's the right one. Send what they gave you, not a photocopy of it. I send what they gave me What did you send the first time? The abstract of the BC, the only form of BC we have Is this a short form abstract or does it contain your parents names as well? This is the long version with both parents names

[Stefaan_Leslie 10]

My BC was a copy out of the 'big book with birth certificates' printed on official paper of my town (Leuven)

that was enough, no city will hand out the original one.

And translation is only needed when you want to register your marriage in the USA

[pushbrk 12,824]

pushbrk, on 21 April 2013 - 11:00 AM, said:

Are you sending something different this time than what they didn't accept the first time? I'm sending the same thing but with an extra stamp of the city hall in blue ik If it's the most "original" document available from the applicable government office holding the original, then it's the right one. Send what they gave you, not a photocopy of it. I send what they gave me What did you send the first time? The abstract of the BC, the only form of BC we have Is this a short form abstract or does it contain your parents names as well? This is the long version with both parents names

The first time, did you send the original or a photocopy of it? What is the significance of the blue stamp? It seems you've got it covered though.

[Clint86 2]

I send the original iow what they gave me. The BC that they hand out is a copy or abstract of the BC. That's the issue.

[pushbrk 12,824]

I send the original iow what they gave me. The BC that they hand out is a copy or abstract of the BC. That's the issue.

Washing my hands of this thread. I'm trying to help you but you only want to complain or justify your actions, instead of answering direct questions. I can't help you without those answers. You're on your own.

[Clint86 2]

My BC was a copy out of the 'big book with birth certificates' printed on official paper of my town (Leuven)

that was enough, no city will hand out the original one.

And translation is only needed when you want to register your marriage in the USA

My town (Sint-Niklaas) just printed the BC out and got it signed (door een schepen), no extra stamp.

This time they put and extra stamp on it with blue ink. (I send it to NVC today)

Yes, I know that no city will hand over a book lol, but it's hard to understand for people that aren't Belgians ;-)

[Blueberry Pancake 311]

Looks like others had similar problem here?

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/388057-nvc-rfe-birth-and-marriage-certificates/

I think you should call NVC.

Call them up, relax and good luck

[pluis 2]

Washing my hands of this thread. I'm trying to help you but you only want to complain or justify your actions, instead of answering direct questions. I can't help you without those answers. You're on your own.

No, OP is not 'complaining and justifying', OP is trying to explain hat they sent, but is running into a cultural (and likely linguistic) misunderstanding here.

Maybe I can explain it in a way that makes more sense to you.

Belgium has no 'birth certificates' in a form that is directly translatable to the US form of the certificate. All births in Belgium are registered in centralized systems, where they can be accessed by the government. The official document of a registered birth is kept in a locked down governmental archive and is never given out to an individual citizen. Instead, a citizen may request an abstract from their entry in the government database to provide to authorities who request it. This abstract is the most official document to prove the birth and parentage of a citizen of Belgium, but it doesn't look much like a birth certificate.

In a sense, OP is right when they say that what they sent to the NVC is a 'copy', because it is a formatted print out of this governmental database, but for all intents and purposes the NVC may have, it is the original document for which OP has had to identify at city hall. The document was printed by the municipal authorities specifically for the purpose of sending it to the NVC and has been stamped and signed so as to verify that it is not a forged document. Yet, it remains and abstract of a governental database behind which there is the archived document that was once filed by OP's parents.

For purposes of identifying oneself to a foreign authority, one can request this abstract in a special multi-lingual format, so that it can be read by almost any authority, regardless of their official language. It is likely that this international abstract (the official stamped and perhaps signed proof of birth and parentage) has simply been misunderstood by the NVC people, leading to an RFE for OP.

Does this help, pushbrk?