Question about divorce papers

[Melae 0]

Considering the date on the divorce papers is legal, I was planning to go with that and not confuse the issue with different dates.. mine would be years apart on the second one.

[rebeccajo 14]

Which divorce was first?

If the Tennesee one is older and the georgia is more recent, perhaps thats something less to worry about?

My husband had 2 divorce decrees as well - the first was from Maryland years ago, it was a very simple 1 pager (they were married in college for a very short period) not much to say I guess and there's just a clerk's signature on it within the stamped seal. His second divorce is many pages long and has the embossed seal with signature on it.

initially he was worried he'd even find the divorce papers from the first one since it was so many years ago

Somehow missed your post before, sorry about that! The Tennessee one was first, Georgia one was second. This is a load off my mind.. now to pick another paper to stress over

It doesn't matter 'which divorce came first' - USCIS and DOS are interested in validating that ALL prior marriages were legally terminated. You must have sufficient proof of termination of ANY prior marriage.

So if the document you have states that the marriage was terminated, that should be sufficient. Personally I am unfamiliar with the one-page variety. If you are uncomfortable with the document, make a phone call to the issuing Clerk's Office and explain what you are seeking to prove, and ask if this is their 'best' proof. You may have received this one-page document as proof of marriage termination if your original divorce file has been purged by the Court.

Seals do not have to be 'raised' or 'gold foil'. Some are live signatures over a stamp.

do you put the date the divorce was final as the divorce date or the day you left the other person?

The date you are legally declared divorced. This is certainly not the date you left the person. It is also usually not the date of the final hearing.

It is typically the date the decree is entered with the Circuit Clerk.

Edited February 18, 2008 by rebeccajo

[Kathryn41 3,205]

My husband had two divorces as well - the first in Texas over 35 years ago and the second in Georgia. When he requested the official copy of the Texas one they sent him a one page certificate of divorce with a plain stamped impression - no seal. When I presented it at my interview, the interviewer said he needed to consult with his colleagues as he had never seen anything like it before and didn't know if it was legal. He came back and said it was fine (phew) and that was that.

[Melae 0]

I've started getting all the papers together and filling out forms, and I've run into yet another wrinkle with the divorce papers. The name I use now is not the name on the last divorce decree. When I married the first time, I took his name, kept the name when we divorced. The second time I married, I think I might have signed the paperwork in the second man's name, (honestly don't remember), but never really used it. It didn't take long to realize the marriage was a mistake and I moved back home within 8 months of the marriage. Once home, I resumed using the former name, because it was already on my paperwork and driver's license, nothing had ever been formally changed.

On Form I-129F Part A Number 7, it asks for other names used, including maiden. Then in the instructions for Form I-129F Step 2. General Requirements, Number 6 - C - it states:

C. If either you or the person you are filing for is using a name other than that shown on the relevant documents,you must give USCIS copies of the legal documents that made the change, such as a marriage certificate,adoption decree or court order.

My name IS the same as the relevant documents, BUT what worries me is that I have no document for legal name change since I simply went back to using that name. The marriage was in 2000.. I didn't bother with a divorce until we started talking about the requirements for the visa, and THEN I went about getting the divorce, and since I'd been using my first husband's name the whole time, I simply signed all the documents in that name. It went through the courts quickly, with no problems, I appeared before the judge and he had no problem, and I never even thought to mention the name because I'd never really used the second one. The second name IS on that divorce decree though.

Now, after all that, my question is this: On the Form I-129F, when it asks what names I used other than the current one, can I list only my maiden name, or will that be considered fraud? That divorce decree is the ONLY place I'm aware that this name appears) I have a feeling it will cause problems but I have to ask just the same.

Thank you all again and hopefully this will be put to rest