Certified copies

[saradanielle 2]

I have just read on the VJ site that certified copies of documents must be certified by the issuing authority and not by a notary.

Has anyone had any recent experience with this and what NVC will accept? Will they send an RFE on notary-authenticated copies of documents?

Thanks!

[Mononoke28 135]

I sent certified copies of my marriage certificate as well as my husband's birth certificate. The only ones we can get in Colombia are done by the notary who are the issuing authority, the NVC didn't have any problems accepting them .

Diana

[saradanielle 2]

I sent certified copies of my marriage certificate as well as my husband's birth certificate. The only ones we can get in Colombia are done by the notary who are the issuing authority, the NVC didn't have any problems accepting them .

Diana

It's true that it is a notary here as well that issues the marriage certificate... however, I had a different notary photocopy and stamp the original, rather than getting an official copy from the notary that actually issued our marriage certificate.

I haven't sent anything to the NVC yet, just to my lawyer; but international express mail is expensive, so I was hoping not to have to get new copies and mail them again! Anyway, thanks for the note!

[Mononoke28 135]

Well a certified copy is just that. Our copies say "this is a certified copy" signed by the notary.

Diana

[000 0]

Yeah the cost for documents to be sent from Brazil is awful, to have things overnighted from Belem Para cost me $55.00 dollars. The good thing is its only 10 R to get the copies from the notary and you dont have to worry about translation either. The police records are only good for 3 months there as well so you probably still need to send those anyway so wait until you have everything you need and and just do it all in one shot.

[Nutty 2]

My marriage certificate was from Thailand. Had a notary here in USA "certify" it. NVC rejected it. Said it had to be "certified by the ISSUING AUTHORITY." Couldn't go to Thailand to get it certified. So had to send in original. Embassy messed up and did not give it back. Now fighting mad at the Embassy and trying to get it back from USCIS.

[Mononoke28 135]

The NVC was correct. A copy of a marriage certificate from Thailand cannot be certified as a copy of the original by a notary in the US. It has to be certified in Thailand.

Diana

[saradanielle 2]

Well a certified copy is just that. Our copies say "this is a certified copy" signed by the notary.

Diana

Right, I understand, I appreciate your input. Still, there is a difference between a notarized photocopy and a second print of a document that looks like the original and came directly from the issuing authority - what would be called a "segunda via" in Brazil or a "second copy", more or less. I think this is what you got, which is an official second copy - rather than a notarized photocopy of the document. Am I right?

I sent notarized photocopies, but I think I need an actual second print of the documents...

See why this is so confusing?!

[saradanielle 2]

Yeah the cost for documents to be sent from Brazil is awful, to have things overnighted from Belem Para cost me $55.00 dollars. The good thing is its only 10 R to get the copies from the notary and you dont have to worry about translation either. The police records are only good for 3 months there as well so you probably still need to send those anyway so wait until you have everything you need and and just do it all in one shot.

I know! Sedex costs R$60 and it takes 5 days, which is the fastest mail service I know of in Brazil.

Unfortunately, I already sent everything to my lawyer in the States - I did send the originals of the police certs since they are only good for three months, as you said. But it says somewhere on VJ that "notarized photocopies are not acceptable, only certified copies from the issuing authority." I only saw that yesterday... argh. In Brazil, a "copia certificada" is basically a notarized photocopy, as far as I know, which is why I didn't understand that I need an "original copy" - a copy that came from the issuing authority and looks like the original, with the exception of a stamp that says "this is a certified copy".

Sigh. It's all a learning process, I suppose.

[Karaoke 0]

Why not simply get multiple ORIGINALS if not too expensive? Cannot be more expensive than getting something notarized...

I have just read on the VJ site that certified copies of documents must be certified by the issuing authority and not by a notary.

Has anyone had any recent experience with this and what NVC will accept? Will they send an RFE on notary-authenticated copies of documents?

Thanks!

[saradanielle 2]

Why not simply get multiple ORIGINALS if not too expensive? Cannot be more expensive than getting something notarized...

I have just read on the VJ site that certified copies of documents must be certified by the issuing authority and not by a notary.

Has anyone had any recent experience with this and what NVC will accept? Will they send an RFE on notary-authenticated copies of documents?

Thanks!

Right, well I think that is basically what I have to do...

[000 0]

Is Sedex a part of Fedex? My wife sends me her documents on my fedex account number, and it really does get to me in 1 or 2 days somehow but it does cost 91,00 R, I send things overnight to Brazil and it takes 7-14 days , only good thing about that is I pretty much pay nothing because they never meet their guarantee . But yes you will need to go to the notary to get what they consider an original. I dont think that are that much , if I remember right I got our marriage cert. and 2 copies from the notary for 25 or 30 R

[saradanielle 2]

Is Sedex a part of Fedex? My wife sends me her documents on my fedex account number, and it really does get to me in 1 or 2 days somehow but it does cost 91,00 R, I send things overnight to Brazil and it takes 7-14 days , only good thing about that is I pretty much pay nothing because they never meet their guarantee . But yes you will need to go to the notary to get what they consider an original. I dont think that are that much , if I remember right I got our marriage cert. and 2 copies from the notary for 25 or 30 R

I don't know if SEDEX is a part of Fedex, I kind of thought it was just the Brazilian version, but not related . The fastest they do is 3-5 days (usually five), I have not heard of overnight international mail.

How does your wife send the documents from Brazil via Fedex? Does she do it through Sedex? If so, then maybe they are related...

Well, I think you are right - I will probably just send the original of the certificate and then get a second "original copy" for myself - since the translation is of the original. I hadn't really wanted to do that, but oh well. Just get me a damn visa, quick!

[Jigi 0]

hi,

There are just 2 ways ... to get a certified copy of the original certificate from the Issuing authority or to get it notarised as a certified true copy from the country of origin.

These days notarised copies are Getting RFE from NVC.

Its better to send certified copies of the original issued fromt he Issuing Authority to avoid any traumatic days

Jigi

[000 0]

I will find out if it is SEDEX she is using, if it is then they have faster than 3-5 days, me and her are often surprised at how it only takes 1-2 days to get to me but forever to get to her. And NVC wont need any translations thank god or else I would be spending 200R on police certificates alone, and to only translate "No Record" or whatever they put on those things.