police certificates for all places lived since 16

[attaya_girl 1]

Sorry if this is posted in the wrong forum, but I'm wondering about the police certificates for all places lived for over a year since the age of 16. How easy are these to obtain in Senegal? How does one go about obtaining these? I was just reading the Department of State's requirements, and I got worried about the police certification. In my very limited experience with the police in Dakar, it seems like bribes are needed to get anything done and it almost always seems to take a while. Am I jumping the gun in worrying about this since I haven't even mailed off the I-129? I just don't want to throw any surprises at my fiance.

Any advice would be much appreciated!

[YuAndDan 153]

Note: "All places lived" tends to mean countries for most countries and not from various cities.

Police Records

Available. A judicial record (Extrait de Casier Judiciaire) equivalent to a police certificate for citizens of Senegal may be obtained in person or by writing to the civil court in the region where the applicant was born. The civil courts of Senegal's regions are in the following regional capitals: Dakar, Diourbel, Kaolack, Fatick, Kolda, Louga, St. Louis, Tambacounda, Thies and Ziguinchor. (An eleventh region: Matam, is in the process of being implemented. A fee of CFA 380 is required for the processing of the judicial record and it normally takes 24 hours to process the request.

Felony records are expunged ten years following completion of the sentence; misdemeanors are expunged five years following completion of the sentence; traffic offenses are expunged two years after the offense.

Foreigners can obtain a police record, (Extrait de Casier Judiciaire Special), from the Greffier de la Cour D'Appel Du Tribunal Departemental de Dakar, Bloc Des Madeleine, Avenue Andre Peytavin, Dakar, Senegal. The same fee of CFA 380 is collected for the service. Foreigners need to include a form of photo ID and the names of their parents with the request for the police report. It takes two days to one week to process this request. For foreigners in Senegal, they can pay the fee directly at the court. For former residents currently living outside of Senegal who are requesting the police report from abroad, the fee must be paid by bank draft.

Senegal's system for records of convictions is not automated. Searches for police certificates are conducted manually through the tribunal's log books. Convictions are indexed by name. All convictions for foreigners are centralized at the "Section Des Etrangers" (Foreigners' Section).

http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/reciproc...ocity_3663.html

[WhidbeyGirl 1]

Hi atta_girl. I am here in Senegal right now. I just spoke with my husband he said that if your fiance goes to any police station and requests a police certificate (or in French Certificat de Bonne Vie et Moeurs) it will cover all provinces of Senegal So one does not need to go to Dakar and Tamba & every other province - just one. Now if he has lived in other countries he will NEED to go to EVERY other country he has lived in over a year. For example my husband is Nigerian and has lived here in Senegal for 10 years, but since he lived in Nigeria for at the age of 16 we have to pay for him to travel back to Lagos and gather a police certificate from there.

Definitely WAIT to send him, I have not yet sent my husband yet and we received our NOA1 on the 4th of this month. If you get it too soon he may be asked to get another so it's a waste of money.

[attaya_girl 1]

Hi atta_girl. I am here in Senegal right now. I just spoke with my husband he said that if your fiance goes to any police station and requests a police certificate (or in French Certificat de Bonne Vie et Moeurs) it will cover all provinces of Senegal So one does not need to go to Dakar and Tamba & every other province - just one. Now if he has lived in other countries he will NEED to go to EVERY other country he has lived in over a year. For example my husband is Nigerian and has lived here in Senegal for 10 years, but since he lived in Nigeria for at the age of 16 we have to pay for him to travel back to Lagos and gather a police certificate from there.

Definitely WAIT to send him, I have not yet sent my husband yet and we received our NOA1 on the 4th of this month. If you get it too soon he may be asked to get another so it's a waste of money.

oh, thank you sooooo much! i know i'm getting paranoid, but i just really want this to go well. thanks for the official french term, by the way, and it's good to know he can just get it in Dakar so that he doesn't have to travel. thanks again!

[chispas 0]

I had to do the same thing, and went from country to country obtaining the certificates. Whichever countries he lists on the application as having been, he'll need a certificate from there if he had been there from age 16 forward. So if he left Nigeria and went to Senegal at age 16.5 he'll also need a certificate from Nigeria too.