divorce papers certified or not?

[quantumgirl 0]

My boyfriend, who is the petitioner for our I-129F has been married before.

Does he need to get certified divorce papers from the court or can he just photocopy the papers that he has?

The instructions state "give copies of documents showing that each prior marriage was legally determinated" and "Unless specifically required that an original document be filed with an application or petition, an ordinary legible photocopy may be submitted."

So I would say a photocopy would be enough, but I read on the RFE Master list, that some people got an RFE, saying to send in certified papers. Did they maybe change the rules in the past?

[tom&tanya 48]

You should send a certified copy of the divorce decree with the stamp or seal on it. In regards to birth certificates and passport pages, photocopies are enough. Just make sure you include the back of each document even if it's blank ( write: Back of birth certificate, if it's blank ) on it.

Good Luck .. and read the guides, it will answer most questions and stop you from getting an RFE!

--Tom

[Florianns Man 7]

This is in no way a by the rule response...

I was divorced as well and when I sent my packet in I only used a copy of my divorce certificate. When I send my packet to Malaysia I will be including a certified copy that I was able to obtain from my local office for under $20 and it only took a couple of minutes. I had no RFE and so far everything has gone smoothly, but for peace of mind, knowing that you can optain certified copies without any real issues maybe grabbing one ahead of time wouldn't be so bad.

[Grey 0]

This is in no way a by the rule response...

I was divorced as well and when I sent my packet in I only used a copy of my divorce certificate. When I send my packet to Malaysia I will be including a certified copy that I was able to obtain from my local office for under $20 and it only took a couple of minutes. I had no RFE and so far everything has gone smoothly, but for peace of mind, knowing that you can optain certified copies without any real issues maybe grabbing one ahead of time wouldn't be so bad.

This is a good timing I have the same question but mine is opposite my fiancee been but she has her final decree of annulment so it must send the original? and photocopies i guess...but how many copies of each document we should submit? I heard some member here saying 4 copies is it true?

[Florianns Man 7]

This is a good timing I have the same question but mine is opposite my fiancee been but she has her final decree of annulment so it must send the original? and photocopies i guess...but how many copies of each document we should submit? I heard some member here saying 4 copies is it true?

I sent exactly one copy of the first page of my decree as I never saw that i should do anything different

[Otto 83]

The instructions say, 'copy' and should indicate the marriage was terminated.

Depending on the state the divorce took place (or the divorce process itself), you may need to include a copy of the entire document (must indicate marriage was terminated, which may not appear on the document until near the end - your mileage may vary).

[amuna0526 11]

I had an annulment and I attached a copy of the annulment papers I received from the court to the I-130, so yes they need to know that all past marraiges have been legally terminated. I believe its just a copy.

[Grey 0]

I had an annulment and I attached a copy of the annulment papers I received from the court to the I-130, so yes they need to know that all past marraiges have been legally terminated. I believe its just a copy.

How about the other form? like i-129f and g325 and letter of intent to marry..i know it needs to send it original and signed..so how many copies need to provide?..oppsss sorry so many question but i could trust people from here..and I almost done my packet just want to make sure how many copies..thanks a lot anyway..to all..

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

I think the OP's confusion comes from the seemingly conflicting terminology used.

In the US, there is only one original divorce decree. It's the document which was actually signed (or stamped) by the judge, and which declares the marriage to be terminated. In most cases, this original document is kept by the court clerk in the records department of the court where the divorce was granted. You cannot ever obtain this original document. There is only one, and the court clerk will not release it. What you can get is a copy of this original document which has been certified by the court clerk to be an authentic copy. This is an original certified copy, which means the document itself is a photocopy of the original divorce decree, but the court clerk's certification is an original signature and/or stamp.

What USCIS is willing to accept is a photocopy of an original certified copy. There doesn't have to be any original signatures or stamps on the document you send them, but the signature and/or stamp of the judge and court clerk should be visible in the copy.

Sometimes during the course of a divorce, your attorney might give you a copy of the document that will be presented to the judge for his signature. Depending on how long and complex your settlement is, you might receive several of these over time. USCIS won't accept any of these documents. Until a judge signs and/or stamps it, it's not an official decree of divorce. If it doesn't have a court clerk's signature and/or stamp, then it's not confirmed to be an authentic copy. But you don't have to present the actual document which the judge or court clerk signed - a photocopy of the document is acceptable.

How many pages you need to send depends on the format of the document. If the necessary signature and stamps are visible on the first page, then USCIS will usually accept that page alone. In my case, the court clerk's stamp was on the first page, and the judge's signature was on the last page, so I had to send copies of every page.

Forms which must be submitted, such as the I-129F and G-325A, must be the original document bearing the original signature of the petitioner or beneficiary. You only need to send one of each required form (in the case of the G-325A, you need to send one from the petitioner and one from the beneficiary), but you should make at least one copy for your records. It's best to copy everything in the package AFTER all of the necessary forms have been filled out and signed, so that you'll have an exact duplicate of what was submitted.

[Ning 619]

How about the other form? like i-129f and g325 and letter of intent to marry..i know it needs to send it original and signed..so how many copies need to provide?..oppsss sorry so many question but i could trust people from here..and I almost done my packet just want to make sure how many copies..thanks a lot anyway..to all..

One each. In the future you will get better results if you start your own thread. The O P asked about divorce documents.

Divorce decrees can be certified copies of the final divorce document. Anyone needing them can get them from the clerk of the court where the divorce took place. There is a fee for the certification.

[thongd4me 69]

My boyfriend, who is the petitioner for our I-129F has been married before.

Does he need to get certified divorce papers from the court or can he just photocopy the papers that he has?

The instructions state "give copies of documents showing that each prior marriage was legally determinated" and "Unless specifically required that an original document be filed with an application or petition, an ordinary legible photocopy may be submitted."

So I would say a photocopy would be enough, but I read on the RFE Master list, that some people got an RFE, saying to send in certified papers. Did they maybe change the rules in the past?

A photocopy of the papers he has will do.

The USCIS can verify court records of divorces and even if you had a "certified" copy

they would probably do that anyway to be 100% sure he was free to marry.

[Jadenjewel 9]

My boyfriend, who is the petitioner for our I-129F has been married before.

Does he need to get certified divorce papers from the court or can he just photocopy the papers that he has?

The instructions state "give copies of documents showing that each prior marriage was legally determinated" and "Unless specifically required that an original document be filed with an application or petition, an ordinary legible photocopy may be submitted."

So I would say a photocopy would be enough, but I read on the RFE Master list, that some people got an RFE, saying to send in certified papers. Did they maybe change the rules in the past?

Get a certified copy from the court. i sent an original for electronic Processing but it didn't have a court seal on it. i got an RFE for that so went down to the supreme court and they said the US government want an original certified copy with a seal on it. don't take a chance on the dreaded RFE!

[Utha 10]

Get a certified copy from the court. i sent an original for electronic Processing but it didn't have a court seal on it. i got an RFE for that so went down to the supreme court and they said the US government want an original certified copy with a seal on it. don't take a chance on the dreaded RFE!

Very good info Jadenjewel. So they also want the Judge's signature on it? Or just the stamp? . Thank you so much.

Edited July 14, 2010 by Utha

[baron555 934]

My boyfriend, who is the petitioner for our I-129F has been married before.

Does he need to get certified divorce papers from the court or can he just photocopy the papers that he has?

The instructions state "give copies of documents showing that each prior marriage was legally determinated" and "Unless specifically required that an original document be filed with an application or petition, an ordinary legible photocopy may be submitted."

So I would say a photocopy would be enough, but I read on the RFE Master list, that some people got an RFE, saying to send in certified papers. Did they maybe change the rules in the past?

Copies of the certified divorce decree are fine.