How to get orginal birth cert.

[DamienJane 0]

I am in the process of obtaining a K1 visa I am from the UK, my mum fled the country when I was only 2 years old. I am now a UKC with a british neutralisation certificate and UK passport. My BF is from the New York, and we plan to get married in the US. The problem is I dont have a birth certificate and my mum says she lost it when she fled and that the little village we lived in was destroyed during the war. I have no relatives in Vietnam and my mum only knows the town I was born in was called Haiphong. I have read that I cannot contact the VN Embassy for this so what is my best bet? Do I really have to go to Vietnam. Is there anyone out there that knows anyone in North Vietnam who is willing to help or advise the best solution. I think I only even need a govenment letter stating my records cannot be found as they were destroyed during the conflict.

[ScottThuy 140]

Contact the VN embassy in UK to get thier help...

[Nik+Heather 121]

Hi!

You might want to talk with Magpie (of Knight and Magpie) about her efforts to get her birth certificate. The short story is that she is also a UK naturalized citizen, and she didn't have her birth certificate in her possession. She went through a lot of effort to get it, documented all of her efforts, and was eventually granted the visa without it.

Also, have a look at the DOS reciprocity table (link below). It seems like you have at least two avenues that you need to exhaust before giving up. Try to find your refugee record (or maybe the US embassy London will do that for you?), or see if any of your relatives still in VN will get your documents on your behalf. If you no longer have relatives there, I would ask your mother to write an affidavit for you stating her relationship to you, your birthday, and that she knows of no living relatives in VN who can get your certificate for you - or they have requested it and it wasn't available etc.

http://travel.state....l?cid=3705#docs

When primary documents are unavailable, secondary evidence regarding Vietnamese who fled their country beginning in April 1975 may be available from the individual and his or her refugee record. If the applicant received first asylum in Taiwan, cable AIT - Taipei; if in Thailand, cable the U.S.Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand and slug for ODP; if elsewhere in east or southeast Asia, cable the U.S.Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand and slug for RMA/ODP.

Extracts of Birth, Marriage, and Death Certificates

Residents: Requests for extracts of previously issued certificates are made at the registrar's office where they were issued, and should include the document registration number, date and place of registration. Without this information, fees may be higher and it is less likely the document will be found.

Non-Residents: Only relatives resident in Vietnam may request extracts of documents for their overseas relatives. Documents cannot be requested through a Vietnamese diplomatic mission, nor can a request be sent to a local office from overseas.

Edited June 3, 2010 by Nik+Heather

[hieumin 2]

Since you're from England, i think the uscis/NVC will not push hard on you regards of birth cert. Use the form below to substitute for your birth cert. Also when submit your application writes a letter explaining why you did not have a birth cert.

STATUTORY DECLARATION IN LIEU OF BIRTH CERTIFICATE

I, the undersigned Mr. [NAME], now living at [ADDRESS], in the city of [CITY], State of [sTATE].

Solemnly declare that:

1. My date of birth was: [DATE].

2. My place of birth was: [PLACE], Vietnam.

3. My father's full name :.

4. My mother's full name is: .

5. I make the present statutory declaration in-lieu of birth certificate because my original birth certificate has been lost and I am unable to obtain a new one due to the distance that separates Vietnam from the United States.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have signed in [city], this [date], 2008

____________________________________

[your signature]

Solemnly declared before me in

[ccity], on this [daTE],

2008

______________________________

Public Notary

[DamienJane 0]

Thank you so much for your replies, I have got advice from another forum but its great to combine the two.. I will get my mother to sign an affidavit, but in the mean time I will also write to the Haiphone statics office in Haiphone, I will send this recorded and see if I get any reply. My mum doesnt have any of her refugee documents she said they were all handed in to the UK home office when she applied for citizenship. We dont have any relatives left in Vietnam, they are all over here in the UK. I do have an uncle in China but he wouldnt go back to vietnam just to enquire about my birth certificate, I just hope this wont hinder to what seems an already long drawn out process.

[hieumin 2]

DamienJane,

Another way to extract your birth cert is someone in UK come to Vietnam and extract it for you with the form below, It is a bilingual format. Hope this help.

-----------------------------------------------SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM

------------------------------------------CỘNG HÒA XÃ HỘI CHỦ NGHĨA VIỆT NAM

-------------------------------------------Independence – Freedom – Happiness

--------------------------------------------------Độc Lập – Tự Do – Hạnh Phúc

------------------------------------------------------___________________

--------------------------------------------------POWER OF ATTORNEY

------------------------------------------------------GIẤY ỦY QUYỀN

I, the undersigned:

Tôi ký tên dưới đây là:

Date of birth:

Ngày sanh:

Place of birth:

Nơi sanh:

Passport number:

Mang hộ chiếu số:

Permanent address:

Thường trú tại:

Hereby request permission to be absent for reason of work in submitting my application for:

Làm đơn này xin được phép vắng mặt khi xin giấy khai sanh và ủy quyền cho:

My birth certificate and entrust:

Giấy khai sinh của tôi và giao phó:

Full name:

Họ và tên:

Date of birth:

Ngày sanh:

Place of birth:

Nơi sanh:

ID Card number:

Số chứng minh nhân dân:

Place of issue:

Nơi cấp:

Permanent address:

Thường trú:

To act on my behalf in applying for obtaining my birth certificate.

Thay tôi để xin giấy khai sanh hộ tôi.

I am sole and fully responsible before the law for the present power of attorney.

Tôi xin chịu hoàn toàn trách nhiệm trước pháp luật về sự ủy quyền này.

----------------------------------------------In __________, on this _____ day of ____________, 2009

---------------------------------------------------Làm tại ______, ngày ____ tháng ______ năm 2009

____________________________________________________________

Solemnly declared before me in ________

Tuyên thệ trước mặt tôi tại __________

On this _____ day of ____________, 2009

Ngày ____ tháng ______ năm 2009

____________________________________________________________

Notary Public (Công chứng viên)

[DamienJane 0]

Thank you soo much, after much debating with my mum she has just managed to find a copy of my elders brother birth cert and it has all the info I need as we were born in the same hospital. Funny how my mum has my brothers not mine.

Anyway now I have asked a girl friend of mine whos family live in Haiphong. She is going to ask her father to help me get a copy of the certificate, so hopefully I will get this within the next month. Will keep you guys posted.

[DamienJane 0]

ok this is really a downer, my firend just called and said her uncle needs a house book, i have no idea what it is my mum said she doesnt have it. without this reocrd they wont be able to get my birth records. She also said that a friend of hers can get me my record for 14 Million VN dollars, that just crazy. I dont want to waste any more time but I was going to write a letter and then realized who the heck do I send it to, reading all the links provided to me on this page I saw on the travel.state.gov website it indicates that only relattive on overseas residents can obtain an extract of my birth cert. This is driving me crazy. I am still going to write a letter but anyone know where I should send it to, the VN embassy in London said I should write to the Department of Justice, the travel.state.gov website Central Court of Records in HCMC. Any further help would be really appreciated.