MARRIAGE in the US, DCF in GERMANY or DENMARK

[Mephibosheth 0]

Hi...

I'm a male German citizen living in Denmark, my girlfriend is a US citizen from Washington State.

so... I'm planning on getting married in January, in the US, while on a tourist Visa and then leave...

as far as I know that's entirly legal, but feel free to tell me otherwise

Then my wife and I would be in Europe, and so far I've been planning to have my wife file the I-130 in Denmark in person (she doesn't have to be a resident in Denmark to file, just present according to the website)

however... there is very little information out there on what to expect and how exactly the process goes and what financial securities or information I have to provide. I tried emailing the embassy in copenhagen and instead of getting an answer now receive lots of spam. I know for sure that the email address at the embassy is the casue for the spam as I created that email adress especially for the occasion and only used this it in that one instance. I called the embassy today and was told that VISA questions are only answered Mon-Thu. (which it doesn't say on the website, once again making me question the accuracy of any information on the website) The lady I talked to was quick enough to hang up before I could mention that their email address is a spamfactory, making me wonder how helpful these people are...

so... anybody know anything about DCF in Denmark?

Alternatively we could file in Germany, though I understand that my US citizen wife would have to be a resident in Germany in order for us to file, but I think getting residence for her would be pretty easy as I'm a German citizen. From the information I looked at online she only needs healthinsurance and an address in Germany and our marriage certificate in order for her to get instant residency. Does anybody know more about that?

One problem would be that I don't have healthinsurance in Germany anymore as I was originally planning on emmigrating to Denmark.

And filing the I-130 in Germany, once again, what do I need? Do I need to prove finances, do I need bring wedding pictures? what should I expect?

thanks for any help and company

Mbo

[JenT 0]

You CANNOT enter the US on the VWP with the intention of getting married. Your fiance must file a K1 visa petition for you to be able to marry in the US.

David and I considered the option of marrying in Germany. My citizenship would not have been required, but the red tape and translation of documents would have been worse that going through the K1 Visa process with the USCIS, so we opted for that solution.

Jen

Edited August 11, 2006 by JenT

[zyggy 9]

Not exactly.. it is illegal for one to enter the US for one to enter the US to get married with the intention to stay... if one is going to leave .. it perfectly fine for one to enter the US get married and leave.

However, convincing a CBP officer that that is your intention is quite another matter.

I-130 petitions filed at the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen

(Please note: the petition must be filed by the U.S. citizen - in person!)

The U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark accepts I-130 petitions filed by U.S. citizens on behalf of their husbands/wives (+ minor children) if one of the following conditions applies:

The U.S. citizen petitioner resides in Denmark, or

The non-American husband/wife resides in Denmark.

For information on how to file a petition in Copenhagen, the U.S. citizen or the spouse who will be applying for the visa should obtain an “Immigrant Visa Packet” from the Immigrant Visa Unit. The packet can be obtained by forwarding a self-addressed envelope (size A4) with a note attached: “Married to U.S. citizen - send Immigrant Visa Packet”. You may also visit the Immigrant Visa Unit or have someone pick up the packet for you--even before the wedding--on Tuesday and Friday afternoons between 2:00 and 3:00 p.m. We accept I-130 petition filings on Fridays only. The petition filing fee must be paid to the consular cashier at the time of filing. The fee may be paid in US dollars, Danish kroner or by credit card.

Once the petition has been filed, the U.S. citizen petitioner is not required to remain in Denmark. However, the immigrant visa applicant must remain in our consular district (Denmark) while the immigrant visa application is being processed. The intending immigrant must follow the instructions described in “STEP TWO” in the “Immigrant Visa Packet” in order to apply for the visa. “STEP TWO” may not be done prior to the petition being filed!

The total processing time for the alien spouse visa takes approximately 3 to 5 months if the petition is filed directly at the American Embassy in Copenhagen.

The above pretty much spells out the process. If you want more info, email them at copenhagenIV@state.gov to find out the real story...

How to contact us

Inquiries regarding immigrant visas can be sent via letter, fax (+45 35 38 96 16) or e-mail (copenhagenIV@state.gov) to the Immigrant Visa Unit.

You may visit the Immigrant Visa Unit without an appointment on Tuesdays and Fridays between 2 and 3 pm. Walk-in customers are served on a first-come, first-served basis; be prepared to wait up to an hour to talk to someone. When writing to us, please include a Danish (daytime) contact telephone number and a regular (not e-mail) address, so we can respond appropriately.

Edited August 11, 2006 by zyggy

[zauberblume 0]

You CANNOT enter the US on the VWP with the intention of getting married. Your fiance must file a K1 visa petition for you to be able to marry in the US.

David and I considered the option of marrying in Germany. My citizenship would not have been required, but the red tape and translation of documents would have been worse that going through the K1 Visa process with the USCIS, so we opted for that solution.

Jen

Jen,

I'm sorry, but you're giving out incorrect information.

It is perfectly legal for non-U.S. citizen to lawfully enter the United States on the Visa Waiver Program with the intention of getting married as long as said non-U.S. citizen has absolutely no plans to immigrate and adjust status.

--Z

[JenT 0]

You CANNOT enter the US on the VWP with the intention of getting married. Your fiance must file a K1 visa petition for you to be able to marry in the US.

David and I considered the option of marrying in Germany. My citizenship would not have been required, but the red tape and translation of documents would have been worse that going through the K1 Visa process with the USCIS, so we opted for that solution.

Jen

Jen,

I'm sorry, but you're giving out incorrect information.

It is perfectly legal for non-U.S. citizen to lawfully enter the United States on the Visa Waiver Program with the intention of getting married as long as said non-U.S. citizen has absolutely no plans to immigrate and adjust status.

--Z

Yes, I realize my error and apologize. There is an intention to immigrate, just not immediately following the marriage. As long as he plans to return and file as the spouse of a USC, it's possible to proceed as he is suggesting.

The concern is being truthful upon entry into the US and the mood of the CBP officer that day... I personally wouldn't risk it, but I hope it works for the OP.

I guess I'm hyper-sensitive to any implication of deception whatsoever. We are all seeking speedy case resolution so that the separation from our loved one is minimized.

Jen

Edited August 11, 2006 by JenT

[zauberblume 0]

Mephil,

I have no information on the DCF process in Denmark.

It isn't exactly easy to get residency in Germany. The process can be quite intricate and can take longer than you might think. For this reason, my husband and I chose not to register our marriage here in Germany. I'd already been granted a student visa a year earlier, so changing my status would've been yet another hassle.

Also, I would contact the U.S. Consulate in Frankfurt to inquire about a time limit for residency. In my opinion, the Consulate would frown upon a USC who has just moved to Frankfurt, not more than a month ago, and has suddenly decided to file DCF. For me, that's abusing the system, but it would be best to check with the Frankfurt Consulate about how they view such cases.

(We had also planned to get married in the U.S., but found it ultimately to be too risky. We didn't want to book a wedding site and have to worry about my husband not being allowed to enter the United States. Instead, we got married Denmark since the process is much more simplified than it is in German. Denmark (the Frederiksberg Kommune, to be exact) only required a passport, a certificate of free status, and my birth certificate.)

Good luck.

[meauxna 15]

however... there is very little information out there on what to expect and how exactly the process goes and what financial securities or information I have to provide.

so... anybody know anything about DCF in Denmark?

First off: have you read the DCF Guide? http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...om&page=dcf

Once you understand what DCF is, re-read the Consular page zyggy cited. Then look at what all is involved in an Immigrant Visa application.

There is at least one experience posted at kamya (dated): http://www.kamya.com/intro/dcf.html#DM

The older group alt.visa.us.marriage-based (britishexpats) several experiences: http://tinyurl.com/hbn3d

DCF is a fairly reasearch do it yourself kind of thing; be prepared to do quite a bit of reading to find out how to best manage *your* case.

I'd think that Denmark would be a faster, easier place to file, btw. The "DCF" portion is getting the I-130 in a short line (Denmark's is shorter than Frankfurt's is shorter than the US Service Center's).

[zauberblume 0]

You CANNOT enter the US on the VWP with the intention of getting married. Your fiance must file a K1 visa petition for you to be able to marry in the US.

David and I considered the option of marrying in Germany. My citizenship would not have been required, but the red tape and translation of documents would have been worse that going through the K1 Visa process with the USCIS, so we opted for that solution.

Jen

Jen,

I'm sorry, but you're giving out incorrect information.

It is perfectly legal for non-U.S. citizen to lawfully enter the United States on the Visa Waiver Program with the intention of getting married as long as said non-U.S. citizen has absolutely no plans to immigrate and adjust status.

--Z

Yes, I realize my error and apologize. There is an intention to immigrate, just not immediately following the marriage. As long as he plans to return and file as the spouse of a USC, it's possible to proceed as he is suggesting.

The concern is being truthful upon entry into the US and the mood of the CBP officer that day... I personally wouldn't risk it, but I hope it works for the OP.

I guess I'm hyper-sensitive to any implication of deception whatsoever. We are all seeking speedy case resolution so that the separation from our loved one is minimized.

Jen

No need to apologize. I've given wrong information here too. And I'm just glad some other poster comes by and corrects me.

I completely agree with you, though. My husband and I had planned to do what the OP is planning (getting married in the United States), but we decided against it because we didn't want to run the risk of my husband not being granted entry into the United States. We ended up getting married in Denmark. It was great! And we're having our "reception" in late August with our family and friends.

(By the way, Frankfurt really is an awesome Consulate! They usually work very fast. Good luck with your journey. You're so close now!)

--Z

[JenT 0]

You CANNOT enter the US on the VWP with the intention of getting married. Your fiance must file a K1 visa petition for you to be able to marry in the US.

David and I considered the option of marrying in Germany. My citizenship would not have been required, but the red tape and translation of documents would have been worse that going through the K1 Visa process with the USCIS, so we opted for that solution.

Jen

Jen,

I'm sorry, but you're giving out incorrect information.

It is perfectly legal for non-U.S. citizen to lawfully enter the United States on the Visa Waiver Program with the intention of getting married as long as said non-U.S. citizen has absolutely no plans to immigrate and adjust status.

--Z

Yes, I realize my error and apologize. There is an intention to immigrate, just not immediately following the marriage. As long as he plans to return and file as the spouse of a USC, it's possible to proceed as he is suggesting.

The concern is being truthful upon entry into the US and the mood of the CBP officer that day... I personally wouldn't risk it, but I hope it works for the OP.

I guess I'm hyper-sensitive to any implication of deception whatsoever. We are all seeking speedy case resolution so that the separation from our loved one is minimized.

Jen

No need to apologize. I've given wrong information here too. And I'm just glad some other poster comes by and corrects me.

I completely agree with you, though. My husband and I had planned to do what the OP is planning (getting married in the United States), but we decided against it because we didn't want to run the risk of my husband not being granted entry into the United States. We ended up getting married in Denmark. It was great! And we're having our "reception" in late August with our family and friends.

(By the way, Frankfurt really is an awesome Consulate! They usually work very fast. Good luck with your journey. You're so close now!)

--Z

Denmark was quoted as an option by the official whom David went to speak with about getting married in Germany.... sounds like it's an exercised option by many, especially if the German officials are commenting on it!

Thanks for the kind words... I am SO READY to have him home!

Jen

[Mephibosheth 0]

How to contact us

Inquiries regarding immigrant visas can be sent via letter, fax (+45 35 38 96 16) or e-mail (copenhagenIV@state.gov) to the Immigrant Visa Unit.

You may visit the Immigrant Visa Unit without an appointment on Tuesdays and Fridays between 2 and 3 pm. Walk-in customers are served on a first-come, first-served basis; be prepared to wait up to an hour to talk to someone. When writing to us, please include a Danish (daytime) contact telephone number and a regular (not e-mail) address, so we can respond appropriately.

thanks, but as I mentioned I did email them at the email adress you quoted and received spam, not answers, I called and they told me to call only Mon- Thu, which isn't mentioned on the site, leading me to question the accuracy of the information on the site and she hung up, before I could mention the email problem,which makes me question their helpfulness, but probably I'll just try again monday.

[Mephibosheth 0]

thanks everyone for the input...

so far the plan still stands... I'll let you know if it works out And if not, we'll have to deal with that then...

plans are liable to stuff...

is it late?

I know it's easy to get married in Denmark (funny, that something's easy and something's difficult in every country - like getting residency in Denmark is freakin difficult), but we want friends and family to attend the actual wedding, which would be happening in the US and in Germany... we're already planning on two celebrations and I wouldn't really want to add more

[AHC_2015 130]

Hi...

I'm a male German citizen living in Denmark, my girlfriend is a US citizen from Washington State.

so... I'm planning on getting married in January, in the US, while on a tourist Visa and then leave...

as far as I know that's entirly legal, but feel free to tell me otherwise

Then my wife and I would be in Europe, and so far I've been planning to have my wife file the I-130 in Denmark in person (she doesn't have to be a resident in Denmark to file, just present according to the website)

however... there is very little information out there on what to expect and how exactly the process goes and what financial securities or information I have to provide. I tried emailing the embassy in copenhagen and instead of getting an answer now receive lots of spam. I know for sure that the email address at the embassy is the casue for the spam as I created that email adress especially for the occasion and only used this it in that one instance. I called the embassy today and was told that VISA questions are only answered Mon-Thu. (which it doesn't say on the website, once again making me question the accuracy of any information on the website) The lady I talked to was quick enough to hang up before I could mention that their email address is a spamfactory, making me wonder how helpful these people are...

so... anybody know anything about DCF in Denmark?

Alternatively we could file in Germany, though I understand that my US citizen wife would have to be a resident in Germany in order for us to file, but I think getting residence for her would be pretty easy as I'm a German citizen. From the information I looked at online she only needs healthinsurance and an address in Germany and our marriage certificate in order for her to get instant residency. Does anybody know more about that?

One problem would be that I don't have healthinsurance in Germany anymore as I was originally planning on emmigrating to Denmark.

And filing the I-130 in Germany, once again, what do I need? Do I need to prove finances, do I need bring wedding pictures? what should I expect?

thanks for any help and company

Mbo

I have no idea what's going on with the weird e-mails and the lack of help over the phone, because I never ever experienced anything like that when I contacted them. In fact, I e-mailed them just a couple of months ago and I got a personal e-mail response a few days later. Granted they aren't always very good at responding to the actual question, but I've always gotten an e-mail back. I'm not trying to defend the embassy but I doubt that they're the reason why you're receiving spam. I signed up for a new e-mail address a while ago and I never ever used it anywhere but I get lots of spam every day. Still, I don't know why the embassy isn't writing back to you.

They do tend to be kind of short with you on the phone since you can only reach them for two hours every day so they do seem to want to get rid of you as quickly as possible and get on to the next call.

I realize that some things have changed since my husband and I filed our paperwork but just ask if you have any questions.

[beetee4ever 0]

I did the DFC in Denmark, check your pm

[roscove 0]

Hello,

All of the comments below are based on my own experience and your mileage may vary etc.

1. I am not sure why people feel they need to tell the POE office so much information when travelling on the VWP. There is no need to tell them you are getting married. You tell them you are on vacation visiting your future spouse. They do not record a lot of details on why you are there. I had travelled to the US on multiple occasions for both business and pleasure on the VWP before moving here and this included the trip where my now wife and I got married. Never had to reveal to much information and never lied. I am not looking to be blasted for telling people to break the law as I never stated this. All I am saying is I think people are a bit too paranoid (IMHO).

2. If someone is from the US and not married to an EU citizen living in Germany, then yes, it is very difficult to get German residency. If you are a US citizen married to an EU citizen living in Germany then it is extremely easy for the US citizen to get residency although it does differ slightly from state to state. This is what my wife (US) and I (Irish, lived in Germany when we got married in Las Vegas and did DCF in Germany) did. All you need to do in Baden-Wurtemburg is to have an address, and a translation of your marriage certificate with relevant apostle (spelling?) and they can register. In fact they will get an EU citizen type registration card with no expiration date!!!!

On the other hand, it is extremely complicated to get married in Germany, even for Germans.

3. I have posted my DCF experience in Germany in the past, search for posts from my posting name "roscove". Although if you do plan on doing it in Denmark this is no good to you. My wife was resident in Germany for about 5 months when we started the DCF.

Regards,

Dave

[Mephibosheth 0]

Hello,

All of the comments below are based on my own experience and your mileage may vary etc.

1. I am not sure why people feel they need to tell the POE office so much information when travelling on the VWP. There is no need to tell them you are getting married. You tell them you are on vacation visiting your future spouse. They do not record a lot of details on why you are there. I had travelled to the US on multiple occasions for both business and pleasure on the VWP before moving here and this included the trip where my now wife and I got married. Never had to reveal to much information and never lied. I am not looking to be blasted for telling people to break the law as I never stated this. All I am saying is I think people are a bit too paranoid (IMHO).

2. If someone is from the US and not married to an EU citizen living in Germany, then yes, it is very difficult to get German residency. If you are a US citizen married to an EU citizen living in Germany then it is extremely easy for the US citizen to get residency although it does differ slightly from state to state. This is what my wife (US) and I (Irish, lived in Germany when we got married in Las Vegas and did DCF in Germany) did. All you need to do in Baden-Wurtemburg is to have an address, and a translation of your marriage certificate with relevant apostle (spelling?) and they can register. In fact they will get an EU citizen type registration card with no expiration date!!!!

On the other hand, it is extremely complicated to get married in Germany, even for Germans.

3. I have posted my DCF experience in Germany in the past, search for posts from my posting name "roscove". Although if you do plan on doing it in Denmark this is no good to you. My wife was resident in Germany for about 5 months when we started the DCF.

Regards,

Dave

yeah... we're planning on legal marriage in the US and then church only wedding, with no legal impact in Germany one week later. I think I'm going for DCF in Denmark, as I've gotten some encouraging comments from people who had positive experiences with that. If for some reason that doesn't work out, we could still move to Germany, get residency for her easily and try again from there.

I don't know what exactly I'll tell the officer at the border, and maybe I'll not even figure it out beforehand. I'm for sure not going to lie, but I don't know if I'll explain all my plans in detail... And if I get sent home, it won't be the end of the world (sad, but not the end)