"Current Marriage License" for N-400 form

[lungtokim 0]

Hi All,

I'm starting to do all my naturalization research and noticed while reading the N-400 form package requirements on here that it says we need our "current marriage certificate". My husband and I were married in India so we only have one marriage certificate, which is our Indian one (it's in english). We've used it for all our immigration work thus far, but something about seeing the word current made my heart stop for a moment - do they mean we have to have a US marriage certificate?!

Help please!

Thank you as always VJ community!

Best,

Kimberly

[bonnerbonner 6]

CURRENT in this case means.... Your latest marriage... if your marriage to your husband was in India and the last latest man you married, then thats the one you should use... only one you can use... Is your N400 gonna be based on 3 year marriage?

[Kathryn41 3,205]

It means the one you have that indicates your current marriage as opposed to previous marriages from which you have a divorce or a death decree, so yes, the one you got in India is the one they mean. Send in a photocopy with the application, and then bring the original with you to the interview in case they want to see it.

[CVB 18]

Hi All,

I'm starting to do all my naturalization research and noticed while reading the N-400 form package requirements on here that it says we need our "current marriage certificate". My husband and I were married in India so we only have one marriage certificate, which is our Indian one (it's in english). We've used it for all our immigration work thus far, but something about seeing the word current made my heart stop for a moment - do they mean we have to have a US marriage certificate?!

Help please!

Thank you as always VJ community!

Best,

Kimberly

I was married in Belgium. My marriage certificate was in Dutch and had to let it translate. Everything worked out just fine. Just file the papers of your Indian marriage and you'll be good. No US marriage certificate needed. Good luck.

[lungtokim 0]

CURRENT in this case means.... Your latest marriage... if your marriage to your husband was in India and the last latest man you married, then thats the one you should use... only one you can use... Is your N400 gonna be based on 3 year marriage?

Hi there! Thank you so much for answering! Yes, we've been married for over 3 years now and will have been in the country for 3 next month. Can't wait to apply!

Thank you everyone! I love the VJ community!

K~

[v333k 59]

If you used that marriage cert throughout the process, then just use the same one for naturalization. It should do the trick!

[NickD 203]

Our state states on the marriage certificate, a $10,000 fine if you make a copy of it, so just paid the eight bucks for their certified copy. How many marriage certificates to they want? How did you get your green card in the first place?

What I found in an amusing is there bit at the end of each instruction sheet, is there bit on the paper reduction act and estimated time to complete the N-400. Says about six hours, more like forty hours after you have read and tried to comprehend the M-476 manual and compiled and copied all the evidence.

This country is reminding me of Nazi Germany, where are your papers!

[v333k 59]

Our state states on the marriage certificate, a $10,000 fine if you make a copy of it, so just paid the eight bucks for their certified copy. How many marriage certificates to they want? How did you get your green card in the first place?

What I found in an amusing is there bit at the end of each instruction sheet, is there bit on the paper reduction act and estimated time to complete the N-400. Says about six hours, more like forty hours after you have read and tried to comprehend the M-476 manual and compiled and copied all the evidence.

This country is reminding me of Nazi Germany, where are your papers!

I am guessing that a copy means to make a forgery and claim it as an original.... If USCIS asks you to make copies of things... then most probably making copies of anything is idiot proof!

This paper reduction act is such a ridiculous claim by companies. For example, every time I change my password on comcast - I get about three letters notifying me of changes that occurred to my account... then they harass me to sign up with electronic statements (which I do first thing when I sign up with them)... but nonetheless, they are wasting more paper than ever before!

....................ya ya I know!

[NickD 203]

I am guessing that a copy means to make a forgery and claim it as an original.... If USCIS asks you to make copies of things... then most probably making copies of anything is idiot proof!

This paper reduction act is such a ridiculous claim by companies. For example, every time I change my password on comcast - I get about three letters notifying me of changes that occurred to my account... then they harass me to sign up with electronic statements (which I do first thing when I sign up with them)... but nonetheless, they are wasting more paper than ever before!

....................ya ya I know!

I know the USCIS says to send in copies of your documents and bring in the originals. But what would the USCIS say if you made a copy of a document with this written on the top of it in big red letters?

"Photocopies cannot be accepted: Per Wisconsin State Statutes §69.24, it is illegal to make photocopies of any vital record, doing so carries a fine of $10,000.00."

So when the IO asked my wife to see the original of our marriage certificate, she showed her exactly the same version she had in her hand. The price is actually $8.00 for the first copy in any given order and $5.00 for each additional copy. So I sent in a check for $38.00 and received seven identical all original marriage certificates. Cheap compared to getting married in my wifes' home country, then the extra money for the translation required. Did wonder about other documents we paid to get translated, when you call the USCIS line, ask you if you want to speak in Spanish, all of her other documents were in Spanish.

Other question is does the USA recognize your marriage certificate in other countries or do those countries recognize your marriage in the USA. We registered our marriage in Venezuela, they did that for free at the Chicago consulate. But my wife was born in Colombia and they want $3,000.00 to register our marriage there. Screw them.

[v333k 59]

I know the USCIS says to send in copies of your documents and bring in the originals. But what would the USCIS say if you made a copy of a document with this written on the top of it in big red letters?

"Photocopies cannot be accepted: Per Wisconsin State Statutes §69.24, it is illegal to make photocopies of any vital record, doing so carries a fine of $10,000.00."

So when the IO asked my wife to see the original of our marriage certificate, she showed her exactly the same version she had in her hand. The price is actually $8.00 for the first copy in any given order and $5.00 for each additional copy. So I sent in a check for $38.00 and received seven identical all original marriage certificates. Cheap compared to getting married in my wifes' home country, then the extra money for the translation required. Did wonder about other documents we paid to get translated, when you call the USCIS line, ask you if you want to speak in Spanish, all of her other documents were in Spanish.

Other question is does the USA recognize your marriage certificate in other countries or do those countries recognize your marriage in the USA. We registered our marriage in Venezuela, they did that for free at the Chicago consulate. But my wife was born in Colombia and they want $3,000.00 to register our marriage there. Screw them.

I never noticed such a clause on our marriage cert... I will definitely take a look at it and I guess what you said made perfect sense. Even an original is OK compared to the price you have pay.... especially when you can get them easily.

thanks NickD

[NickD 203]

I never noticed such a clause on our marriage cert... I will definitely take a look at it and I guess what you said made perfect sense. Even an original is OK compared to the price you have pay.... especially when you can get them easily.

thanks NickD

Kind of like have you ever committed a serious major crime you haven't been arrested for yet? Yes, I made a copy of my marriage certificate as requested by the USCIS.

[CVB 18]

Kind of like have you ever committed a serious major crime you haven't been arrested for yet? Yes, I made a copy of my marriage certificate as requested by the USCIS.

I really think it's getting cold in Wisconsin... Good one Nick.

[Udella&Wiz 325]

Totally irrelevant to this conversation, but I have like 6 certified copies hanging around somewhere - we paid about $10 or something for the VA courthouse to provide us with extra certified copies of our marriage cert....each has the raised seal on the bottom

[NickD 203]

I really think it's getting cold in Wisconsin... Good one Nick.

Wisconsin is a weird state, understand you can get married and divorce at the same place and the same day in Las Vegas. Since I am a resident of Wisconsin, was required by law to get a marriage license in my county. Never figured out what would happen if I did marry another Wisconsinite in another county, she would have to get our marriage license in her county as well. Does that mean we have to get two marriage licenses? Never figured that out. Besides that, we had to wait ten business days after we applied for the license to get married for them to make background checks, USCIS was also making background checks, we have been checked out.

Since my wife is from a foreign country we didn't have different county problems, but were free to marry wherever we pleased, provided they recognized a Wisconsin marriage license. Of course we all realize with the USCIS, we have deadlines for getting married, if you don't, your intended spouse is shipped back. In those ten days was able to find a federal judge to marry us, he was so honored, refuse to even take a dime from us, even for his favorite charity, it was a very nice wedding, we had our reception two days later, but spent our honeymoon filling out USCIS forms. But we were so happy to be together, ha, still are.

Then the problem you may run into whether different countries even recognize that marriage, heck, you can get married again if you have too.

Wisconsin also has weird weather, darn near froze here in September, today, enjoying a beautiful 60 degree day.

[CVB 18]

Wisconsin is a weird state, understand you can get married and divorce at the same place and the same day in Las Vegas. Since I am a resident of Wisconsin, was required by law to get a marriage license in my county. Never figured out what would happen if I did marry another Wisconsinite in another county, she would have to get our marriage license in her county as well. Does that mean we have to get two marriage licenses? Never figured that out. Besides that, we had to wait ten business days after we applied for the license to get married for them to make background checks, USCIS was also making background checks, we have been checked out.

Since my wife is from a foreign country we didn't have different county problems, but were free to marry wherever we pleased, provided they recognized a Wisconsin marriage license. Of course we all realize with the USCIS, we have deadlines for getting married, if you don't, your intended spouse is shipped back. In those ten days was able to find a federal judge to marry us, he was so honored, refuse to even take a dime from us, even for his favorite charity, it was a very nice wedding, we had our reception two days later, but spent our honeymoon filling out USCIS forms. But we were so happy to be together, ha, still are.

Then the problem you may run into whether different countries even recognize that marriage, heck, you can get married again if you have too.

Wisconsin also has weird weather, darn near froze here in September, today, enjoying a beautiful 60 degree day.

I have a couple of friends in Wisconsin. One not so far from Madison, the other one 5 to 6 hours further to the Michigan border. They both can tell me the joy of the winters over there. Especially last winter seems to have been fun. I didn't realize this about the Wisconsin laws. My friend, close to the Michigan border, is married to a Native American. How does this work? Seems that the Indians have their own laws....

I ones had to drive to my friend at the Michigan border, to pick up a dog, we bought. Very interesting drive. When coming from the East Coast, everything seems to slow down starting half way PA. In Ohio, you see cops on the highway, checking on speed, every mile or so. You wonder why. Once in Indiana nobody cares anymore. Then of course you feel the city life of Chicago again. Everything speeds up. Entering Wisconsin.... zzzzzzzzz.... slow again and again for hours. Close to my friend, I had to pass a long sand path through the woods. Nothing to see, and the path didn't stop, it kept on going straight for 7 mile. No cell zones, no cars, no people, nothing. The GPS only shows a tin line between a lot of green. We were joking about the possible bears, when the car would break down and what to do then. At the end of that path, all of a sudden, Indian Territory. I didn't know what to expect but it was all very American, LOL... yellow school buses and everything else included. Very nice people.