Birth certificate I-485

[Elcap 0]

We're getting our I-130 and I-485 package ready and here's the thing. Alien relative's birth certificate is not in the US right now. We only have a copy right now. We wanted to send the copy to translating agency but they required the original . Can we attach to the package the copy of alien birth certificate along with translation made by ourselves (we both speak english and alien relative's language)? Or should we instead ask our relatives back in Russia to translate it with an agency, get it notarized and send it to us?

[CarolinaSt 2]

I know of many people on visajourney who translated the birth certificate themselves and had no problem at all. What you need to do after translating the certificate, is write a note saying something like this:

Certification of Translator's Competence

I, (your full name), certify that I am competent in both English and (the language you are translating) and that this is a true and complete translation of the original document in (the language you are translating).

Then, you sign it and date it and write your address.

Edited November 3, 2011 by CarolinaSt

[106206 15]

We had ours translated professionally by a party who gave us a certified copy.

I figure for the $30 it was money well spent. Never was a problem for us.

[iGalin 7]

You'll need your birth certificate physically on the day of interview.

What you can do right now is get scanned copy of your birth certificate by e-mail and let your parents send it to you.

Using scanned copy - you can get certified notarized translation here:

http://www.1translate.com/13/ <---they make it very fast, so you can send your package I-130/I-485 with copy of scan + translation while your physical birth certificate is en route

PS: Other people say that even their own translation worked so simply you can just translate and send copy of birth certificate but you'll need physical original birth certificate

Edited November 3, 2011 by iGalin

[cactus john 1]

We had a copy of my wife's Thai BC and I informed her we would need the original. Contacted her father and told him we needed it ASAP ( this was like a week before our interview and she had told me it was no where to be found) Luckly, the old man found it, FedEx'd it over here with 1 day left before the interview.

At the interview the IO asked what I had to show him..I told him I had her birth certificate.."Not going to need that, all ready have a copy" was his response.

I informed him of all the trouble and stress ( not really THAT much trouble.. a phone call and 30 bucks to FedEx it..) I went through to get the original over here and now I insisted he look at it.. he did, we both smiled and I put it back into the folder.....