Quebec birth certificate

[ca_poppy 1]

I searched but didn't see a topic... If I missed it or there's an applicable wiki entry please point me to it!

My husband and I are gathering the materials for the NVC stage and we are looking into getting his birth certificate. He was born in Montreal and from what I've gathered googling around, Québec birth certificates are only good for four years (date of issue on his is 2004). Is this correct? Is this why the VJ wiki for NVC processing has a note about birth certificates with expiration dates?

Also, for obvious reasons, this would be the certified copy and not the original that was issued 30 years ago. This shouldn't be a problem at NVC, right? Finally, do we need a translation for the birth cert? It's in French but I've also read that this isn't a problem as long as the document is in one of the official languages of the country where the interview will take place. True or false?

Should be easy enough to get a new one but if we don't have to spend 30 dollars, that would be nice! Thanks for all help!

[Kathryn41 3,205]

hmm, I have never heard of the newer Quebec birth certificates only being valid for 4 years. I know that mine was more than 4 years old when I used it for my K-1 8-9 years ago. I do know that the earlier Quebec birth certificates issued prior to 1994 were declared invalid and everyone had to get one of the newer ones instead. When I was born, Quebec didn't even issue birth certificates - I had my baptismal certificate which I later used to obtain my first Quebec birth certificate in the late 80s. I found out it was no longer valid when I went to renew my passport in 1994 and had to apply for the newer birth certificate. It was something to do with how the records had been kept originally that had changed (I don't remember the details), but I would be very surprised if birth certificates regularly expire after 4 years. I am still using the one I received in 1994 and have used it to renew my passport a number of times, most recently 4 1/2 years ago.

He will need the long form Birth Certificate so make sure he requests the correct document. That is the one required for US immigration as it includes both parents' names.

You should arrange to have the French birth certificate translated. You will be moving to a non-French speaking country and will have need of an English translation at sometime in the US. From what I remember, they request that all non-English documents be translated regardless of whether they are issued in the language of the country involved.

http://www.etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca/en/birth.html

http://www.etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca/en/certificate-copy-act.html

Here also is an old thread that talks about translating a Quebec birth certificate to English that contains some useful information. http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/247964-translation-of-birth-certificate/

[ca_poppy 1]

Thanks. He actually has the long form cert with both his parents' names on it already. We are planning on having it translated, but wanted to know if we need to submit the translation to NVC (in the event that we don't get it back or something).

Just making sure we have everything we need in order so that we don't get held up for an "expired" birth certificate.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Have your translator make several photocopies of the translated document, then have her sign each one separately. That way if a copy gets 'kept' somewhere you will still have more available.

[Kimbear 53]

I have a quebec long form birth certificate, it came in english as i checked the english box when i requested it. it has all the info on it. and there is no expiration date. a police check has an expiry but there is none on a BC. i did not need anything translated for it. not even the french explanations on back. it comes with a certificate with a serial number or soemthing so that you can later on re order more with just that number.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

You can get an English birth certificate in Quebec if your birth was registered in English originally. If it wasn't, then you can only get a French birth certificate - they don't issue them in both languages, just one of the other. Mine was in English as well as my Baptismal records were in English. But yeah, I wouldn't think that they have an expiry date on them. They use a different form for that - hopefully many years later!

Edited August 22, 2012 by Kathryn41

[pocheros 101]

Quebec birth certificates issues after 1994 should be valid- I got mine sometime in the early 2000's and it was fine. They can only be issued in the language they original was issues in.

If you are anywhere near Mississauga I can point you to a translator who translated mine for $80 and stamped it with a seal AND because their office was affiliated with a commissioner of oath, I had the commissioner of oath certify mine for free. It took 3 weeks to get the translation. Make sure to get multiple copies of the translation.

Edited August 22, 2012 by pocheros

[ca_poppy 1]

Thanks--I think the confusion over whether or not they expire was due to the "invalid if issued before 1994" caveat. This is why I double check instead of relying solely on The Google.

$80 seems like a lot for translation--does that include multiple copies or something? Most of the services I've seen around here (Ottawa) are costing like $30/page. I know I've seen some threads on this board about doing translation ourselves and having it notarized. Even if NVC doesn't require a translation, would other gov't agencies we would be dealing with recognize this as valid?