Marriage Certificate

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I was married a month ago in the caribbean but I have not yet received my official marriage certificate. However, the day of the ceremony I did receive a signed document with a seal from the registry that has all of the information regarding the wedding. (bride and grooms names, parents names, date of the wedding, etc). I was wondering for purposes of filing the I-130 can I use this form and take the official marriage certificate to my interview?

I was wondering if anyone had any experience with using something other than the official marriage certificate with their I-130 application. I was married at a Breezes resort but they have not been able to give me a time certain when they will be able to obtain the official marriage license. As you can imagine this is delaying the process of filing for my wife to come to the US.

[riblet 0]

My understanding is that you must submit a copy of the official certificate - many people have to wait a month or more before they receive the official one, and I know I've seen discussions regarding the delay.

But, if yours is sealed, is it the seal of the registrar of marriages or whatever the office is there? It almost sounds like an official license. Maybe someone else married in the Carribean can help.

[Robor007 0]

I believe you're talking about 2 different things... The marriage license and the marriage certificate. I think the document you're talking about is the marriage license rather than the certificate (but I could be wrong). I don't know how it works in the Caribbean but in the Philippines you apply for a license, wait 10 working days, get the license, get married, and wait for the certificate. Our certificate delivery only took a couple of days but my wife's family has friends who helped us out.

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No, the document I have is separate from the marriage license. We were married in Curacao on 11-20-06 and the Register gave us what looks like a temporary marriage certificate with a seal and signature. However, we were told that we had to wait to receive the official marriage certificate.

[misa 2]

If I were you, I would wait until you get the official one back from the government.

You don't want to submit something and get a RFE which could delay your case even longer than waiting for the official document.

[queromare 0]

i got married in fiji and our marriage certificate looks incredibly temporary, so i would confirm with the resort that you need another official one because it may have been a misunderstanding. i got mine straight from the civil service office, and it is hand-written with an ink stamp as a seal.

[Robor007 0]

No, the document I have is separate from the marriage license. We were married in Curacao on 11-20-06 and the Register gave us what looks like a temporary marriage certificate with a seal and signature. However, we were told that we had to wait to receive the official marriage certificate.

Ah, we used the 'pre-NSO (national statistics office) official certificate'. When ours was ready we requested 3 certified copies of it (just in case). We were told that was okay to use with the I-130 and I-129F petition. I believe as long as it's got the registrars stamp it's good enough to use. However, the 'official' certificate is required later at the consulate. So I think your version is probably okay to use.

[nyseness 0]

I'm not sure what yours look like but in Jamaica you also get a temporary marriage cert. Another fellow VJer was able to get her I-130 approved w/just that, but with my luck I decided to wait.

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After using an online translator (the document is in Dutch), I discovered that the document I have is an extract of a marriage certificate. It has all of the pertinent information from the marriage certificate and says that it is an official document from the Registrar. It even has a seal and a signature from the Registrar. Any opinions as to whether this will suffice for the I-130 or should I continue to wait for the official marriage certificate?