Foreign Marriage Certificate - Need to be legalized?

[maxim 0]

Hello all, I'm writing this because the Brazilian US embassy page doesn't mention anything about legalization of a marriage certificate. Do we need take our certificate to the embassy for "legalization" before filing I130? What about the translation? Does it also need to be legalized? (The embassy has responded to email that we need to call, but they don't attend the number during the specified times.)

When I sent my birth certificate and proof of single civil status, the Brazilian gov't required I send it to the their embassies, but it was clearly stated on their website.

Can someone help?

[PMRS 0]

We filed our I-130 and I-129 F without getting an apostillate of the marriage certificate. We tried to get it apostillated but the offices in Oaxaca, Mexico were closed due to the political situation at the time. Both our petitions were approved.

Regarding the translation, I translated it myself and had a friend verify it. We added this to the translation:

I certify that I am competent to translate from the Spanish to English and that the above Marriage Certificate is a correct and true translation to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Signed:

Date:

Address:

Phone Number:

So far everything has worked well for us!

[Geist 0]

After we got married (in Finland) the city magistrate provided us with a legalization and two copies of our marriage certificate, one in Swedish and in English. From what I've been told from other Finnish-American couples, you don't need to send the legalization in along with the marriage certificate.

Shame that they didn't provide you with a translation though...that would have made things a lot easier for you.

[maxim 0]

So here's the update...

My wife went to the consulate in Rio with our marriage certificate and translation. They would not legalize the marriage certificate, but would legalize the translation. Then she told them that she was mailing both items to me and they just bundled it all together with the legalization paper in the stack (not attached to either paper). I guess I'll copy this and send it in with the other papers for the I-130.

-Mike