Apostille--what the heck?

[IcezMan_IcezLady 582]

Yeah.... we're both driving each other bonkers right now. We really do work well together, just not at this. I'm trying to stay calm, but it's nearly impossible when you keep getting conflicting information out there-- for every helpful tip I get on Visajourney, he's getting 3 in Costa Rica. And they are often extremely different. And then we fight about it. (Example: he's been told to skip the apostille because it's 100% unnecessary and costs upwards of $200. I'm being told that it very well could be necessary is is $1.70).

This is made all the worse, when our approach to this is WAY different (me: do everything just in case, do everything possible to avoid any potential problem from even coming up him: just do what it says, save your time and money and calm down already, we'll deal with any problem as it comes up), and it is just not possible to do any of this at a leisurely pace because he doesn't live in or near the capital. So every day there is a hotel, meals and day paying the petsitter, plus the cost of transport to and from. It is getting really out of control really quickly.

Ticos are great. The pura vida thing drives me absolutely insane unless I'm on vacation (East Coast born and raised, you couldn't beat the tension out of me with a stick. I dislike Northern California for the same reason). I have had several bad experiences there involving lack of attention to detail and lack of sticking to a plan. Not just from my fiance, but just kind of randomly (obviously it's not everyone but it's much more common than I'm used to), and often with big consequences (stuck in the no-mans-land of the CR/Nicaragua border in the pitch black for 3 hours due to someone else's poor planning, engagement party photographer just up and canceled the morning of because she got busy that day....). So this is bringing my anxiety level up to 11. Which makes fighting over our conflicting pieces of advice much, much worse.

I hate this process so much and cannot wait for it to be over.

hey Catherine,

Keep your calm and handle things as best as you can. There's this l"too chill" attitude that comes up when you are dealing with folks outside the US especially around the tropics.

Procrastination and they are too laidback for an American's comfort. I like to plan ahead especially when there are other people involved but my partner likes to wait last minute than rush everybody..lol..

Keep him on his toes and handle things.

I'm sure this not the advice you are looking for but hopefully ,it helps you keep down and keep things going.

[Pennycat 880]

hey Catherine,

Keep your calm and handle things as best as you can. There's this l"too chill" attitude that comes up when you are dealing with folks outside the US especially around the tropics.

Procrastination and they are too laidback for an American's comfort. I like to plan ahead especially when there are other people involved but my partner likes to wait last minute than rush everybody..lol..

Keep him on his toes and handle things.

I'm sure this not the advice you are looking for but hopefully ,it helps you keep down and keep things going.

Oh, for sure I'm aware. I've spent a lot of time in Costa Rica by now and have traveled around Central America a bit. I have lived in both the Polynesia (island time!) and Southern Africa, where the pace of life and attitudes towards urgency are a much more similar to those in Costa Rica than the US (the similarities end right about there, though). I'm generally pretty cool with the laid back thing--- even living and working/going to school in this type of environment. It does drive me nuts, at least at first, but for the most part, I've made the adjustments. The problem is that I don't live in Costa Rica , I just fly back and forth all the time, so it's more like needing to make the adjustment every couple of months and I'm soooooo over it for now (unless we're talking vacation. I could reeeealy use a vacation right about now).

And even while I can mostly just sort of go with the flow and let things unfold the way they will -- example: our engagement party weekend was a complete disaster from the organization/planning perspective, and just kind of laughed most of it off and had a blast. There is literally not one single thing that went as planned (except for my parents' hotel. They were on point). Add in a friend of mine losing his passport and my fiance's car breaking down and some of our guests losing their room key, after the hotel desk was closed and drunkenly attempting to sleep in the hammocks in the common room and being so loud about it they woke up the entire hotel...I honestly now believe in God and I believe that he is a sick, sick entity with a cruel, but very well-honed sense of humor. Seriously, short of being disappointed (there were some tears) about the photographer canceling at the last minute, I was a total champ the whole time. Pura vida, no big deal. Same deal with being stuck on the border. My attitude was "Eh, we'll get through eventually. Or not".

Seriously. I swear I can roll with things-- so even though I can mostly just kind of go with the flow, this very particular process is *killing* me because you can't really have the attitude of "ah whatever, it'll work itself out" because you're dealing with the US government and it just does not fly and the consequences are major. I *think* he's gotten the point by now (just finished his last medical right now) but BOY OH BOY has it been a struggle getting here. And, as said previously, the conflicting information/advice we're both getting combined with vastly different approaches to risk management has made this a living nightmare and I came here to ask if anyone had any idea what is *actually required* vs what is maybe a good idea just in case, to cover your bases. I generally like to do everything to cover all bases, but I am dealing with someone who does not see the point in doing so and refuses to do it unless it is actually a requirement.

And so I am trying to figure out which of the two levels of importance it actually is. I've made all the calls/emails I can. I'm waiting for replies. To me it SEEMS optional, or only required if you're getting married in some really strict county or maybe it's something to do with the military (??) or perhaps because Fox1983 also has divorce issues to deal with, but the fact that both Fox1983 and another CR filer (the only other recent K1 CR filer here) did the apostille, I'm wondering if I'm missing something obvious. Again, if this were up to me, this would have been done already, required or not. This is really not entirely up to me, and there are huge logistic concerns as well (namely: the documents are currently hundreds of miles away from both my fiance and the place to get an apostille).

[Russ&Caro 1,549]

engagement party weekend was a complete disaster from the organization/planning perspective, and just kind of laughed most of it off and had a blast. There is literally not one single thing that went as planned (except for my parents' hotel. They were on point). Add in a friend of mine losing his passport and my fiance's car breaking down and some of our guests losing their room key, after the hotel desk was closed and drunkenly attempting to sleep in the hammocks in the common room and being so loud about it they woke up the entire hotel...I honestly now believe in God and I believe that he is a sick, sick entity with a cruel, but very well-honed sense of humor. Seriously, short of being disappointed (there were some tears) about the photographer canceling at the last minute, I was a total champ the whole time. Pura vida, no big deal. Same deal with being stuck on the border. My attitude was "Eh, we'll get through eventually. Or not".

The lost passport issue sort of parallels what happened at my wedding in Colombia. My brother briefly left his backpack out of range of his eye and it was stolen. He didn't care about the replaceable i-pad or digital camera, but the lost passport was a real problem since the wedding was in a city significantly far from the capital. My then-fiance, now wife, earned some major cred with the relatives as she spoke extensively with hotel management, embassy officials and local police, on behalf of the family. In the end, a person came forward with the passport and asked for a finder's reward. My brother met with the person and gave him $10 for the passport. I held my wife back from going to the meeting with my brother because the "finder" would have otherwise met up with some physical violence. lol Life in the tropics!

Catherine, you sound like a very cool person, albeit with that East Coast highstrungedness, as you mentioned. I'm sure you guys will sail through this process, although I can't disagree with your evaluation of it as a terrible process to be forced to go through. I think just about everyone in this forum would agree with that.

[LoveMyTico 999]

Its not needed. You're stressing out over nothing. Make sure you have English translations for everything that is not in English

[Fox1983 5]

For the interview at San jose you just need everything to be in English and the OIJ crime record authentified at the OIJ building 4th floor.

[Pennycat 880]

Actually technically translations aren't needed either. The instructions say "recommend" . It is mandatory if they aren't in English or the official language of the country. CO's cannot be sent to work in embassies unless they speak the local language to a certain degree of proficiency and many COs spend a year or more assigned to DC for language learning at the State Department's language intitute, so if they were unable to read a birth certificate, that would be a sorry state of affairs. That said, it can make everything easier, and we'll need translated copies here in the US and would rather take care of it there than here. Also it does not need to be a professional. It says "competent ", and anyone can sign the form claiming competency.

And yep, I know. the OIJ thing is in the instructions. He thought he took care of it in his city. I was pretty sure he didn't. He was wrong. I was right. We argued about it until 1am. He'll have to figure out a time to do it, probably go to San Jose a day or two early.

Edited September 19, 2015 by CatherineA

[LoveMyTico 999]

I've spoken to the consulate many times. Each time they told me they NEED the translations. They also sent an email with the instructions indicating all documents must be translated into English. It is not worth the delay it could cause if you don't get them and they want them.

Edited September 19, 2015 by LoveMyTico

[Pennycat 880]

Wait no. ...the 4th floor OIJ thing is not in the instructions. Just the type of report (he got the wrong one either way). Where are you getting all of this from? A lawyer there? You're really doing things the hard and expensive way which if that's what you're choosing to do for yourself, that's fine, but please stop passing this along like it's some requirement that somehow only you know about.

[LoveMyTico 999]

Wait no. ...the 4th floor OIJ thing is not in the instructions. Just the type of report (he got the wrong one either way). Where are you getting all of this from? A lawyer there? You're really doing things the hard and expensive way which if that's what you're choosing to do for yourself, that's fine, but please stop passing this along like it's some requirement that somehow only you know about.

its not in the instructions but it's needed. Edited September 19, 2015 by LoveMyTico

[Pennycat 880]

I've spoken to the consulate many times. Each time they told me they NEED the translations. They also sent an email with the instructions indicating all documents must be translated into English. It is not worth the delay it could cause if you don't get them and they want them.

I have that document too, it says "recommend". I have several friends who are consular offices (some from college, some former neighbors who were living here while assigned to State's language institute) who said that's how most places work, particularly places with easy local languages (therefore their burden for language proficiency is much higher). I'm doing it anyway because as recommended by another recent filer (who did not get things translated before the interview ) it's cheaper and easier to do there than here.

Edited September 19, 2015 by CatherineA

[Pennycat 880]

its not in the instructions but it's needed.

And if we're not clairvoyant? How does one find out that this is needed? If I'd never come across this site (which I'm starting to wish I never had), and just handed the checklist to my fiancé. ...what then?

[LoveMyTico 999]

I didn't get the form letter instructions. I received separate emails that had specific instructions added in. I called them every other day. Every single time they told me it is required. So do what you want...but personally, I prefer to do what the consulate told me. Sometimes the instructions are outdated. They send form letters . I wouldn't take the chance.

[LoveMyTico 999]

Then you would have a delay. I have done this twice through San Jose. You can do what you want, but I'm telling you my experience. I called them directly every other day from the U.S.. Their instructions are not always complete. Its just how it is. Stay on top and don't have attitude with people who are trying to help. My husband just entered the U.S. January 2015. I attended the interview. I was there when they told is to get the documents translated. . if you don't want to take advice...then good luck.

[Pennycat 880]

Then you would have a delay. I have done this twice through San Jose. You can do what you want, but I'm telling you my experience. I called them directly every other day from the U.S.. Their instructions are not always complete. Its just how it is. Stay on top and don't have attitude with people who are trying to help. My husband just entered the U.S. January 2015. I attended the interview. I was there when they told is to get the documents translated. . if you don't want to take advice...then good luck.

I already said several times I'm getting the translations anyway. It's a moot point. How someone else got through without them I don't know but that's easy to take care of.

Its not attitude, its a logistical question. Seriously, how on earth are you supposed to know about this 4th floor OIJ thing if you're among the 90% of filers who don't read visajourney? This lack of instruction causes a delay for 90% of filers?

It's also difficult because the first I've heard about the 4th floor OIJ thing is from the same person who told me previously (pm weeks ago, starting this confusion ) that the apostille is required, which it is clearly not (as you've said). So you can maybe understand the skepticism in this regard?

If it were up to me I'd have done all of this, apostille included, weeks ago. This is obviously not up to me and short of hiring a kidnapper to force him to do things my way, I have zero control over this unless it's written out in instructions. The discovery that the apostille is not a requirement (after days of bickering about it) lost me some very serious ground in this battle. At this moment, he is simply not going to believe anything I've read here. Hence the fighting until 1am last night. This has all been major factors in a pretty significant and very stressful fight with my and I'm just at the end of my rope with all of it and I just need answers on "how do people know this is a requirement " beyond "visajourney ". How do non visajourney folks find out about it? At the judicial registry in San jose? Get delayed/denied?

[LoveMyTico 999]

My husband was told about 4th floor by the place that issues the police certificate. Embassy didn't say anything. But that's Costa Rica for ya. Its how it is. I guess back in the day, instructions letters had to be picked up. They didn't even email them. So they just explained it face to face. We had all the stuff done the day after our approval. I was on top of everything because I had VJ. I really feel sorry for the people who don't know about VJ. I can't even imagine the long wait because If I didn't know.