Marriage in the US

[Leah09 67]

Hi,

 

Did any of you applying for a CR1/IR1 visa get married in the US? For those who did, is the original marriage certificate good as such or does it have to be “legalized/apostilled”? To bring to the interview.

[MyJourney 276]

It is up to you what to send the original or copy, but you won't get it back in either case. 

[Leah09 67]

55 minutes ago, MyJourney said:

It is up to you what to send the original or copy, but you won't get it back in either case. 

This isn’t for NVC.. it’s for the interview. Normally foreign marriage certificates need to be legalized but mine is from the US. So I have it as plain as they gave it to me when I got married. 

[MyJourney 276]

Sorry, I did not know that it was for the interview. Since it is from the US, it should be fine, I guess. Ours is from the US as well and I have no plans of legalizing or anything. 

[pushbrk 12,893]

The marriage certificate needed is a certified copy of the actual marriage certificate registered appropriately in the country the marriage took place.  In the case of the USA, it would be the State where the marriage took place.  This is generally something you "order" after the marriage is officially recorded by the applicable government agency.   For all purposes other than the actual visa interview, a photocopy of a certified copy is what is filed.

[Leah09 67]

13 minutes ago, pushbrk said:

The marriage certificate needed is a certified copy of the actual marriage certificate registered appropriately in the country the marriage took place.  In the case of the USA, it would be the State where the marriage took place.  This is generally something you "order" after the marriage is officially recorded by the applicable government agency.   For all purposes other than the actual visa interview, a photocopy of a certified copy is what is filed.

What if I just bring the original certificate plus a copy for them? 

[MyJourney 276]

I am not sure what you guys are talking about. "Apostille" means endorsement and it is for endorsing documents issued in Country A to be recognized/honored by Country B if they are both the signatories of the Hague Convention of 1961. There is no need to apostille a document issued in the USA for the US consulate. Just bring the original and a photocopy if that makes you feel better prepared. 

Edited November 8, 2017 by MyJourney

[Leah09 67]

2 minutes ago, MyJourney said:

I am not sure what you guys are talking about. "Apostille" means endorsement and it is for endorsing documents issued in Country A to be recognized/honored by Country B if they are both the signatories of the Hague Convention of 1961. There is no need to apostille a document issued in the USA for the US consulate. Just bring the original and a photocopy if that makes you feel better prepared. 

That’s what I’m planning to do cause that’s what I have 

[mallafri76 1,012]

Lots of people get married in the US and then do the CR/IR-1. You need to send a copy of the marriage license/certificate with your petition and then bring the original to your interview. What your license/certificate looks like depends on your state but it has to be the official one or a certified copy. In Texas, for example, the marriage license is signed by the minister/person ordaining the wedding, he/she then sends it to the county clerk, who signs it and put their seal on it and the license then becomes the marriage certificate. 

[Leah09 67]

22 minutes ago, mallafri76 said:

Lots of people get married in the US and then do the CR/IR-1. You need to send a copy of the marriage license/certificate with your petition and then bring the original to your interview. What your license/certificate looks like depends on your state but it has to be the official one or a certified copy. In Texas, for example, the marriage license is signed by the minister/person ordaining the wedding, he/she then sends it to the county clerk, who signs it and put their seal on it and the license then becomes the marriage certificate. 

Thanks, mine is from NY

[pushbrk 12,893]

On 11/8/2017 at 4:51 PM, Leah09 said:

What if I just bring the original certificate plus a copy for them? 

Perfect.  However, they would already have a "copy" because you submitted copies to both USCIS and NVC already.

[JFH 12,190]

Bring to the interview exactly what is requested. When I had mine at the London embassy last December there was someone there with a whole file of copies of everything plus originals. The document gathering in London is done in full view and earshot of the waiting area. This person was called to the desk and asked to hand over originals of his marriage certificate, etc. He kept trying to give extra copies as well. He frustrated the clerk hugely! In the end the clerk said "just give me what I have asked you for, nothing more, nothing less". 

[Leah09 67]

7 hours ago, JFH said:

Bring to the interview exactly what is requested. When I had mine at the London embassy last December there was someone there with a whole file of copies of everything plus originals. The document gathering in London is done in full view and earshot of the waiting area. This person was called to the desk and asked to hand over originals of his marriage certificate, etc. He kept trying to give extra copies as well. He frustrated the clerk hugely! In the end the clerk said "just give me what I have asked you for, nothing more, nothing less". 

Haha. The funny part is they do ask to bring originals + copies to the interview, but I dont think they ever ask for the copies. I think they’re just backup in case they lost the copies I sent already.

Edited November 10, 2017 by Leah09

[Thegirl 225]

Mine is from NY I brought it exactly as I got it from the courthouse. I brought original and a copy, as per the checklist I got, but didn't get asked for either at the interview. 

[Leah09 67]

2 hours ago, Keas said:

Mine is from NY I brought it exactly as I got it from the courthouse. I brought original and a copy, as per the checklist I got, but didn't get asked for either at the interview. 

Perfect, thanks!