marriage in addis ethiopia

[Paul & wubit 0]

hello all

I need some help here if anyone has got married in addis ethiopia

I need to what is the process i keep hearing differnt things i need to have to get married

and i would like to know what do i need to do after i get married there to start the process for the visa

and where do i go and how much does it all cost.

Iam going to be there for about six months when i go back in june.

But i would like to know from some one who got married there where did you start for getting married and wher did you end and what you had to do. the reason i ask is because i want to know what paper's i need to take with me so that i have all the papers i need and i dont want to for get anything.

I would be thankful for any help

Thanks

Paul

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Selam:

Got your PM earlier but haven't gotten around to replying. So, I'll just reply here for the benefit of others that may be browsing the site for the same info:

Here's the information that the US Consulate publishes:

Marriage information: Consular officer issues a free to marry document for a U.S. Citizen or a legal permanent resident. Then the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs should authenticate the document so that the local municipality office accepts the free to marry document.

A fee of $30 or the equivalent in local currency should be paid for notary and any other document execution.

Source

I've done this 2.5 years ago and it's really quite simple (plus, my wife and her family knew exactly what to do and where to go and all of that):

First, you go to the US Consulate and obtain the "free to marry" document. Bring any divorce decree you may have or any other document that details the validity of your claim that you are free to marry with you. If you've never been married before and your county doesn't provide any document showing that you are not married, your word will have to do. At the US Consulate in Addis, you'll be asked to fill out a form and state under oath that you are free to marry. Then you pay the fee ($30.00) and get the signed and notarized paper. You take that document to the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and have it authenticated. The fee for that service back in 2003 was ETB 300.00 - appr. $35.00 - for this "foreign document".

With this authenticated document in hand, you and your future spouse along with your "witnesses" proceed to the Addis Municipal Building - this place is very crowded. You bring ID's and plenty of passport pictures of bride and groom with you (they attach pictures to any and all certificates in Ethiopia - very odd thing). There are several "stations" you have to visit at the municipality but they are all fairly close together. Bunch of papers to fill out as well and a few fees to pay. I don't remember all of it exacty but I think I left between 300.00 and 500.00 Birr there.

After all forms are filed and fees paid, you wait for your name to be called. You enter a room and sit down at one of two stations where people are married and where the marriage is registered. That part takes all of 5-10 minutes. Then you head out and return later in the day to retrieve your marriage certificate(s).

The marriage certificates (at least of them) should be taken back to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be authenticated for future use in your spouse's immigration process. The fee this time is ETB 150.00 since it is now a domestic document that you have authenticated. And that's it. You're done.

The visa is going to be a bit more complicated and costly - and it takes more time.

Information about K3 visa process

Information about the CR1/IR1 visa process

Good Luck!

[Paul & wubit 0]

Selam:

Got your PM earlier but haven't gotten around to replying. So, I'll just reply here for the benefit of others that may be browsing the site for the same info:

Here's the information that the US Consulate publishes:

Marriage information: Consular officer issues a free to marry document for a U.S. Citizen or a legal permanent resident. Then the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs should authenticate the document so that the local municipality office accepts the free to marry document.

A fee of $30 or the equivalent in local currency should be paid for notary and any other document execution.

Source

I've done this 2.5 years ago and it's really quite simple (plus, my wife and her family knew exactly what to do and where to go and all of that):

First, you go to the US Consulate and obtain the "free to marry" document. Bring any divorce decree you may have or any other document that details the validity of your claim that you are free to marry with you. If you've never been married before and your county doesn't provide any document showing that you are not married, your word will have to do. At the US Consulate in Addis, you'll be asked to fill out a form and state under oath that you are free to marry. Then you pay the fee ($30.00) and get the signed and notarized paper. You take that document to the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and have it authenticated. The fee for that service back in 2003 was ETB 300.00 - appr. $35.00 - for this "foreign document".

With this authenticated document in hand, you and your future spouse along with your "witnesses" proceed to the Addis Municipal Building - this place is very crowded. You bring ID's and plenty of passport pictures of bride and groom with you (they attach pictures to any and all certificates in Ethiopia - very odd thing). There are several "stations" you have to visit at the municipality but they are all fairly close together. Bunch of papers to fill out as well and a few fees to pay. I don't remember all of it exacty but I think I left between 300.00 and 500.00 Birr there.

After all forms are filed and fees paid, you wait for your name to be called. You enter a room and sit down at one of two stations where people are married and where the marriage is registered. That part takes all of 5-10 minutes. Then you head out and return later in the day to retrieve your marriage certificate(s).

The marriage certificates (at least of them) should be taken back to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be authenticated for future use in your spouse's immigration process. The fee this time is ETB 150.00 since it is now a domestic document that you have authenticated. And that's it. You're done.

The visa is going to be a bit more complicated and costly - and it takes more time.

Information about K3 visa process

Information about the CR1/IR1 visa process

Good Luck!

I see Thanks

how about a blood test do you have to that and if you do how much is that and where do you go to that .

Thank

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

...how about a blood test do you have to that and if you do how much is that and where do you go to that .

What blood test? The only (mandated) blood test in this whole process is the one for the visa medical down the road. You can find information on the Consulate visa process by clicking on this link. There is no mandatory blood test for you to get married. If you want to have one done prior to getting married, I'm sure your Ethiopian SO can tell you where those can be administered.

Edited March 22, 2006 by ET-US2004

[Paul & wubit 0]

...how about a blood test do you have to that and if you do how much is that and where do you go to that .

What blood test? The only (mandated) blood test in this whole process is the one for the visa medical down the road. You can find information on the Consulate visa process by clicking on this link. There is no mandatory blood test for you to get married. If you want to have one done prior to getting married, I'm sure your Ethiopian SO can tell you where those can be administered.

Thanks

Now i was wondering how long do you think the whole procss will take

and do you think i should file a k3 or should i do DCR

Iam going to stay over there during the whole process iam not comming back to the US till it is all done

I have enough over there to keep me busy while iam there. and i think it would be best to be there during

this Plus i dont want to be with out my baby if you know what i mean.

Rgrds

Paul

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

The K3 will realistically take about 6 months these days. It'll be difficult to do that from over there, though. Not impossible but difficult. DCR? You mean DCF? Not an available option at the Addis Ababa Consulate unless you are a bona fide resident in Ethiopia. It's not that easy to establish bona fide residency (papers and all) over there as far as I remember. Besides, the DCF process, the consulate had me know, easily takes a year as they do not adjudicate I-130's in Addis Ababa. Those that are accepted there are actually sent to Nairobi for adjudication.

Got a question for you: Seeing that it is March and you are looking to head back over in June, why have you not considered the K1 as an option? You could do the filing at this poibnt and then head over there to be there for the interview. If she wants a traditional wedding ceremony in Ethiopia, you can have that, too. Just don't get legally married over there (the process described above). Save that for after you arrive here with her. That would make it all quite a bit less complicated and it would seem to fit your plans better.

Cheers!

[Paul & wubit 0]

The K3 will realistically take about 6 months these days. It'll be difficult to do that from over there, though. Not impossible but difficult. DCR? You mean DCF? Not an available option at the Addis Ababa Consulate unless you are a bona fide resident in Ethiopia. It's not that easy to establish bona fide residency (papers and all) over there as far as I remember. Besides, the DCF process, the consulate had me know, easily takes a year as they do not adjudicate I-130's in Addis Ababa. Those that are accepted there are actually sent to Nairobi for adjudication.

Got a question for you: Seeing that it is March and you are looking to head back over in June, why have you not considered the K1 as an option? You could do the filing at this poibnt and then head over there to be there for the interview. If she wants a traditional wedding ceremony in Ethiopia, you can have that, too. Just don't get legally married over there (the process described above). Save that for after you arrive here with her. That would make it all quite a bit less complicated and it would seem to fit your plans better.

Cheers!

Hello

I thought about the k1 but being that i will be going back and fourth so much over there.

I thought it would easier just to do it all there i just br.ought a house over there and when i go back in june iam going to be starting a bussiness there also while i was there in january i got my investors Licence so that i can do bussiness there so i will be back and fourth a lot That is why i was just going to do everthing while i was there And she is not in a rush to come to the states.

So let me ask you this if i get married there should i file there or here.

How did you do it you got married over there. right And also i talked to the ethiopian embassy in washington dc and they told me to do it all over there

So iam just trying to see which way i will go i need all the input i can get

Rgrds

Paul

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Well, you may actually qualify for the DCF process having a home and business over there. Don't know. Check with the US Consulate in Addis on that. The Ethiopian embassy in DC has really no jurisdiction or say so in this process.

I married my wife in Addis, went back to the States, filed my papers, went back to Addis about 4 months later and finished the K3 visa process over there with my wife and then took her home with me.

[kaydee457 13]

Got a question for you: Seeing that it is March and you are looking to head back over in June, why have you not considered the K1 as an option? You could do the filing at this poibnt and then head over there to be there for the interview. If she wants a traditional wedding ceremony in Ethiopia, you can have that, too. Just don't get legally married over there (the process described above). Save that for after you arrive here with her. That would make it all quite a bit less complicated and it would seem to fit your plans better.

Cheers!

The K1 unfortunately isn't the best bet for his circumstance. With the k1 he and she will need to return to the U.S. within 6 months of issuance get married.

Following that she will need to apply for AOS.

Unlike the K3, she will need to apply for AP before she's allowed to leave the country. With a K3 she's free to travel after the marriage.

This is the primary reason I'm sitting in the Abu Dhabi, UAE and my wife is sitting in my home in the USA. No AP yet!

I had to leave her behind. The DCF or K3 is the better of his choices I think.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

The K1 unfortunately isn't the best bet for his circumstance.

Right. Unfortunately, those circumstances weren't clear until after I posted my earlier response. There was no mention of a back-and-forth, a business in Addis, etc. I have since suggested that he try and pursue the DCF path since that would likely be the most beneficial in his (rather unique) case.

[Paul & wubit 0]

The K1 unfortunately isn't the best bet for his circumstance.

Right. Unfortunately, those circumstances weren't clear until after I posted my earlier response. There was no mention of a back-and-forth, a business in Addis, etc. I have since suggested that he try and pursue the DCF path since that would likely be the most beneficial in his (rather unique) case.

Well i must say iam glad i found you all

I think the k 3 might be better In order to do DCF you have to be a resdient i think

And in order to get a resdient card in Addis after you are married you can only stay in the country 4 month s

then you have to exit the country and re enter and you have to do that for a total of one year. then you can get a resdeint card,

I was able to do bussiness and everything because i got my investors licence

Now if i can file DCF on my investors licence i might just go that route or k 3

all i know iam just trying to get all my stuff togeather before i go

and as i start this process from beging to end i will keep eveybody posted

Amesegnalehu

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

And in order to get a resdient card in Addis after you are married you can only stay in the country 4 months then you have to exit the country and re enter and you have to do that for a total of one year. then you can get a resdeint card,

Yeah, I remember the resident issue being rather obscure. One of the things we were told back then (I tried to do the DCF) was that I'd have to married to the Ethiopian national for more than a year.... I stopped listening at that point because I knew I could get my wife home faster going through the USCIS over here.

What you might want to do is send an email to the US Consulate and ask if the DCF option would be available to you seeing that you will be in Addis for about a half year and that you have your (future) spouse and business there and all. Their email address is consaddis@state.gov . Give it a shot.

Da nader!

[Paul & wubit 0]

And in order to get a resdient card in Addis after you are married you can only stay in the country 4 months then you have to exit the country and re enter and you have to do that for a total of one year. then you can get a resdeint card,

Yeah, I remember the resident issue being rather obscure. One of the things we were told back then (I tried to do the DCF) was that I'd have to married to the Ethiopian national for more than a year.... I stopped listening at that point because I knew I could get my wife home faster going through the USCIS over here.

What you might want to do is send an email to the US Consulate and ask if the DCF option would be available to you seeing that you will be in Addis for about a half year and that you have your (future) spouse and business there and all. Their email address is consaddis@state.gov . Give it a shot.

Da nader!

Ok i will do that

i have another question

Right now my better half is in djibouti doing some things over there i was wondering if she needs to get a police cert from there before she comes back to Addis Because when she leavs there she will not be going back and if she needs one i can tell her to get it while she is there. I do know that they did detain her while i was there in djibouti back in oct because she did not have her passport on her and i to go and get her out

Da nader!

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Right now my better half is in djibouti doing some things over there i was wondering if she needs to get a police cert from there before she comes back to Addis Because when she leavs there she will not be going back and if she needs one i can tell her to get it while she is there. I do know that they did detain her while i was there in djibouti back in oct because she did not have her passport on her and i to go and get her out

She'll need a police cert from any place where she resided for more than 12 months after reaching the age of 16. So, it depends on how long she resided in Djibouti.

[Lily1 0]

Right now my better half is in djibouti doing some things over there i was wondering if she needs to get a police cert from there before she comes back to Addis Because when she leavs there she will not be going back and if she needs one i can tell her to get it while she is there. I do know that they did detain her while i was there in djibouti back in oct because she did not have her passport on her and i to go and get her out

She'll need a police cert from any place where she resided for more than 12 months after reaching the age of 16. So, it depends on how long she resided in Djibouti.

can any one tell me how long is the wait from the time your case is " complete" to interview. how does that determine , am at the nvc stage my case is about to be completed am guessing next week i should be done