Marriage in Russia to a non Russian Citizen

[Wcalmt1 34]

I have accepted that with the K1 Visa being denied and sent back they said we didn't have proof the relationship was valid.

 

so we are now looking into getting married in Moscow, I've read over the list of Items I as a U.S. citizen need to do.  However my lovely Fiance'e is not a citizen of Russia, she's Tajikistan citizen, and in Moscow under a work permit. 

 

is there Any change to the process since she also is not a Russian?

 

 

[TBoneTX 45,303]

Country-specific thread is moved from the CR-1 Process forum to the Russia/Ukraine/Belarus regional forum.

[millefleur 5,046]

1 hour ago, Wcalmt1 said:

I have accepted that with the K1 Visa being denied and sent back they said we didn't have proof the relationship was valid.

Even if you marry and do the CR-1 spousal visa, you still have proof that the relationship is valid and back it up with bona fide evidence. A marriage certificate itself won't necessarily be enough, it depends what you've already submitted and what more you'll need to submit to prove that the relationship is real.

 

1 hour ago, Wcalmt1 said:

so we are now looking into getting married in Moscow, I've read over the list of Items I as a U.S. citizen need to do.  However my lovely Fiance'e is not a citizen of Russia, she's Tajikistan citizen, and in Moscow under a work permit.  Is there Any change to the process since she also is not a Russian?

As far as I understand, if she legally resides in Moscow, she can do everything via the Moscow US consulate. In terms of getting married, are you planning to visit her in Moscow and get married there? Marriage certificates from any country will be accepted as long as they are legal marriages.

 

Does your case have any "red flags" that made them decide to refuse the K-1?

Edited January 28, 2019 by millefleur

[Wcalmt1 34]

Some of the red flags was there was 23 years difference in our age. I've been there twice now spent a lot of time with her family. Her daughters have taken to me immediately. One of their reasons she didn't really have much of our communications. We very rarely use email, It is only recently I realized how to print out our chat history. I believe will be fine with being able to prove a relationship this time. Love to mention I plan on differently being there no matter what when her next interview may be.

 

[millefleur 5,046]

5 hours ago, Wcalmt1 said:

Some of the red flags was there was 23 years difference in our age. I've been there twice now spent a lot of time with her family. Her daughters have taken to me immediately. One of their reasons she didn't really have much of our communications. We very rarely use email, It is only recently I realized how to print out our chat history. I believe will be fine with being able to prove a relationship this time. Love to mention I plan on differently being there no matter what when her next interview may be.

Do you guys communicate in English or another language? If English, how is her level of English?

[Wcalmt1 34]

her English is improving quite a bit since when we met, we still use translator apps sometimes.  

 

 

Does anyone know if any of the steps like getting the translation of the info page of my Passport, can be done in the US?

[Dashinka 24,506]

On ‎1‎/‎29‎/‎2019 at 7:28 PM, Wcalmt1 said:

her English is improving quite a bit since when we met, we still use translator apps sometimes.  

 

 

Does anyone know if any of the steps like getting the translation of the info page of my Passport, can be done in the US?

Why would you need to translate your passport info page?

[millefleur 5,046]

On 1/29/2019 at 4:28 PM, Wcalmt1 said:

Does anyone know if any of the steps like getting the translation of the info page of my Passport, can be done in the US?

Agree with @Bill & Katya, there shouldn't be any reason for translating the info page of your US passport during this process.

[Wcalmt1 34]

It's one of the steps from the U.S. consulate's web page getting married in Moscow.  Step one is to have the landlord or manager register my visa with federal migration office.  2. Get into preasure of Passport translated to Russian, and notarized. 3. Prepare marine lager in Russian and have it Notarized by the U.S. Consulate. 4. Then take the letter to the ministry of foreign affairs, to be authenticated. Which they day takes 5 days.  Then go to the ZAGS office to register and schedule the civil ceremony.  I've heard 32-60 days later. 

[millefleur 5,046]

14 minutes ago, Wcalmt1 said:

It's one of the steps from the U.S. consulate's web page getting married in Moscow.  Step one is to have the landlord or manager register my visa with federal migration office.

Ohhhh OK, you're taking about visiting Russia and getting registered as a foreign visitor there. That's a totally different thing from whatever USCIS requires for filing any petitions for a visa.

 

Since this is something that is required by the Russian government, I would get it translated inside Russia. They probably won't accept a translation from abroad. Plus it'll be cheaper in rubles. They can get a translation turned around in 1 day there, I've done it multiple times.

 

17 minutes ago, Wcalmt1 said:

3. Prepare marine lager in Russian and have it Notarized by the U.S. Consulate

This I do not follow at all....you mean the marriage certificate?

 

[Wcalmt1 34]

 

[millefleur 5,046]

After going back far into my memory, I just remembered to what you are referring to, the step by step guide from the US Embassy:

 

https://ru.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/marriage/

 

Everything is there, do you still have an questions about it? If you'll be staying in Moscow, this should be easy as it's all done in Moscow. Having to commute from another city complicates matters.

[Wcalmt1 34]

Do you know if you have all the papers will the Zags office register and Schedule the same day?   Add in listening on making 2 trips.  1st to register and schedule the Wedding. 2. Get married. Then when I return start the Cr1 visa 

[millefleur 5,046]

18 minutes ago, Wcalmt1 said:

Do you know if you have all the papers will the Zags office register and Schedule the same day?   Add in listening on making 2 trips.  1st to register and schedule the Wedding. 2. Get married. Then when I return start the Cr1 visa 

So it's a little confusing because step 4, "Have the Marriage Letter Authenticated at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," has nothing to do with ZAGS.

 

Let me outline a little more clearly:

 

1. Resigster your passport/visa with whomever sponsored your visa or whomever you are staying with (could be a hotel, could be a person who owns an apartment, etc).

 

2. Get the info page of your passport translated wherever there is a public notary present as well (this must be done in Russia!) - this is for step 4 later on, it's not required for step 1

 

3. Make an appointment under "US Citizen Services" at the US Embassy in Moscow to fill out the marriage letter affadavit. It must be signed in the presence of a notary inside the Embassy...DO NOT SIGN IT UNTIL THE NOTARY ASKS YOU TO (really important as they have to put the seal on it, this costs $50.00 USD)

 

4. Have the Marriage Letter Authenticated at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - this is not ZAGS. This is a separate entity that has nothing to do with ZAGS. You need to bring the marriage letter here, not marriage certificate, (the marriage letter the US Embassy notarized and put their seal on). It takes 5 business days for this document to be ready, there is no expedited option. You cannot get married without this letter and without the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' seals on it.

 

5. Pick up the authenticated "marriage letter" and take all documents to ZAGS, this includes the translation of your passport, the marriage letter and your registration. ZAGS will then schedule the civil service wedding 32 days from the date of registration. As far as I know, there isn't really any way to expedite this, you'll just have to wait for about 1 month until you can actually marry.

 

That's basically it! Any other questions? I've done this not once but twice, so I'm familiar with the steps, heh. I hope you've planned a good 1.5 months to spend in Russia to complete all these steps, or perhaps you might need to make 2 trips to Russia? Do you have any previous marriages/divorces?

 

Edited February 1, 2019 by millefleur

[Wcalmt1 34]

I'll be making 2 trips,  as I only get 5 weeks vacation.   How long does it take to get the passport translated?