CR1, getting married in Cambodia. Paperwork required?

[Redro 4,611]

1 minute ago, SteveInBostonI130 said:

 

I thought you were in Cambodia now.  I mentioned the Zoom wedding to get the marriage official while both of you are together, and therefore meet the "consummate" requirement.

 

 

I was referring to the $2k cost of marriage for 3 week processing that the OP mentioned.  I was not referring to the income requirement.

 

 

@Dataunavailable, It seem the marriage process for Cambodia is complicated - probably almost as complicated as the ZAGs process in Ukraine.  I understand your point of view to just do the traditional wedding in Cambodia to involve your fiance's family.  If my wife and I were to go back in time and tried to marry in Ukraine, I would do the Utah Zoom for the official wedding and do a celebratory wedding with friends and family there.

OP had one (maybe 2) K1s denied because they did not believe the relationship was real. 

I understand his reluctance about going the Zoom wedding route. 

 

Perhaps Utah wedding and then celebration with her family in Cambodia is a good compromise? 

[Dataunavailable 82]

1 hour ago, SteveInBostonI130 said:

 

I thought you were in Cambodia now.  I mentioned the Zoom wedding to get the marriage official while both of you are together, and therefore meet the "consummate" requirement.

 

 

I was referring to the $2k cost of marriage for 3 week processing that the OP mentioned.  I was not referring to the income requirement.

 

 

@Dataunavailable, It seem the marriage process for Cambodia is complicated - probably almost as complicated as the ZAGs process in Ukraine.  I understand your point of view to just do the traditional wedding in Cambodia to involve your fiance's family.  If my wife and I were to go back in time and tried to marry in Ukraine, I would do the Utah Zoom for the official wedding and do a celebratory wedding with friends and family there.

Nope, currently in the US still, waiting on work to approve vacation request. I would be more thinking the consular would ask if I was in Cambodia, why I wouldn't just do a regular Khmer wedding. I thought you were meaning do it online while we are both in our home countries. 

[flicks1998 1,044]

4 hours ago, Dataunavailable said:

Does anyone have any experience doing this, I've been in contact with my fiance and about getting a person that handles the paperwork side for you with the ministries etc. 

 

My main question is that there are documents I need to collect here, but I have no idea where I am supposed to get them. The embassy does not help in any of this on where to go. 

 

I've attached a screenshot, I don't even know what #2 is, most seem easy to get. It wants a single certificate, being from the US, that isn't something that is common, I have my divorce decree still from when I sent it in with our K1 previously. 

 

I've lived in a few states, but it doesn't say if it requires something from all states or if just going to my local courthouse will pull a nationwide criminal background check? Which either way works, I have nothing on my criminal record, just not sure what is exactly needed, I'd rather go over prepared than need something when I get there. 

 

Does anyone have time frames on the length of the process, I've been told $2k will get it done in 3 weeks, $2500 for 2 weeks, which is the time you land to the time you can have your wedding. 

 

I know Cambodia is a much less common topic on this forum, but hoping someone sees this that has gone through the process of marrying a Khmer national in Cambodia and has a better walk through than this paper I received. 

Thanks. 

 

There is alot going on here and some concerns.  I have lived and worked in Cambodia and also bought Cambodian citizenship about 10-11 years ago so am familiar with some of the government processes although I am a little out of date on things.  

 

The original intention on the list of requirements to get married in Cambodia was mainly drafted for foreigners who were living in Cambodia,.    At the time, the Cambodia government wasnt thinking that foreigners would fly over from their home countries and then fly back.  At the time, they had also put in an age gap restriction as well.  I dont remember what the age gap was, but these requirements must have come in place around 2015-2017 timeframe, something like this.  That explains the reason they are so generic and in some cases dont even make any sense, for example the medical certificate issued by Cambodian concerned authority.   In the past there were many foreigners living in Cambodia, getting married, and unable to support a wife, family, etc.  If you have spent any length of time in Cambodia between the late 90s through a few years ago, you will know what I am talking about. 

 

The strictest document on that list is the police certificate.  When I have had to provide this to the Khmer government, I was required to get a local (city) police clearance, have this authenticated, then sent that into the State and had them authenticate that on top, and then sent to Washington DC to have that authenticated at a national level where the State Dept put there ribbon on top.  This is what I had to do for my Khmer work visa, as well as when I eventually applied for citizenship.  I had been living for many years by that time outside of the US but they still required this from my "home country."  Therefore, the three US entities that did this was Atlanta, the state of Georgia and the US State Dept.  At a bare minimum, you will need to have an FBI background check.  You should order a few copies as well.  It will state "no arrest record" on it.  It also comes on special paper so if you photocopy it, it says "Copy" on those.

 

@SteveInBostonI130 actually has one of the better ideas which is to get married by the Utah Zoom marriage.  It would require you to fly to Cambodia to consummate the marriage, but then you could file for the CR1 and given what @Kor2USAposted, it seems like the better option given several attempts at the K1.  Which actually leads me to my bigger concern.

 

When I read this thread, the first thought that came to my mind was if you were a Khmer/American or was originally born in Cambodia and immigrated to the US.  However, reading the 1st thread that @Kor2USAattached showed these concerns I had.  It appears your fiance has her mother living in Texas as well as a number of other close family members.  There is a ton of visa fraud that comes out of Cambodia and Vietnam where family members will pay $20-30K to have certain members of the family immigrate, not just to the US, but Canada, the UK, Australia and Germany are very popular destinations.  I am not saying this is what is occuring, I only mention this as one of the roadblocks you may be facing.  This is extremely common for families in Cambodia that have relatives living overseas.  Also there is a ton of document fraud in Cambodia.  Most Khmers, at least pre-1995, never received birth certificates when they were born.  However these can be made up from the government issuing authority.  They are actually "real" documents, but the information on the document is not real.  Names are made up, birthdates, parents names, etc etc.  The US Embassy in PP is well aware of these as well but there isnt much they can do if its coming from the official source.

 

The other mistake I see in that thread is you should always have an interpreter for these type of interviews where the applicants first language is not English.  It doesnt matter how good you think there English is.  I have seen many people who are fluent in English as a second language, completely misinterpret questions that are being asked of them.  Was her interview in English or Khmer?  Previously, K1s and CR1s (believe they were K3s at the time but dont remember) were conducted at the US Embassy in BKK and not in Cambodia.  This changed awhile ago, but some of the FSO's hired by State could speak fluent Khmer.  

 

Have you posted your questions in Khmer440 about getting married in Cambodia?  That would most likely be a better board than this one to get more detailed information on a non-US process.  I also have some US friends who live and work in Cambodia for the past 25 years and they can get through any government red tape, however given your situation, the Zoom marriage just makes much more sense.  Plus in everything that I know, her having so many immediate family members in the US is a huge red flag.  Something that I am concerned on subjecting them to in this case, although I will ask them if there is a good source to understand the current marriage process and can have this sent to you.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 10, 2021 by flicks1998

[SteveInBostonI130 3,454]

4 minutes ago, Dataunavailable said:

Nope, currently in the US still, waiting on work to approve vacation request. I would be more thinking the consular would ask if I was in Cambodia, why I wouldn't just do a regular Khmer wedding. I thought you were meaning do it online while we are both in our home countries. 

When you apply for the I-130, it will take about a year or more before the interview happens.  A good reason for the zoom marriage is all the hoops and complications that you posted.  It is much easier to do a zoom wedding for the official documents and then a large ceremonial marriage with family and friends and photos. 

 

 

[Dataunavailable 82]

28 minutes ago, flicks1998 said:

There is alot going on here and some concerns.  I have lived and worked in Cambodia and also bought Cambodian citizenship about 10-11 years ago so am familiar with some of the government processes although I am a little out of date on things.  

 

The original intention on the list of requirements to get married in Cambodia was mainly drafted for foreigners who were living in Cambodia,.    At the time, the Cambodia government wasnt thinking that foreigners would fly over from their home countries and then fly back.  At the time, they had also put in an age gap restriction as well.  I dont remember what the age gap was, but these requirements must have come in place around 2015-2017 timeframe, something like this.  That explains the reason they are so generic and in some cases dont even make any sense, for example the medical certificate issued by Cambodian concerned authority. 

 

The strictest document on that list is the police certificate.  When I have had to provide this to the Khmer government, I was required to get a local (city) police clearance, have this authenticated, then sent that into the State and had them authenticate that on top, and then sent to Washington DC to have that authenticated at a national level where the State Dept put there ribbon on top.  This is what I had to do for my Khmer work visa, as well as when I eventually applied for citizenship.  I had been living for many years by that time outside of the US but they still required this from my "home country."  Therefore, the three US entities that did this was Atlanta, the state of Georgia and the US State Dept.  At a bare minimum, you will need to have an FBI background check.  You should order a few copies as well.  It will state "no arrest record" on it.  It also comes on special paper so if you photocopy it, it says "Copy" on those.

 

@SteveInBostonI130 actually has one of the better ideas which is to get married by the Utah Zoom marriage.  It would require you to fly to Cambodia to consummate the marriage, but then you could file for the CR1 and given what @Kor2USAposted, it seems like the better option given several attempts at the K1.  Which actually leads me to my bigger concern.

 

When I read this thread, the first thought that came to my mind was if you were a Khmer/American or was originally born in Cambodia and immigrated to the US.  However, reading the 1st thread that @Kor2USAattached showed these concerns I had.  It appears your fiance has her mother living in Texas as well as a number of other close family members.  There is a ton of visa fraud that comes out of Cambodia and Vietnam where family members will pay $20-30K to have certain members of the family immigrate, not just to the US, but Canada, the UK, Australia and Germany are very popular destinations.  I am not saying this is what is occuring, I only mention this as one of the roadblocks you may be facing.  This is extremely common for families in Cambodia that have relatives living overseas.  Also there is a ton of document fraud in Cambodia.  Most Khmers, at least pre-1995, never received birth certificates when they were born.  However these can be made up from the government issuing authority.  They are actually "real" documents, but the information on the document is not real.  Names are made up, birthdates, parents names, etc etc.  The US Embassy in PP is well aware of these as well but there isnt much they can do if its coming from the official source.

 

The other mistake I see in that thread is you should always have an interpreter for these type of interviews where the applicants first language is not English.  It doesnt matter how good you think there English is.  I have seen many people who are fluent in English as a second language, completely misinterpret questions that are being asked of them.  Was her interview in English or Khmer?  Previously, K1s and CR1s (believe they were K3s at the time but dont remember) were conducted at the US Embassy in BKK and not in Cambodia.  This changed awhile ago, but some of the FSO's hired by State could speak fluent Khmer.  

 

Have you posted your questions in Khmer440 about getting married in Cambodia?  That would most likely be a better board than this one to get more detailed information on a non-US process.  I also have some US friends who live and work in Cambodia for the past 25 years and they can get through any government red tape, however given your situation, the Zoom marriage just makes much more sense.  Plus in everything that I know, her having so many immediate family members in the US is a huge red flag.  Something that I am concerned on subjecting them to in this case, although I will ask them if there is a good source to understand the current marriage process and can have this sent to you.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the response, lots of helpful information. To go down the list, I am not Khmer, regarding the background check, so does Cambodia fully require FBI, because some here have said just a local background check, but as mentioned, Cambodia is a bit more rare on this site. But it's worth a shot to see of anyone can guide me and my fiance in a better direction so to say, as we are both learning this process as we go. 

 

People have mentioned the cash for bringing someone here before, I'm sure it happens. But I can attest that is not the case with us, I never understood the people that do come for help and if they don't put all information or lie about something, I have nothing to hide, have always said the truth in my posts, if my fiance and I didn't actually love each other, I wouldn't be in a 3+ year fight to get her here with me, and that's just the immigration side, we've been together longer. 

 

I've never heard Khmer440, is that a forum board like this also? I'd definitely like to check it out. 

 

Thanks again. 

[flicks1998 1,044]

4 minutes ago, Be_Optimistic said:

Appreciate you walking us through your experience. Would you feel comfortable disclosing the state you were living when you applied? I'm in California, and as for the police/criminal report, it feels like getting what the MFA wants is like trying to find a needle in the haystack. What state agency did you have to escalate it to? Then, what agency in DC you had to deal with at the end? I sense that you had lots of frustrations as I am having. 

 

I totally forgot about khmer440 website. It's been a while. 

 

Again, thanks for the reply. Was very helpful. 

I just looked at one of the original copies I had.  There are two processes that I did:

 

1)  My last US address when I applied for all of this was in Dunwoody, GA.  Dunwoody is in DeKalb county.  I went to the county police station and filled out a "Criminal History Record information Consent form" and they ran a background check on me for any crimes.  I received an indented stamp on a form that was stapled to the form.  I then went to the Deputy Clerk of the Superior Court in Fulton County, GA (Atlanta) who put another form with a raised seal that says "State of Georgia" at the top and is confirmation that from their Records Dept that I had no criminal history.  I think took that (with the county and State documents that were all stapled together) and mailed this to the Dept of State in Washington DC.  I received this back with a ribbon from the Dept of State that essentially agrees with the below documents and that there is no criminal record on file.  This entire process took 47 days, which was a pain as I had to fly back to the US and stay for the entire period of time.

 

2) I also applied for an FBI background check in which I had to go to a local police station, do fingerprints on a fingerprint card and mailed this with my application form. 

 

The FBI background check was easier and faster and may be sufficient for the purposes on getting married in Cambodia. However, this is what I need to double check on if its sufficient or not.  #1 was required for work visas in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, etc.

 

My frustrations were minimized as I had help from people in Cambodia, both locals and US citizen friends.  

[flicks1998 1,044]

5 minutes ago, Dataunavailable said:

Thanks for the response, lots of helpful information. To go down the list, I am not Khmer, regarding the background check, so does Cambodia fully require FBI, because some here have said just a local background check, but as mentioned, Cambodia is a bit more rare on this site. But it's worth a shot to see of anyone can guide me and my fiance in a better direction so to say, as we are both learning this process as we go. 

 

People have mentioned the cash for bringing someone here before, I'm sure it happens. But I can attest that is not the case with us, I never understood the people that do come for help and if they don't put all information or lie about something, I have nothing to hide, have always said the truth in my posts, if my fiance and I didn't actually love each other, I wouldn't be in a 3+ year fight to get her here with me, and that's just the immigration side, we've been together longer. 

 

I've never heard Khmer440, is that a forum board like this also? I'd definitely like to check it out. 

 

Thanks again. 

Sure, Im not implying anything on your side.  Just mentioning some of the roadblocks or difficulties you may be facing.

 

Khmer440 is relatively active board.  Its mainly foreigners (of all nationalities) who live in Cambodia full-time.  It can be a great source of information, however that board is not monitored as well as this one.  Therefore you may get dumb responses of people telling you are crazy for marrying a local, etc etc etc.  However there are members that should be familiar with the local marriage process.  This board is better for US immigration questions or the US process.

[Dataunavailable 82]

1 minute ago, flicks1998 said:

Sure, Im not implying anything on your side.  Just mentioning some of the roadblocks or difficulties you may be facing.

 

Khmer440 is relatively active board.  Its mainly foreigners (of all nationalities) who live in Cambodia full-time.  It can be a great source of information, however that board is not monitored as well as this one.  Therefore you may get dumb responses of people telling you are crazy for marrying a local, etc etc etc.  However there are members that should be familiar with the local marriage process.  This board is better for US immigration questions or the US process.

Yeah, and they are what we are facing, as her 2nd K1 interview, the consular asked how far from my house does her sister live and who owns my house. So they do have that thought on the embassy side. Which is why we both discussed and decided that me coming there to marry would be the best chance we have to get a life together, outside me just moving to Cambodia. 

[flicks1998 1,044]

12 minutes ago, Dataunavailable said:

Yeah, and they are what we are facing, as her 2nd K1 interview, the consular asked how far from my house does her sister live and who owns my house. So they do have that thought on the embassy side. Which is why we both discussed and decided that me coming there to marry would be the best chance we have to get a life together, outside me just moving to Cambodia. 

I still think the Zoom marriage is best.  I know from your Fiance family it would be quite strange and not how they would imagined on having their daughter married, but for practicality purposes, if you got married by Zoom, you just fly back and consummate the marriage, at that time you can have a ceremony with her friends and family.  Im more over in the Philippine section, but many USC's have done the Zoom marriage successfully due to the travel ban on foreigners being able to fly back to the Philippines since March 2020.  Its a very easy process.

 

As I mentioned in the PM, let me see if one of the US friends I have there can point you to the latest and clearest information.  It may take a week or so for a response but they would at least know where to point you in the right direction.  They have been navigating Cambodia government agencies for 25+ years.  

Edited December 10, 2021 by flicks1998

[Ryan H 3,812]

***Moved from IR-1/CR-1 Process & Procedures to Asia: East and Pacific regional forum; topic is about marriage procedures in Cambodia.  Hijack post and replies to said post removed; if you have your own question about your own situation, you need to start your own thread.***

[Bd103170 4]

On 12/9/2021 at 8:52 PM, flicks1998 said:

I still think the Zoom marriage is best.  I know from your Fiance family it would be quite strange and not how they would imagined on having their daughter married, but for practicality purposes, if you got married by Zoom, you just fly back and consummate the marriage, at that time you can have a ceremony with her friends and family.  Im more over in the Philippine section, but many USC's have done the Zoom marriage successfully due to the travel ban on foreigners being able to fly back to the Philippines since March 2020.  Its a very easy process.

 

As I mentioned in the PM, let me see if one of the US friends I have there can point you to the latest and clearest information.  It may take a week or so for a response but they would at least know where to point you in the right direction.  They have been navigating Cambodia government agencies for 25+ years.  

Flicks1998 you are most accurate Cambodia poster I ever saw .  Good job on citizenship you are indeed rare poster with even more rare cambodia knowledge  . Zoom wedding no comparrison what a better option it is . Does anyone have first hand experience using zoom wedding and spouse from Cambodia arriving usa ? I understand Philippines other applicants it has worked , but have yet to read Cambodia success story /or failure . Seems no one tried it yet (I hope I'm wrong I haven't read up recently)

Edited February 3, 2022 by Bd103170

[Dataunavailable 82]

15 hours ago, Bd103170 said:

Flicks1998 you are most accurate Cambodia poster I ever saw .  Good job on citizenship you are indeed rare poster with even more rare cambodia knowledge  . Zoom wedding no comparrison what a better option it is . Does anyone have first hand experience using zoom wedding and spouse from Cambodia arriving usa ? I understand Philippines other applicants it has worked , but have yet to read Cambodia success story /or failure . Seems no one tried it yet (I hope I'm wrong I haven't read up recently)

We chose to not do that, I'm in Cambodia currently now and we started the process of having our wedding ceremony, it will be in 7 days actually. Stressful with so much to do and little time on such a short visit, 3 weeks, but we are getting it done. 

 

She isn't in the U.S with me yet, but our 5 year journey on the immigration side is hopefuly coming to a close soon. We've both been ready to start a family together for the last number of years. 

[Dataunavailable 82]

On 12/10/2021 at 11:52 AM, flicks1998 said:

I still think the Zoom marriage is best.  I know from your Fiance family it would be quite strange and not how they would imagined on having their daughter married, but for practicality purposes, if you got married by Zoom, you just fly back and consummate the marriage, at that time you can have a ceremony with her friends and family.  Im more over in the Philippine section, but many USC's have done the Zoom marriage successfully due to the travel ban on foreigners being able to fly back to the Philippines since March 2020.  Its a very easy process.

 

As I mentioned in the PM, let me see if one of the US friends I have there can point you to the latest and clearest information.  It may take a week or so for a response but they would at least know where to point you in the right direction.  They have been navigating Cambodia government agencies for 25+ years.  

Appreciate it, though I'm actually in Cambodia now and our wedding ceremony is going to be next weekend!

[Bd103170 4]

2 minutes ago, Dataunavailable said:

We chose to not do that, I'm in Cambodia currently now and we started the process of having our wedding ceremony, it will be in 7 days actually. Stressful with so much to do and little time on such a short visit, 3 weeks, but we are getting it done. 

 

She isn't in the U.S with me yet, but our 5 year journey on the immigration side is hopefuly coming to a close soon. We've both been ready to start a family together for the last number of years. 

Congrats you made it ! It be over soon good job . Stressfully for sure . Hopefully you'll post after 3 weeks we all be curious details....Have safe journey return