Foreign police certificate requested

[Too Hot Too Cold 0]

Don't worry, I'm happily married and adjusting status in the USA.

This is just my little tale of woe that might help others who were in my position.

My father was in armed forces and as a result I lived in Germany for a time.

I lived there from the age of 14 1/2 and returned aged just under 16 years and 11 months.

Now the information you'll read on the London Embassy website and in the packet

you receive says something like...

Police certificates are required for each visa application aged 16 years or older. A separate certificate is required from the police of each country in which the applicant has lived for twelve months or more after the age of 16; the period is six months if country of birth or current nationality.

Another bit of text in the checklist wasn't so clear.

So, I thought, I come in just under the 12 months so I don't need a Germany police certificate.

I wasn't sure what to do, but thinking the process of obtaining a Germany police certificate could be time-consuming and a possible cause of delay I decided to call the (premium rate) Visa helpline. Although unsure they tried to help and finally gave me the answer I wanted to hear: I didn't need one.

To complete the checklist my fiancée needed to send me a packet of information. She had done that. On the day I had my medical in London everything seemed to have gone fine and the doctor mentioned the interview should be within 4 weeks of the medical. I called my fiancée in the states and we were optimistic. I arrived home from London and saw the packet my fiancée had sent had arrived. The day was perfect.

But then I saw a letter from the US Embassy in London. I opened it and read it:

it was a request to obtain a Germany police certificate.

****ing hell! ****! ****ing ********! ****!

I said something like the above. Very loudly.

Having read that it could take 4 weeks to process the Germany police certificate request and adding time to get the necessary certifications and translation I was thinking at that it would cause a 2 month delay.

This was in mid-late May. My wife is a teacher and we wanted to marry while she was on vacation so we could have some time together before she went back to work. Also, I wanted my family to come over for the wedding and since I wasn't used to driving, being a commuter using public transport and Maine not having any significant public transport it would be much easier if my wife were on vacation.

So, at that point I was thinking that we had no chance of my moving there during summer vacation so we arranged for my fiancée to visit the UK in July. It would have been much cheaper for me to go over to the US and stay with her, but I didn't have enough prorated annual leave left for a whole week and my circumstances meant that I couldn't justify asking for unpaid leave.

Naturally I was feeling very low and very foolish for not having played safe and applied for the certificate.

I didn't want to take a chance and send the checklist off without having everything on it. It asks you to sign saying that you have everything and there was no way I'd put my signature to a lie.

And so I began the process of obtaining a translated police certificate from Germany. I used the German London embassy website and telephoned the Germany embassy in London to get the information I needed

To obtain the certificate I needed to :

(1) Get a certified application form.

(2) Send the form to the German Justice department in Bonn.

(3) Wait for the certificate back

(4) Get a certified translation.

(1) Get a certified application form.

I didn't have to go to the embassy. They have a number of solicitors around the country who are Honorarkonsul.

They have the ability to certify documents for legal recognition in Germany. The nearest and easiest was at a company in Leeds. The German embassy in London can tell you where your nearest Honorarkonsul is.

So I made a morning appointment with the company, taking my passport with me. A legal secretary had the signed, stamped form ready for me to fill in. I showed her my passport and paid a fee. It was something like #15.

(2) Send the form to the German Justice department in Bonn.

A had a cheque, envelope and stamp ready and I sent the form to Bonn address.

The fee was #11, the official sterling equivalent of the 13 euros. You can send a cheque from a UK bank

in pounds sterling.

It cost a couple of pounds to send it, I think. I could have paid more and saved a couple of days, but given the delay I was expecting I didn't think it would be worth the cost of expediting the posting.

(3) Wait for the certificate back.

I think it was about two weeks after posting the application that I received an envelope from Germany.

The response was so quick that I thought I must have made a stupid mistake with the form or cheque.

But no. It appeared to be a certificate. Keine Eintragung. No entry. :-)

(4) Get a certified translation.

I contacted a couple of the translators listed on the website. One wasn't available but another was.

(By the way, don't phone her number at night. I was expecting an answering machine and she answered and was annoyed . Oops! )

The next day morning I phoned the translator and she told me to send a copy of the certificate and cash or postal order with the fee. I think it was #10, but I'm not sure.

I sent the copy "signed for". That was a waste of time. It still hadn't appeared online on the Royal Mail website when I received the returned translation. I lived with my parents and had them phone me at work when it arrived and got them to check that it contained a translation.

I then immediately phoned the solicitors in Leeds to arrange an appointment to have the translation certified. I was able to get an appointment for the next morning. It was another #10 or #15 pounds. As instructed by the translator, I took both the translation and the original certificate with me to the solicitors to prove that the translation was of the same document. The legal secretary attached a certification to the translation and stamped it.

(Just a note: when several sheets are stapled together you must keep them stapled together for the document to remain legal. A folded corner and stamp across the staple will show that they are associated. I was careful about this.)

With the translation in my possession I was then able to sign the checklist and send it to the embassy.

From receiving the letter requesting a Germany police certificate to sending the signed checklist had taken 3 weeks exactly, and that included a day lost to a Bank Holiday.

Our hope of being able to marry during the summer vacation was restored and sure enough I got my visa in time,

thanks also to my employers, with whom I'd been open about my visa process, allowing me to leave with less than 4 weeks notice.

The lessons learned:

(1) If you aren't sure whether you'll need the police certificate apply for one anyway. It'll save the future delay.

(2) Don't bother with the visa helpline.

(3) Germans really are efficient!

C, happily married in Maine

[Otto 83]

(3) Germans really are efficient!

Happy Thanksgiving...

[mnieto 2]

The lessons learned:

(3) Germans really are efficient!

Yep, we are.... ,

I actually ordered my German police clearance today, they've said that I'll receive it in a week.

Where they are REALLY efficient is when it comes to Birth Certificates:

mine arrived several days ago, stamped and signed with black ink. I called them up and asked for a Cert that is being stamped and signed with blue ink, as the US-embassy might think that the Cert is just a copy.

The response I got was - sorry,we don't use blue ink as blue ink is not forgery-proof.

So, they sent me a new one which they graciously signed with blue ink, but the stamp will stay black for eternity.

I just can hope and pray that the embassy won't give me a hard time with my black stamped Birth Cert.

Sorry, that was a little off topic, but efficiency can sometimes be a pain in the neck....!

[nivesito 0]

At the embassy in Zagreb they told me that I don't need a translation of a German police record since it's says "Keine Eintragung". So, I saved a little bit of money but I'm not sure if I need a translation of it when I apply for AOS. I obtained a German police record while I was in Germany and it took a week, which is great. In Croatia I got one in 10 minutes

[mnieto 2]

At the embassy in Zagreb they told me that I don't need a translation of a German police record since it's says "Keine Eintragung". So, I saved a little bit of money but I'm not sure if I need a translation of it when I apply for AOS. I obtained a German police record while I was in Germany and it took a week, which is great. In Croatia I got one in 10 minutes

Nives,

I'll also need a police clearance from Zagreb as I spent 4 years in Croatia....I called kaznenu evidenciju and they said that they can issue the "izvadak iz kaznene evidencije" right away.

Do you know if they are as quick at the "opcinski sud" to issue the "potvrdu o nekaznjavanju"??

[nivesito 0]

At the embassy in Zagreb they told me that I don't need a translation of a German police record since it's says "Keine Eintragung". So, I saved a little bit of money but I'm not sure if I need a translation of it when I apply for AOS. I obtained a German police record while I was in Germany and it took a week, which is great. In Croatia I got one in 10 minutes

Nives,

I'll also need a police clearance from Zagreb as I spent 4 years in Croatia....I called kaznenu evidenciju and they said that they can issue the "izvadak iz kaznene evidencije" right away.

Do you know if they are as quick at the "opcinski sud" to issue the "potvrdu o nekaznjavanju"??

[mnieto 2]

Oh,by the way Nives, I just saw that your interview is next Monday,right?

SRETNO!!!

[nivesito 0]

Oh,by the way Nives, I just saw that your interview is next Monday,right?

SRETNO!!!

At the embassy in Zagreb they told me that I don't need a translation of a German police record since it's says "Keine Eintragung". So, I saved a little bit of money but I'm not sure if I need a translation of it when I apply for AOS. I obtained a German police record while I was in Germany and it took a week, which is great. In Croatia I got one in 10 minutes

Nives,

I'll also need a police clearance from Zagreb as I spent 4 years in Croatia....I called kaznenu evidenciju and they said that they can issue the "izvadak iz kaznene evidencije" right away.

Do you know if they are as quick at the "opcinski sud" to issue the "potvrdu o nekaznjavanju"??

Yes, you get them right away. It took me 2 hours to get my birth certificate and police clereances ("izvadak iz kaznene evidencije" and "potvrdu o nekažnjavanju") on 3 different locations in the city. If you have any other questions you can PM me.

Hvala

[Ian + Anne 0]

C, happily married in Maine

ROFL --- Nice to see a fellow Brit here in Maine, I was wondering if I was the only one !

About to send of my AOS forms here now that they are complete.

Where about's in the UK are you from Colin if you don't mind me asking ?

Congrats to you and your wife, long may it last

Ian

[Too Hot Too Cold 0]

C, happily married in Maine

ROFL --- Nice to see a fellow Brit here in Maine, I was wondering if I was the only one !

There are several of us. londonspod keeps a list of Brits and there were a few in Maine.

I added myself with this post

About to send of my AOS forms here now that they are complete.

I hope it goes smoothly for you. My AOS has only been touched once since the my biometrics on November 1st although my EAD is apparently ordered.

Mind you, they have supposedly also sent confirmation of my EAD approval but I haven't received it yet.

The biometrics at the Portland USCIS office were easy enough: it's conveniently located near the Portland mall. When we went it was empty so I was in and out before my appointment time!

Where about's in the UK are you from Colin if you don't mind me asking ?

Well, I was living near Doncaster but I'm kind of from various places. (Services child).

You?

Congrats to you and your wife, long may it last

Ian

Thanks Ian.

I love her very much so I think it'll last a long time.

I hope you and Anne are happy too.

C

[Johnnie Oz 0]

Thanks for posting this!

I have been debating whether or not to worry about the fact that I have lived in Holland for around 11 months.

The thing is this:

For Dutch police certificates (as noted on the supplemental info sheet you got w Packet 3), the US Embassies have to apply for them. In other words, the visa applicant cannot do this since the Dutch Justice Ministry wont send them to individuals.

So I have been wondering whether or not to contact the embassy with the specific info (address etc) they would need should they decide they want to see this certificate. The worry being that if I do, they will be on to this and request it, resulting in a delay. So I share your concern here.

In addition, unlike your checklist, the checklist the US Emb in Stockholm sent out states that you need police certs from ALL COUNTRIES where you have lived more than 6 months (and not one year). However, the supplemental form I received states the one year rule applies.

OK, two quick questions:

1) why do you think they requested it? Was this before the interview? Did they just want to remind you? I have heard of people being asked out of the blue during interviews, ie not even being warned like you were.

i mean, was the only place you mentioned the 11 months in Germany the DS 230 form? Where it says where you´ve lived since the age of 16.

2) Did you have to show it during the interview?

cheers!

[Too Hot Too Cold 0]

Thanks for posting this!

I have been debating whether or not to worry about the fact that I have lived in Holland for around 11 months.

The thing is this:

For Dutch police certificates (as noted on the supplemental info sheet you got w Packet 3), the US Embassies have to apply for them. In other words, the visa applicant cannot do this since the Dutch Justice Ministry wont send them to individuals.

So I have been wondering whether or not to contact the embassy with the specific info (address etc) they would need should they decide they want to see this certificate. The worry being that if I do, they will be on to this and request it, resulting in a delay. So I share your concern here.

In addition, unlike your checklist, the checklist the US Emb in Stockholm sent out states that you need police certs from ALL COUNTRIES where you have lived more than 6 months (and not one year). However, the supplemental form I received states the one year rule applies.

OK, two quick questions:

1) why do you think they requested it? Was this before the interview? Did they just want to remind you? I have heard of people being asked out of the blue during interviews, ie not even being warned like you were.

i mean, was the only place you mentioned the 11 months in Germany the DS 230 form? Where it says where you´ve lived since the age of 16.

2) Did you have to show it during the interview?

cheers!> my

1) They didn't say why. The letter looked like a standard form "Please bring the following to the interview' with a box marked with an X and next to it some text like "GERMANY police certificate. Please ignore this if you have already applied for one."

It might have been requested because my _period_ of residence was more than a year even though I was only 16 for the last 10 or 11 months.

I did consider putting the start date as the month of my 16th birthday but decided to be completely honest. ;-)

It could simply have been that their data processing program has an automated check that fails to take age at start of residence into account.

2) At London anyway, it's a two-step process. The first step is the document processing. The second is the interview.

In the first step I just handed the certificate and translation with the rest of my documents in the order requested in Packet 3.

So, I have no idea whether they really cared.

(Note: I made sure I brought photocopies of everything and after the lady checked the original documents I said that I had photocopies

and asked for the originals back. That was so that I wouldn't have to get any new copies for the Adjustment of Status.)

What they didn't ask to see was the absolute mass of evidence I had printed and photocopied to show my relationship was continuing.

I spent ages picking emails and taking screenshots from my Skype history. 8-|

Colin

[Johnnie Oz 0]

1) They didn't say why. The letter looked like a standard form "Please bring the following to the interview' with a box marked with an X and next to it some text like "GERMANY police certificate. Please ignore this if you have already applied for one."

It might have been requested because my _period_ of residence was more than a year even though I was only 16 for the last 10 or 11 months.

I did consider putting the start date as the month of my 16th birthday but decided to be completely honest. ;-)

It could simply have been that their data processing program has an automated check that fails to take age at start of residence into account.

2) At London anyway, it's a two-step process. The first step is the document processing. The second is the interview.

In the first step I just handed the certificate and translation with the rest of my documents in the order requested in Packet 3.

So, I have no idea whether they really cared.

(Note: I made sure I brought photocopies of everything and after the lady checked the original documents I said that I had photocopies

and asked for the originals back. That was so that I wouldn't have to get any new copies for the Adjustment of Status.)

What they didn't ask to see was the absolute mass of evidence I had printed and photocopied to show my relationship was continuing.

I spent ages picking emails and taking screenshots from my Skype history. 8-|

Colin

thanks! Good pointer on the photocopies, originals!

[Carty 0]

For Dutch police certificates (as noted on the supplemental info sheet you got w Packet 3), the US Embassies have to apply for them. In other words, the visa applicant cannot do this since the Dutch Justice Ministry wont send them to individuals.

I have just had a RFE from the NVC in Portsmouth for a Dutch police certificate. I live in the UK, but lived in The Netherlands for 6 years. I did my research and saw that I could not apply directly to the Dutch authorities for this as only the US Embassy can make such a request (as highlighted in the above quote from post #11).

I assumed the US Embassey would make this request upon receipt of my detials from the NVC. But apparently not as I have this RFE! (To make matters worse, they are also refusing to accept my birth certificate too....but that's for another thread!).

Can anyone please advise what I need to do?

[* Kristin * 49]

I did a search on 'Dutch police certificate' in the search box on VJ here... it looks like the country that you are residing in needs to request it?! There are only 3 - 4 posts on the subject (none of which I found very helpful) :-/

Good luck...!

I have just had a RFE from the NVC in Portsmouth for a Dutch police certificate. I live in the UK, but lived in The Netherlands for 6 years. I did my research and saw that I could not apply directly to the Dutch authorities for this as only the US Embassy can make such a request (as highlighted in the above quote from post #11).

I assumed the US Embassey would make this request upon receipt of my detials from the NVC. But apparently not as I have this RFE! (To make matters worse, they are also refusing to accept my birth certificate too....but that's for another thread!).

Can anyone please advise what I need to do?