Hello all,
Thank you in advance for looking and hopefully responding to this lengthy email.
I'm looking for some help please. I just came back from Egypt a couple weeks ago. I was there to complete all necessary paperwork over there so that I can complete the I-130 process so my wife can immigrate here to be with me. Everything had gone smoothly until i went back to the U.S. embassy with my english translation of our Egyptian marriage certificate.
Before I went to the embassy I called them to ask if i could come to have my english translation authenticated without an appointment (I had already visited the embassy a few days earlier to begin the process of marriage in Egypt, and at that point NOBODY indicated that the end of the process I needed to come back to the embassy, NOR was it indicated in the step by step paperwork I found on the embassy's website), I was informed that I could come the following day and i would be helped.
So i went to the embassy the following day, and i was informed by them that they can/will not help me without an appointment (mind you appointments are booked 2 months in advance, as i had booked the first appointment 2 months before). When i explained my explanation further the lady told me to leave or she would have me escorted out by security!
I went back to my hotel and emailed the embassy to express my frustration and concern. Below is the response i received:
Dear Sir,
Thank you for your email message.
If you obtain an English marriage certificate from the Egyptian Ministry of Justice Translation office, you DO NOT need to have it authenticated at the American Embassy to use for immigration in the United States.
Regards,
American Citizens Services
Consular Section
U.S. Embassy, Cairo
However,
here is what the Embassy website states:
To use the marriage certificate in the U.S., it should be translated into English at the Notary Public Authority-located on 57 Ramses Street, Cairo. The fee is 15.00LE for each page. It takes 1-2 days to receive the translation, which must then be authenticated by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (11.00 LE) and authenticated by the American Citizen Services Unit at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo ($50.00).
Please note: If you do obtain an English marriage certificate from the Egyptian Ministry of Justice Translation office, you DO NOT need to have it authenticated at the American Embassy to use for immigration in the United States.
Here is the problem. I called the Egyptian Embassy in Chicago and spoke with the liaison who deals with this constantly and he indicated that WE MUST have the U.S embassy in Cairo authenticate the document. I am now back in the states with the Original Marriage Translation Document. Does anyone have any suggestions/advice? I'm so confused and angry about this. All this could have been avoided if the lady would have just authenticated the document when i showed up.
