no-spam

For AOS of my spouse, I need to include my birth certificate.

I'm wondering, can I just copy my birth certificate? Do I have to have the copy notorized? or do I need to get another one from my place of birth?

Bluegrass Lass

I'm assuming you are the USC. It's relatively easy to get another copy of your birth certificate from whatever office it is in your state (assuming you were born in the US). In KY, I called the Office of Vital Statistics and paid about $8 for mine to be mailed to me. With the I-129f package, I'm pretty certain I sent in a copy of mine, not the original. Not sure what the I-485 pkg would need. I'd call the mis-information line and see if they know.

Jamie

Andy Platt

You never need to send originals to the USCIS so a photocopy is fine.
However, the photocopy must be of a certified certificate.

Andy.

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I'm not really here, it's just your warped imagination
"no-spam" <member15472@british_expats.com> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > For AOS of my spouse, I need to include my birth certificate.
    > I'm
    > wondering, can I just copy my birth certificate? Do I have to have the
    > copy notorized? or do I need to get another one from my place of birth?
    > --
    > Posted via http://britishexpats.com

MarDae

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Andy Platt
You never need to send originals to the USCIS so a photocopy is fine.
However, the photocopy must be of a certified certificate.

Andy.


I plan on making a copy of the copy I sent in with the I-129F (I made copies of everything I sent). They took my original cert at the K1 interview...either that or my hubby won't own up to losing it...luckily it's only $4 and a 10min trip down town to get another certified copy!

MarDae

Susanna

[QUOTE]Originally posted by MarDae
I understand but just went to check my AOS Package thats ready to mail, and looked at the copy and the original certified copy.

So my question is how will they know the copy comes from a certified one? if the raised stamp mark does not show.

Joe

no-spam <member15472@british_expats.com> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
    > For AOS of my spouse, I need to include my birth certificate.
    >
    > I'm
    > wondering, can I just copy my birth certificate? Do I have to have the
    > copy notorized? or do I need to get another one from my place of birth?

You need to have in your own physical possession a birth certificate
issued directly from the country public records department. It will
have something on it to make it hard to forge, such as an impressed
seal and/or a watermark such as found on the new $20 bills.

But you don't send that to the CIS. Instead, you send a xerox (no
notarization necessary) of it and bring the original with you to all
interviews.

Search for "USCIS no longer routinely requires submission of original
documents" at http://uscis.gov/graphics/fieldoffices/scnational/.

Best wishes,
Joe


---
Caveat Reador: I am just another CIS supplicant and immigration
amateur. You're on your own. My advice may be worth even less than
what I charge for it, so verify it with other sources to your own
satisfaction before acting on it.

"You can't argue with belief." -- Unknown

Aliluv

send copies and take the original to any interviews.

Mrraveltay

Joe wrote:
    > no-spam <member15472@british_expats.com> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
    >
    >>For AOS of my spouse, I need to include my birth certificate.
    >>I'm
    >>wondering, can I just copy my birth certificate? Do I have to have the
    >>copy notorized? or do I need to get another one from my place of birth?
    >
    >
    > You need to have in your own physical possession a birth certificate
    > issued directly from the county public records department.
    > It will
    > have something on it to make it hard to forge, such as an impressed
    > seal and/or a watermark such as found on the new $20 bills.

Or, it might be just a the ink from a rubber stamp..

Matthew Udall

Use a copy. Make sure the original was one that was issued by the civil authority. For the U.S. citizen's birth record, don’t rely on the souvenir birth record from the hospital with the little baby feet ink prints (as they usually won't be acceptable). For the international spouse (I don't like the term "alien"), if you come from a country that issues both long form and short form birth records, use the long form (lists the parent’s names).

Good luck with your AOS.

Sami

Please tell me where does in the AOS Form, I-485, it says that U.S. Citizen Spouse is to include his/her Birth Certificate. It seems to be for the Foreign Spouse

I took this from the Page-1 of Form I-485 (Rev. 02/07/00)N):

"Birth certificate. Submit a copy of your foreign birth certificate or other record of your birth that meets the provisions of secondary evidence found in 8 CFR 103.2(b)(2)."


Located at: http://uscis.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/i-485.htm

JubJub

True, you would only need to send a copy of USC birth cert if you were filing I-130 concurrently or something like that.

Matthew Udall

I don't limit my filings to "bare bones" submissions. A bare bones submission is one where you only follow the bare minimum on the instructions. Experience shows me that one should document a case well regardless of what an instruction may or may not say. When it comes to applying for AOS based upon marriage to a U.S. citizen, than I think it makes for a well documented submission to submit proof of that U.S. citizenship.

Also, when you read the instructions for the I-864, you will see that it says a sponsor must be a citizen or national of the U.S. or an LPR. Therefore proof of U.S. citizenship or proof of LPR status should accompany the AOS submission in the I-864 context.

Steffi

You only need to send a photocopy of the birth certificate. If you want you can include a letter stating that all photocopies are those of originals/certified copies and that you can show them upon request, then sign it.


Technically you don't need to send the USC's birth certificate, but you DO need to include proof of citizenship, so one copy of the birth certificate is usually easier than 50 (exaggerated) copies of the passport. And you do need that for the I-485....trust me, because I received an RFE (Request for Further Evidenced) because I forgot to include it!


Same here...it doesn't make me feel very welcome. Along with the term "advance parole"...can they make you feel any more like a prisoner??