Aseem Agarwala

If you have DCF'ed or just gotten married in Belgium, please email me. I have found
two on this newsgroup who have (LianneNC and Erik Hendrix) but their email addresses
no longer work.

My problem is with getting all the documents necessary to marry; the actual DCF seems
like cake compared to this. Specifically, I need some documents that don't exist in
the US (certificate of official residence, eligibility to marry, proof of US common
law on marriage).

If anyone out there has gone through this in Belgium, please contact
me.

Thanks, Aseem

Michael Voight

Did you look the web site for the Embassy Web Site

http://www.usinfo.be

More specifically: (after entering the word "marry" in the search section)

http://www.usembassy.be/consul/amcit/belmarriage.htm

Aseem Agarwala wrote:
    >
    > If you have DCF'ed or just gotten married in Belgium, please email me. I have found
    > two on this newsgroup who have (LianneNC and Erik Hendrix) but their email
    > addresses no longer work.
    >
    > My problem is with getting all the documents necessary to marry; the actual DCF
    > seems like cake compared to this. Specifically, I need some documents that don't
    > exist in the US (certificate of official residence, eligibility to marry, proof of
    > US common law on marriage).
    >
    > If anyone out there has gone through this in Belgium, please contact
    > me.
    >
    > Thanks, Aseem

Peter

i'm from belgium, but am doing the k-1 fiance thingy. only know that ya can get the
certificate of official residence at your local town hall. no idea what ya mean by
those other two.

take care and good luck

peter "Aseem Agarwala" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > If you have DCF'ed or just gotten married in Belgium, please email me. I have found
    > two on this newsgroup who have (LianneNC and Erik Hendrix) but their email
    > addresses no longer work.
    >
    > My problem is with getting all the documents necessary to marry; the actual DCF
    > seems like cake compared to this. Specifically, I need some documents that don't
    > exist in the US (certificate of official residence, eligibility to marry, proof of
    > US common law on marriage).
    >
    > If anyone out there has gone through this in Belgium, please contact
    > me.
    >
    > Thanks, Aseem

meauxna

Aseem,
I just got married in Greece and faced a similar obsticle. Search Google groups for Affidavit of Freedom to Marry or Eligible to Marry. Despite all attempts to secure this document elsewhere, I *had* to go to the US Embassy and swear a statement in front of the Consular Official to satisfy the Greek government. This document seems quite common in Europe.
If you are still in the States, you can get this through your Secretary of State's office. Someone got theirs through the mail, IIRC. Be sure to have it appended with the Apostille stamp and have the both documents translated, if you do it this way.

As another poster suggested, check with your Belgian Consulate. If they don't have the info on their website, don't hesitate to email. I did, and with tremendous result. I've made a contact there that will be helpful in my DCF proceedings.

best,
The Newly Mrs. L
meauxna

Alvena Ferreira

Aseem Agarwala wrote:
    > If you have DCF'ed or just gotten married in Belgium, please email me. I have found
    > two on this newsgroup who have (LianneNC and Erik Hendrix) but their email
    > addresses no longer work.
    >
    > My problem is with getting all the documents necessary to marry; the actual DCF
    > seems like cake compared to this. Specifically, I need some documents that don't
    > exist in the US (certificate of official residence, eligibility to marry, proof of
    > US common law on marriage).
    >
Go to the Doc Steen site->"DCF:Which Visa" link. Then check the "experiences" link.
There is a Belgium experience and an e-mail address there that might work.

Alvena

Doc Steen Site: http://www.mindspring.com/~docsteen/...o/visainfo.htm
=========================================
I am not a lawyer and this is not immigration advice. This is my personal opinion,
gleaned from the previous postings of others, and posted for the purpose of
discussion only. If your case is complicated, then you may need an immigration
attorney. Locate an immigration attorney in your area at: http://www.aila.org
=========================================

Aseem Agarwala

    > Go to the Doc Steen site->"DCF:Which Visa" link. Then check the "experiences" link.
    > There is a Belgium experience and an e-mail address there that might work.
    >
    > Alvena

That is the lianneNC email address, and it did not work.

    >i'm from belgium, but am doing the k-1 fiance thingy. only know that ya can get the
    >certificate of official residence at
your
    >local town hall. no idea what ya mean by those other two.

Why have you chosen k-1 instead of DCF? Anyways, your suggestion works for the
Belgian, but not for the USC. We have no such thing in the States as a certificate of
residence. Thanks, though.

    >Did you look the web site for the Embassy Web Site http://www.usinfo.be More
    >specifically: (after entering the word "marry" in the search section)
    >http://www.usembassy.be/consul/amcit/belmarriage.htm

Yes, I found that, it got me started on the document chase. Unfortunately it doesn't
answer the hard questions.

Thanks, Aseem

meauxna

Actually, that page states:
"2. a certificate of residence showing full name, place and date of birth, last legal residence, nationality and marital status of the individuals. The Belgian communal authorities will deliver such a certificate to the party registered in Belgium. The party not registered in Belgium must obtain it from the authorities of his or her last place of residence **

** A person whose last place of residence was in the United States will not be able to obtain a certificate of residence since this document is not available in the United States. In that case, the person should inquire from the commune authorities what they will accept instead of a U.S. certificate of residence."


I suggest contacting the local government where you plan to get your marriage licence from.


Additionally, it appears that the permission to marry is only required "in the case of members of the United States Armed Forces."

While doing my own paperwork, I found I had to read some of these "rules" more than one time to understand them.
m

Mrtravel

Aseem Agarwala wrote:

    > Yes, I found that, it got me started on the document chase. Unfortunately it
    > doesn't answer the hard questions.

What "hard" questions? You should contact the authorities is the specific commune you
are getting married in, and ask them. Documentation that is acceptable in one commune
may not be acceptable in another.

Des

On a side note, you might not only need to show your marriage certificate with
apostille but also your birth certificate with one. Even though a US passport should
be enough proof of US citizenship, they still wanted to see my husband's US birth
certificate with apostille, in Germany. This was for a name change though at the
_German_ authorities who were super-exact on everything... We thought we had gotten
almost any possible document and then lost time due to this little apostille thing...
You never know, and if you are writing to the secretary of state anyway...

Good luck!
- Des

Aseem Agarwala

meauxna <[email protected]> wrote in message
    > Actually, that page states: "2. a certificate of residence showing full name, place
    > and date of birth, last legal residence, nationality and marital status of the
    > individuals. The Belgian communal authorities will deliver such a certificate to
    > the party registered in Belgium. The party not registered in Belgium must obtain it
    > from the authorities of his or her last place of residence **
    >
    > ** A person whose last place of residence was in the United States will not be able
    > to obtain a certificate of residence since this document is not available in the
    > United States. In that case, the person should inquire from the commune authorities
    > what they will accept instead of a U.S. certificate of residence."
    >
    >
    > I suggest contacting the local government where you plan to get your marriage
    > licence from.
    >

We finally heard back from them today. They want a sworn statement of my residence,
with a notary and an apostille.

    >
    > Additionally, it appears that the permission to marry is only required "in the case
    > of members of the United States Armed Forces."
    >

Unfortunately not; they want proof I'm eligible to marry. This will also involve a
sworn statement with apostille, and something from my local goverment (King County,
Seattle) that I'm not already married (also with Apostille).

Finally, they want a "Gewoonterecht", which is some proof of common marriage law
between the US and belgium. THey said I can contact my embassy for this; I will try
calling them tonight (which is morning over there).

Aseem