Older NYC marriage certificate

AlterEgo

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Has anyone here submitted an older (pre 1996) marriage license in DR? Our drama goes on. We were married in NYC in 1976. Marriage certificates of that era are several pages long, page one being the marriage license, page two is the portion of the actual marriage, with all the signatures of the priest (in our case), the witnesses etc. We ordered it, apostiled it, fedex to DR, had it translated and BIL brought it to the San Cristobal office where our deslinde has been in process for THREE years. It was a requirement because when we bought the land in 1977, they only put Mr AE’s name on the title. We thought, at our ages, that it would be prudent to have both names on the new deslinde title.

They insist this is not a marriage certificate, I guess because it begins as just a license. It’s probably the first one that old that that have seen. I called NYC, and was told I have no choice of another type, that it changed in 1996. I told her the whole story, and she said to have them call their office and they would confirm this. She assured me they have Spanish speaking staff.

So our plan is to go there in January, in person, with wedding photos and the church document I have, and offer to call NYC so they can speak to someone there. I’m stupified that they will not accept the marriage documentation on page two. If they say it’s only a license once more, I may strangle someone. And they will not process it in only his name, as we applied to have me added. Can you say catch-22?

So, are we the only old farts presenting a marriage certificate of that era?

(And we had planned to finally update his cedula to say married instead of soltero. Again, thinking about the future, since we have property and kids that will have to deal with this someday. The thought gives me agita).
 

AlterEgo

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So NOBODY has ever had to use an older NYC marriage license for anything legal in DR?

I was hoping someone had a bright idea about how to deal with this.
 

karnes

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So basically they are saying your not married...

Go down to the Junta and get married again.
Could be cheaper than all the other costs for paperwork...
 

AlterEgo

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So basically they are saying your not married...

Go down to the Junta and get married again.
Could be cheaper than all the other costs for paperwork...

Don’t think that we didn’t consider this! I’m pretty sure in order for me to get married in DR, I’d have to present proof that I’ve never been married before, or divorce papers. Takes me right back to where we are now. At their mercy.
 

Matilda

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Here is an idea. The people in the Junta Civil Registry know a lot more about marriage certs than the deslinde office. Mr AE will have his records in the Civil Registry in the computer system. He can take the marriage cert and have your marriage recorded there, then ask for a copy of the marriage cert and hey presto a copy in the Dominican format will appear. Just like my Dominican birth cert is in the Dominican format, converted from my British one.

Matilda
 

windeguy

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Here is an idea. The people in the Junta Civil Registry know a lot more about marriage certs than the deslinde office. Mr AE will have his records in the Civil Registry in the computer system. He can take the marriage cert and have your marriage recorded there, then ask for a copy of the marriage cert and hey presto a copy in the Dominican format will appear. Just like my Dominican birth cert is in the Dominican format, converted from my British one.

Matilda

Maybe in just this one case, you actually can fix stupid!
 

Matilda

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Should also have said with that Dominican marriage cert is a simple matter to take to cedular office and update - they will do that on the spot.

And, what is more, they will issue a Dominican marriage cert at the Dominican embassies overseas. Here is the one in New Jersey: NEW JERSEY
152 Market St. Suite 404
Paterson, NJ 07505
Horario: lunes a viernes de 8 am. a 4 pm
Teléfono: 862-336-1900 / 862-336-1901
Fax: 862-336-1902
Correo electrónico: New_Jersey@jce.do

Link to page on JCE site http://jce.gob.do/Cedulacion-Exterior

Matilda
 

AlterEgo

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Here is an idea. The people in the Junta Civil Registry know a lot more about marriage certs than the deslinde office. Mr AE will have his records in the Civil Registry in the computer system. He can take the marriage cert and have your marriage recorded there, then ask for a copy of the marriage cert and hey presto a copy in the Dominican format will appear. Just like my Dominican birth cert is in the Dominican format, converted from my British one.

Matilda

Should also have said with that Dominican marriage cert is a simple matter to take to cedular office and update - they will do that on the spot.

And, what is more, they will issue a Dominican marriage cert at the Dominican embassies overseas. Here is the one in New Jersey: NEW JERSEY
152 Market St. Suite 404
Paterson, NJ 07505
Horario: lunes a viernes de 8 am. a 4 pm
Teléfono: 862-336-1900 / 862-336-1901
Fax: 862-336-1902
Correo electrónico: New_Jersey@jce.do

Link to page on JCE site http://jce.gob.do/Cedulacion-Exterior

Matilda

Oh this actually sounds like it may work! Only problem I see is that the original certificate with the apostile is in DR, as far as trying in NJ. BUT...... every Thursday the Dominican consulate has office hours in Atlantic City (Paterson is over 2 hours away), and tomorrow is Thursday!

Will go talk to them and see what they say. Will report back
 

Matilda

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There are only certain offices overseas which have the civil registry facility and Atlantic City isn't one of them, nor is the Bronx. Maybe you can get someone to get the apostilled cert back from the dorks in deslinde. And call the NJ office. Methinks this plan might work.

Mat
 

AlterEgo

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There are only certain offices overseas which have the civil registry facility and Atlantic City isn't one of them, nor is the Bronx. Maybe you can get someone to get the apostilled cert back from the dorks in deslinde. And call the NJ office. Methinks this plan might work.

Mat

Atlantic City isn’t an official office....the consulate officers utilize an office in the Local 54 (big Union here) building one day a week to serve the many, many Dominicans in the area. I think they come from the Philadelphia consulate. Will find out tomorrow

It’s also the official location for Dominicans to vote in DR elections.
 

Auryn

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I hope that Matilda's idea pans out for you. Maybe you've thought of all this, but I'm wondering if:


-It's possible to renew your vows and receive a new certificate somehow?

-A priest stateside can help...a good Father who might reproduce a "lost" document and thereby obtain a legal copy as well?

-If the girl was so confident there would be a Spanish speaker, maybe she's so smart that she lost your original?

-People must legitimately "lose" their original marriage certificates from pre- 1996. They must not reissue the same, long form paperwork?

If all else fails, dv8's plan will have to be your go to.
 

AlterEgo

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I hope that Matilda's idea pans out for you. Maybe you've thought of all this, but I'm wondering if:


-It's possible to renew your vows and receive a new certificate somehow?

-A priest stateside can help...a good Father who might reproduce a "lost" document and thereby obtain a legal copy as well?

-If the girl was so confident there would be a Spanish speaker, maybe she's so smart that she lost your original?

-People must legitimately "lose" their original marriage certificates from pre- 1996. They must not reissue the same, long form paperwork?

If all else fails, dv8's plan will have to be your go to.

Our document isn’t lost, it’s just in a format that the DR doesn’t understand. All the original documents are on microfilm, and NYC reprints it and then certifies it through the apostile process.

A document from a priest/church can’t be used because it can’t be apostiled. :(
 

dv8

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on a more serious note, you can always sell the property to one of your kids. get a good lawyer to handle that for you. then the kid can do a deslinde. it's a win win situation for everyone. solves the issue of inheritance on the cheap because sale tax is way lower than inheritance tax. and if your kids are all decent human beings they will sort out their shares after your deaths.
 

Aguaita29

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I've seen these types of certificates being accepted here. If the original has been apostilled, the Spanish translation states it's a marriage certificate, and it's been carried out by a certified translator, then it should be good.
Have you checked if anywhere on the translation it does say "Acta de Matrimonio"?

Have you tried talking to someone of a higher rank in that office?
 

AlterEgo

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I've seen these types of certificates being accepted here. If the original has been apostilled, the Spanish translation states it's a marriage certificate, and it's been carried out by a certified translator, then it should be good.
Have you checked if anywhere on the translation it does say "Acta de Matrimonio"?

Have you tried talking to someone of a higher rank in that office?

You know Aguaita, when all this happened, I questioned about the translation. When we sent the originals down, I told my BIL that we knew a good translator in SD, a close friend of Matilda. He said he knew a translator already, and used his person instead of ours. I’ve said several times that if the translation was done properly, there would be no question, as the second page (which was the back of the document back in 1976) is the marriage certificate, with all the signatures of priest and witnesses.

This is not SD, it’s San Cristobal. My sister-in-law swears that the translation says Acto di Matrimonio, and that they pointed to that on the translation, but “these people are so stupid, they refuse to see past the “Marriage License” on page 1”.
 

AlterEgo

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Aguaita, you wouldn’t happen to know anyone in the SC land department, would you??? :laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:
 

Auryn

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Apr 22, 2012
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Our document isn’t lost, it’s just in a format that the DR doesn’t understand. All the original documents are on microfilm, and NYC reprints it and then certifies it through the apostile process.

A document from a priest/church can’t be used because it can’t be apostiled. :(

Yes but I mean, would it be easier if it were declared lost?