K1 process vs. married in DR thus allowing my SO to come over?

[Tt_er]

Since it appears that you are not going to file anything until you return to the U.S. after getting married, the only things you'll need is whatever documents the Dominican Republic requires for you to get married in the Dominican Republic. I would definitely not return to the U.S. until after you receive a certified copy of your marriage certificate. You are definitely going to need that to file the I-130. If you and your spouse have ever been married before, you are also going to need proof that those marriages have been terminated (divorce decree or death certificate of ex-spouse).

Spot on.....I will see what docs I need to get married in DR. Eventually, if I search enough, I will find it!

Do you know once we marry in DR how long it takes to get a copy of the marriage cert? I do have a certified copy of my divorce decree but should it all be in Spanish or is the English version ok?

 

[AnnaC]

Perfect! So first things first....get married! lol I thought I came across a list of what I need to get married in the DR but I can not locate it at the moment. Any idea on a link as to what items I should bring with me on my next trip?

The Dominican Republic does not require you to get a marriage license. You need only to register to be married. The Oficialia del Estado Civil charges RD$50 for this. This is the first step prior to getting a marriage certificate.

Submit the following paperwork before the Oficial?a del Estado Civil for the preparation of your marriage certificate. Note that you may send photocopies in advance and bring the original with you:

Passport
Birth certificate
Single status affidavit translated by an official translator into Spanish
Divorce certificate translated into Spanish by an official translator, if applicable

(Legal transcripts of the birth certificates, single status affidavit and divorce act need to be prepared at the Dominican consulate in the country where the documents were issued.)

You will also need two witnesses. If they are foreigners, they will need to have passports as identification. If they are Dominicans, "cedulas" are sufficient.

People who have been divorced in the DR under the Special Divorces Law need to wait 24 hours prior to getting married.

II. After the marriage:

You will be given a document that proves the wedding took place. You then need to request a marriage certificate from the “Oficial de Estado Civil” (City Clerk) that married you.

Marriage certificate validity abroad

The document issued by “Oficial de Estado Civil” (City Clerk) is a valid marriage certificate.

Taken from http://dr1.com/legal/family/marriage.shtml

 

[JLA1125]

Spot on.....I will see what docs I need to get married in DR. Eventually, if I search enough, I will find it!

Do you know once we marry in DR how long it takes to get a copy of the marriage cert? I do have a certified copy of my divorce decree but should it all be in Spanish or is the English version ok?

Sorry, that's Dominican government. Not my field of expertise.

 

[Tt_er]

Single status affidavit translated by an official translator into Spanish
Divorce certificate translated into Spanish by an official translator, if applicable

Thank you this was one of my questions as well!!!!! The single status affidavit & divorce decree do I ask these to be translated by the court house (decrees) & this single status affidavit how do I get this translated?

 

[AnnaC]

Thank you this was one of my questions as well!!!!! The single status affidavit & divorce decree do I ask these to be translated by the court house (decrees) & this single status affidavit how do I get this translated?

I'm on vacation in the DR right now but it's raining out so I will give you this link. http://www.domrep.org/gettingmarried.html
Everything you need should be there

 

[Tt_er]

I'm on vacation in the DR right now but it's raining out so I will give you this link. http://www.domrep.org/gettingmarried.html
Everything you need should be there

Thank you Anna!!!!

 

[wuarhat]

Ah ok it is starting to come together. I see I must apply at the state dept first? Then at the NVC? I am not quite sure when one mentioned the state dept and/or NVC what is this? I assume this is within the states? As far as a timeline/structures goes....does this seem accurate?

- File docs at the state dept & NVC (again no idea what this is)
- Next trip to DR we get married (what docs/web link do I need to bring with me to get this done?)
- Once married we file an I-130 & G-1145 via mail or possibly in Santo Domingo? Will there be a G-325a required (just my SO no other siblings)
-Wait 9-12 months for the paperwork to be processed but in between what should I be doing / what else is required after we file this?

Unless you are applying the fianc?e visa the US will not want to hear from you until after the wedding is official. Pay close attention to Anna C's post #22 for wedding requirements. As far as the affidavit of single status I obtained mine at the Dominican consulate in Boston. I'm not sure if I did that in the US because that was a requirement or because I wanted to do it where I could be sure English was spoken. Check that out.

I actually just paid my US Attorney for the pre-nup but now another question comes up. If we get married in DR in two months how do we validate the pre-nup? I would assume she is not able to sign once here since we are legally married so now what should I do about pre-nup to make sure it is valid once she is here? She will have to sign it in the DR it seems but with my US Attorney (who does speak Spanish if that matters) I don't quite understand how it will be valid here if she signs over there?

Geography is not important as far as your US lawyer's document is concerned. Time is, it must be signed before the marriage ceremony. I would go to a reliable Dominican attorney (Most here swear by Guzm?n Ariza, and I believe they might have a US presence.) with what your US lawyer provided and have them provide some sort of official witness certification of the signing. I would also contract them to make sure your wedding is under the clause: separaci?n de bienes which is legally recognized here. If you don't do this last item then according to Dominican law which is where the marriage is being performed, regardless of what other agreements you have, there is an immediate wealth transfer of 50% of each persons assets (and possibly liabilities) to the other at the marriage ceremony.

Spot on.....I will see what docs I need to get married in DR. Eventually, if I search enough, I will find it!

Do you know once we marry in DR how long it takes to get a copy of the marriage cert? I do have a certified copy of my divorce decree but should it all be in Spanish or is the English version ok?

I think I received a copy of the certificate at the ceremony. I was told that the official document would be filed in the Dominican official records department (whatever they call it) in two weeks, but I'm pretty sure I was able to use the one I received at the ceremony for the immigration proceedings.

 

[popeye]

The Dominican Republic does not require you to get a marriage license. You need only to register to be married. The Oficialia del Estado Civil charges RD$50 for this. This is the first step prior to getting a marriage certificate.

Submit the following paperwork before the Oficial?a del Estado Civil for the preparation of your marriage certificate. Note that you may send photocopies in advance and bring the original with you:

Passport
Birth certificate
Single status affidavit translated by an official translator into Spanish
Divorce certificate translated into Spanish by an official translator, if applicable

(Legal transcripts of the birth certificates, single status affidavit and divorce act need to be prepared at the Dominican consulate in the country where the documents were issued.)

You will also need two witnesses. If they are foreigners, they will need to have passports as identification. If they are Dominicans, "cedulas" are sufficient.

People who have been divorced in the DR under the Special Divorces Law need to wait 24 hours prior to getting married.

II. After the marriage:

You will be given a document that proves the wedding took place. You then need to request a marriage certificate from the ?Oficial de Estado Civil? (City Clerk) that married you.

Marriage certificate validity abroad

The document issued by ?Oficial de Estado Civil? (City Clerk) is a valid marriage certificate.

Taken from http://dr1.com/legal/family/marriage.shtml

we did all three ways hahahaha

 

[Tt_er]

Geography is not important as far as your US lawyer's document is concerned. Time is, it must be signed before the marriage ceremony. I would go to a reliable Dominican attorney (Most here swear by Guzm?n Ariza, and I believe they might have a US presence.) with what your US lawyer provided and have them provide some sort of official witness certification of the signing. I would also contract them to make sure your wedding is under the clause: separaci?n de bienes which is legally recognized here. If you don't do this last item then according to Dominican law which is where the marriage is being performed, regardless of what other agreements you have, there is an immediate wealth transfer of 50% of each persons assets (and possibly liabilities) to the other at the marriage ceremony.

I just emailed Guzman thank you for this!!!!

 

[InsanelyOne]

The K-1 visa process is simpler up front but does require filing for adjustment of status after you arrive in the US and get married. I filed for a K-1 last July and it was approved in 3 weeks!!! Yes you read that right... 3 weeks. It used to take at least 6 months or more. The processing times for K-1s have decreased significantly. We weren't in a big rush but we could have been in the US within 2-3 months of filing if we had wanted to.

 

[USA DOC]

Im writing because I just went through a marriage in the DR, a few months ago. I first looked into bringing my wife to be to the usa on a k1 visa, all most impossible, my wife is Dominican. I am catholic, so i tried the catholic church for the wedding in Santiago. , that is impossible.My situation is easier than yours, my wife will not live in the usa, I am moving to the DR. next I talked to all Dominican consulates in usa, I went with the one in chicago, and spent about 2 months, on the phone with a Dominican lady that works at the consulate. I put together all the papers that the consulate wanted, fed ex them over night, they translate and legalize and stamp them and sent them back to me all for $150(the consulate in california wanted $135 a page, mine was about 120 pages!!) I then made a appointment to be married at the civil registry in santiago, this is the hard part you have to state the exact day you are getting married in the paperwork . I was lucky everything worked. If i would do this again , i would do differently. all the big tourist hotels on the ocean have wedding planners, THEY DO ALL THE PAPERWORK FOR YOU, and perform the wedding you choose ,you provide them with your papers ahead of time , then you and your wife to be relax enjoy the ocean and are married a few days later. aahhh hindsight Doc

 

[Tt_er]

USA thank you! Where did you send your docs for translation & apostille? I've been looking at this & my total pages are about 27. Best price w/ Apostille / translation is around $1000. Do you know if I am to use the same service you did? That is cheap!!!!

Also, on the English versions do those also require an Apostille on each document or just the translated versions?

Thank you!!!

 

[rafael]

No. All I-130s must be mailed to the USCIS Lockbox in Chicago, IL. They will not accept them in person. You can probably file the I-130 at the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo, but in all likelihood, they're just going to send it to the USCIS Lockbox in Chicago themselves. I-130s take time because USCIS receives so many of them. Not just for spouses of U.S. citizens, but for children, parents, and brothers/sisters of U.S. citizens as well. It's one of their most filed applications.

Not 100% accurate. if the OP was residing in DR, which it appears he is not, he could do DCF at the consulate in DR. Been there, done that, got the t shirt. Went very quickly. I am thinking 3 months for visa in hand.

 

[rafael]

Im writing because I just went through a marriage in the DR, a few months ago. I first looked into bringing my wife to be to the usa on a k1 visa, all most impossible, my wife is Dominican. I am catholic, so i tried the catholic church for the wedding in Santiago. , that is impossible.My situation is easier than yours, my wife will not live in the usa, I am moving to the DR. next I talked to all Dominican consulates in usa, I went with the one in chicago, and spent about 2 months, on the phone with a Dominican lady that works at the consulate. I put together all the papers that the consulate wanted, fed ex them over night, they translate and legalize and stamp them and sent them back to me all for $150(the consulate in california wanted $135 a page, mine was about 120 pages!!) I then made a appointment to be married at the civil registry in santiago, this is the hard part you have to state the exact day you are getting married in the paperwork . I was lucky everything worked. If i would do this again , i would do differently. all the big tourist hotels on the ocean have wedding planners, THEY DO ALL THE PAPERWORK FOR YOU, and perform the wedding you choose ,you provide them with your papers ahead of time , then you and your wife to be relax enjoy the ocean and are married a few days later. aahhh hindsight Doc

If your wife will live in DR the i130 will not be approved. It is an application for residency. If you were planning on living in US and during the two year conditional residency decided to stay in DR, you may be able to change the CR1 to a 10 year tourist visa.

Nutty system. You being married to her would actually HURT any tourist visa chances. Yet you can apply for her residency? Once she has residency there is a better shot at tourist visa. Whacky.

 

[USA DOC]

USA thank you! Where did you send your docs for translation & apostille? I've been looking at this & my total pages are about 27. Best price w/ Apostille / translation is around $1000. Do you know if I am to use the same service you did? That is cheap!!!!

Also, on the English versions do those also require an Apostille on each document or just the translated versions?

Thank you!!!

I am looking over my notes , the state in the usa that issues your birth certificate, divorce certificate(in my case)and your single status affidavid(this is online, I wrote this myself,is available at, drchicagoconsulate.com) The state that issues you birth certificate, and divorce decree, needs to Apostille seal them , that is done at the state capitol of the state, secretary of state department.I remember the cost of the seal was about $8 a document. your single status affidavid,needs a notorized seal, and a apostille from the state you live in.when I had all the papers in hand, in english,I sent to the dominican consulate in chicago. they then translate to spanish, and do what they call legalize the documents. when this was done they mailed them back to me. these I took to the dr . for the wedding. remember in the letter of single status, you have to state the city and the day of the wedding. the phone # for chicago consulate is 773 714 4924 , I made sure that every time I called I talked to the same lady at the consulate, I talked to her many times over a 2 month period,when I was sure I MIGHT have the right information, I over nighted the papers to the consulate, with a money order for the cost. Remember that the other consulates in the usa gave me different prices, different info. Be careful . the one in chicago charged a flat rate for all docs, no matter how many pages, my divorce was over 60 pages. You can call the chicago consulate and get started. I did all exactly as they said, and it worked. As I stated before, if I would do again, I would have the wedding you plan at the hotel you like, let them do the paperwork, most perform weddings, and have wedding planners
then you can have a honeymoon same time,also the marriage certificate is only valid in the dr. If you apostille it after the wedding, it is valid in most countries, including the USA. I hope I didnt confuse you more, that what I did. Doc

 

[USA DOC]

If your wife will live in DR the i130 will not be approved. It is an application for residency. If you were planning on living in US and during the two year conditional residency decided to stay in DR, you may be able to change the CR1 to a 10 year tourist visa.

Nutty system. You being married to her would actually HURT any tourist visa chances. Yet you can apply for her residency? Once she has residency there is a better shot at tourist visa. Whacky.

Rafael, thanks for the info, my wife is Dominican and has no plans to leave the dr. My new employer has a attorney that will be handling things for me from now on, the wedding paper work was a leaning experience, I learned never do that again DOC

 

[Tt_er]

USA great info!!!!!

Perhaps you addressed this or I mis read but your original divorce decree & birth cert require an Apostille as well as the translated versions? Does the DR want the full decree or just the JUDGEMENT OF DISOLUTION OF MARRIAGE?

Thanks again!

 

[USA DOC]

My divorce decree was the the full one , it will be in english ,you need to have the state that issued the divorce ,apostille it in the state capitol, in the department of the secratary of state, (I think fed ex is best) The birth certificate the same, the state that issued it, in english, needs to apostille it at the state capitol, the letter you write declaring your single status, will be in english the state you live in needs to apostille, and noterize . the dr. consulate translates to spanish. I would call the consulate to make sure the rules are still the same, you need be very patient with them,they way they work is different than the usa. good luck Doc

 

[Tt_er]

I actually just left a message at the Chicago #. Really appreciate the info I'll verify all w/ them!

 

[Imbert369]

Good day I have a question suppose you were born in the UK do you have to send the birth certificate to get translated there