Single Certificate

[dstarsboy]

It's been a long time since I've written here, but I know you guys are always here to help me when I'm in a bind. These questions have probably been asked a few times, but I heard some changes have been made recently and I wanted to get an update. All questions pertain to attaining a Certificate of Marriagability for U.S. Citizen from the U.S. Consolate in GZ. If anyone has actual experience with this, recently, the better!

 

1) Is this done by appointment only?

2) What is the general cost?

3) I heard marriage filing (to foreigners) must take place in SO's city of residence (in this case, Nanning) so I was wondering how much time I should allot for attaining a Single Certificate in GZ? A couple of days stay?

4) Also, I heard that, even though the U.S. Consolate gives you a notorized (translated?) copy of single certificate, you still must get the document re-translated and re-notorized in Nanning for it to be valid. Is this true?

 

This certificate is kicking my arse, everytime I read something about it, it seems to be this huge pain. However, I read a few testimonials by members who went to China and got married easily, with no delays or problems. What's your secret to a breezy, headache-free marriage filing?

[LeeFisher3]

Is it your intention to abandon your K-1 petition?

 

This seems really strange since you received NOA-1 a week ago and if you get married you will begin again by filing an I-130 for a CR-1 and then K-3 if you desire to try to speed things up. Neither of which stands a chance of receiving an interview before a K-1.

[tywy_99]

It's been a long time since I've written here, but I know you guys are always here to help me when I'm in a bind. These questions have probably been asked a few times, but I heard some changes have been made recently and I wanted to get an update. All questions pertain to attaining a Certificate of Marriagability for U.S. Citizen from the U.S. Consolate in GZ. If anyone has actual experience with this, recently, the better!

 

1) Is this done by appointment only?

2) What is the general cost?

3) I heard marriage filing (to foreigners) must take place in SO's city of residence (in this case, Nanning) so I was wondering how much time I should allot for attaining a Single Certificate in GZ? A couple of days stay?

4) Also, I heard that, even though the U.S. Consolate gives you a notorized (translated?) copy of single certificate, you still must get the document re-translated and re-notorized in Nanning for it to be valid. Is this true?

 

This certificate is kicking my arse, everytime I read something about it, it seems to be this huge pain. However, I read a few testimonials by members who went to China and got married easily, with no delays or problems. What's your secret to a breezy, headache-free marriage filing?

Is it the "affidavit of single status" you're looking for? If so, you can go to the Chinese embassy's website and go to the 'marriage registration in China' link under 'Chinese Visa, Passport, Notarization & Authentication' section. That link will explain how to get all the paperwork you need to marry in China. That will work stateside. I'm not sure how it's done abroad although some have done it that way.

 

-good luck

[dnoblett]

US Embassy Beijing has some info about this: http://www.usembassy-china.org.cn/us-citizen/mrginfo.html

 

The US Consulate in Guangzhou can help you with this also,

Absent the foregoing notarial certificate of marital status, a "certification of marriageability" can be prepared at the Consulate on the basis of an affidavit in which the American citizen swears or affirms before a consular officer that he or she is currently legally eligible to marry (persons who have previously been married need to show a certified divorce decree, annulment decree, or death certificate to the Consulate when preparing this certificate). However, there is no guarantee that the Chinese civil affairs authorities will accept a Consulate affidavit. We must emphasize that marriage in China falls under the authority of the laws of China, and that the Chinese civil affairs authorities have final say over which documents they can require and will accept in order to approve a marriage.

http://guangzhou.usconsulate.gov/marriedchina.html

 

Or in the USA. http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/hzqz/fhjh/t84256.htm

[Carl]

It's been a long time since I've written here, but I know you guys are always here to help me when I'm in a bind. These questions have probably been asked a few times, but I heard some changes have been made recently and I wanted to get an update. All questions pertain to attaining a Certificate of Marriagability for U.S. Citizen from the U.S. Consolate in GZ. If anyone has actual experience with this, recently, the better!

 

1) Is this done by appointment only?

2) What is the general cost?

3) I heard marriage filing (to foreigners) must take place in SO's city of residence (in this case, Nanning) so I was wondering how much time I should allot for attaining a Single Certificate in GZ? A couple of days stay?

4) Also, I heard that, even though the U.S. Consolate gives you a notorized (translated?) copy of single certificate, you still must get the document re-translated and re-notorized in Nanning for it to be valid. Is this true?

 

This certificate is kicking my arse, everytime I read something about it, it seems to be this huge pain. However, I read a few testimonials by members who went to China and got married easily, with no delays or problems. What's your secret to a breezy, headache-free marriage filing?

Is it the "affidavit of single status" you're looking for? If so, you can go to the Chinese embassy's website and go to the 'marriage registration in China' link under 'Chinese Visa, Passport, Notarization & Authentication' section. That link will explain how to get all the paperwork you need to marry in China. That will work stateside. I'm not sure how it's done abroad although some have done it that way.

 

-good luck

 

To get a affidavit of Single status you need to get a copy of the affidavit from the Chinese consulate website. If you are single and never married, you simply fill in the blocks in the affidavit an then get it notarized. Then you send notarized statement an an application for an Apostille from your respective state's Secretary of State. Once you have that returned you send the affidavit and the Apostille to the Chinese consulate that serves your area. They will translate the documents and notarize them and send them back to you. make sure you have those documents when you marry in China.

 

When I did it I had a slight problem with a couple of divorces, one in California and one in Oregon, but sice then I moved to Texas. The Chinese Consulate in Houston would not certify documents issued because they were outside of their area. San Francisco would not certify them because I lived in Texas, but a woman at the Chinese Consulate in Houston asked me if I was ever married in Texas. I said no, so she said to claim on the affidavit that I was never married and it would be ok.

 

Hope that helps

[dstarsboy]

Is it your intention to abandon your K-1 petition?

 

This seems really strange since you received NOA-1 a week ago and if you get married you will begin again by filing an I-130 for a CR-1 and then K-3 if you desire to try to speed things up. Neither of which stands a chance of receiving an interview before a K-1.

 

I know that it seems weird, but I did find that you can change your status mid-k1 if you marry during the wait and it should not have any drastic effects on interview date/time, especially early in the process.

 

I'm travelling back to China on February and we are contemplating filling out the marriage paperwork and changing the visa to a K-3, but it seems a little troublesome for a process than can be done here in Vegas in a few minutes when she arrives instead.

 

Thanks for the replies, I think I may go the Guangzou embassy route and if they accept it then that works out fine, if not then it is not the end of the world. Thanks again!

[LeeFisher3]

Is it your intention to abandon your K-1 petition?

 

This seems really strange since you received NOA-1 a week ago and if you get married you will begin again by filing an I-130 for a CR-1 and then K-3 if you desire to try to speed things up. Neither of which stands a chance of receiving an interview before a K-1.

 

I know that it seems weird, but I did find that you can change your status mid-k1 if you marry during the wait and it should not have any drastic effects on interview date/time, especially early in the process.

 

I'm travelling back to China on February and we are contemplating filling out the marriage paperwork and changing the visa to a K-3, but it seems a little troublesome for a process than can be done here in Vegas in a few minutes when she arrives instead.

 

Thanks for the replies, I think I may go the Guangzou embassy route and if they accept it then that works out fine, if not then it is not the end of the world. Thanks again!

Unless something changed dramatically there isn't a direct way to change status from K-1 to K-3, it does not exist within the rules of the USCIS.

 

The only method to change visa status is to abandon and withdraw the K-1, then file an I-130 for an Alien Relative and then upon receipt of NOA1 you file the paperwork for K-3. The process begins new when you do this.

 

Many people have their reasons for changing visa status, but it will add at minimum 3 months to the process, if not longer, just because you lost your place in line and have to start again.

 

I would strongly suggest you verify your source.

[rogerinca]

It's been a long time since I've written here, but I know you guys are always here to help me when I'm in a bind. These questions have probably been asked a few times, but I heard some changes have been made recently and I wanted to get an update. All questions pertain to attaining a Certificate of Marriagability for U.S. Citizen from the U.S. Consolate in GZ. If anyone has actual experience with this, recently, the better!

 

1) Is this done by appointment only?

2) What is the general cost?

3) I heard marriage filing (to foreigners) must take place in SO's city of residence (in this case, Nanning) so I was wondering how much time I should allot for attaining a Single Certificate in GZ? A couple of days stay?

4) Also, I heard that, even though the U.S. Consolate gives you a notorized (translated?) copy of single certificate, you still must get the document re-translated and re-notorized in Nanning for it to be valid. Is this true?

 

This certificate is kicking my arse, everytime I read something about it, it seems to be this huge pain. However, I read a few testimonials by members who went to China and got married easily, with no delays or problems. What's your secret to a breezy, headache-free marriage filing?

 

I cannot comment on the K-1 vs. K-3 conversion issue; however, I have gone through the entire single status procedure just this past three weeks, for my marriage in Guangzhou on Dec. 7th.

 

The one aspect that I was very happy with, is that they now offer the complete English to Chinese document translation service, very quickly, for about $20 at the civil affairs, marriage office in downtown Guangzhou. The entire procedure, paper process, document translation and red marriage book issuance, took about two hours on a Thursday morning.

 

The total cost was about $80 to $100 with the document translation. I was too excited to remember exactly how much I paid !! I was fortunate in that she lives right in Guangzhou. If your fiancee lives elsewhere here is the process: .... The appropriate civil affairs office will be the one in the jurisdiction in which the Chinese citizen is registered (the location of the hukou). Because you are a foreigner, you must go to the provincial capital to register the marriage and say the marriage oath and get a ¡®red marriage book¡¯.... Then you must register in your SO's hometown as well....

 

On the USA side, I followed the steps off the Chinese Consulate office in San Francisco (it will be Los Angeles for you since you live in AZ) and I downloaded the two or three required forms and had them all notarized and then went to my Secretary of State office to have them certified. The process varies slightly from state to state. In California, you must get the notarization done before going to the Sec. of State office, as they do not notarize; they only certify that the notarization is not a fake and is valid. One last thing that may cause some confusion....If you go through the single certification process here in the USA, then you do not have to make contact with the US Consulate in Guangzhou. Their service to certify your single status is only for those who are already in China and cannot utilize the process in their respective home state.

 

I made the copies of passport etc. and mailed it all off to SF, with a stamped express mail return envelope, and had it back so fast in only three working days without any express service fee at the Consulate !!! My thanks to the efficient handling by the Chinese Consulate office/staff in San Francisco !!!

 

Roger

[Guest Duke]

Is it your intention to abandon your K-1 petition?

 

This seems really strange since you received NOA-1 a week ago and if you get married you will begin again by filing an I-130 for a CR-1 and then K-3 if you desire to try to speed things up. Neither of which stands a chance of receiving an interview before a K-1.

 

I know that it seems weird, but I did find that you can change your status mid-k1 if you marry during the wait and it should not have any drastic effects on interview date/time, especially early in the process.

 

I'm travelling back to China on February and we are contemplating filling out the marriage paperwork and changing the visa to a K-3, but it seems a little troublesome for a process than can be done here in Vegas in a few minutes when she arrives instead.

 

Thanks for the replies, I think I may go the Guangzou embassy route and if they accept it then that works out fine, if not then it is not the end of the world. Thanks again!

Unless something changed dramatically there isn't a direct way to change status from K-1 to K-3, it does not exist within the rules of the USCIS.

 

The only method to change visa status is to abandon and withdraw the K-1, then file an I-130 for an Alien Relative and then upon receipt of NOA1 you file the paperwork for K-3. The process begins new when you do this.

 

Many people have their reasons for changing visa status, but it will add at minimum 3 months to the process, if not longer, just because you lost your place in line and have to start again.

 

I would strongly suggest you verify your source.

 

Lee is right. There is no way to switch from a K1 to a K3 in mid stream. You have to start over with an I-130.

 

If you decide to get married and traveling through GUZ with a few spare hours on a weekday is convenient, then the easy way to obtain the certificate of marriageability is at the Consulate. Per the Consulate...

 

The fee for a Certificate of Marriageability is US$30.00 or the equivalent cost of local currency. Our service hours are 9:00 am-11:30 am and 1:30 pm-3:00 pm, Monday-Friday except American and local holidays.