kevinbeijing Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 HI,Ok, here it goes... Wifey and I are in the process of changing from 2-year to 10-year Green Card. We're spending the next several months in China though for various reasons (Spring Festival being #1). I am working on my dissertation now, so do not really want to work/travel/etc... just stay home and work on my paper. I currently am here on a year-long 'L' VISA (I got in D.C.)... but can only stay for 90 days at a time. We're trying to figure out a way so that I can just stay as long as I'd like... and I THINK we found a way... but this is where my questions come from. Someone from some Chinese gov't office told the wife that by bringing in her 'regestration card', my passport, and an AUTHENTICATED copy of our US Marriage Cert, that I could stay in China as long as her regestration card was valid (one-year)... Well, sounds good, right? Just how the heck do we get an AUTHENTICATED copy?? We DID bring the original marriage cert with us to China... and the person she talked to said to take it to the US Embassy... so we did. The lady I talked to there seemed confused and gave me the address of a Beijing-city Notary Public... Wife called them... they said they couldn't help us... said that we needed to get this done at the Chinese Embassy inside the U.S.!!!! Well, it's kind of late for that now!!! We looked on their website, and sure enough, they list AUTHENTIFICATOION as one of the things they do... they even allow doing it through the mail!! But, their instructions as far as what's required are VERY confusing!! My question is: Has anyone on this site done this before? Or can someone help me understand exactly what needs to be sent to the Embassy in D.C.?? Here's the link: http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/hzqz/gzrz/t84255.htm Thanks for the help...Kevin Link to comment
rogerluli Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 HI,Ok, here it goes... Wifey and I are in the process of changing from 2-year to 10-year Green Card. We're spending the next several months in China though for various reasons (Spring Festival being #1). I am working on my dissertation now, so do not really want to work/travel/etc... just stay home and work on my paper. I currently am here on a year-long 'L' VISA (I got in D.C.)... but can only stay for 90 days at a time. We're trying to figure out a way so that I can just stay as long as I'd like... and I THINK we found a way... but this is where my questions come from. Someone from some Chinese gov't office told the wife that by bringing in her 'regestration card', my passport, and an AUTHENTICATED copy of our US Marriage Cert, that I could stay in China as long as her regestration card was valid (one-year)... Well, sounds good, right? Just how the heck do we get an AUTHENTICATED copy?? We DID bring the original marriage cert with us to China... and the person she talked to said to take it to the US Embassy... so we did. The lady I talked to there seemed confused and gave me the address of a Beijing-city Notary Public... Wife called them... they said they couldn't help us... said that we needed to get this done at the Chinese Embassy inside the U.S.!!!! Well, it's kind of late for that now!!! We looked on their website, and sure enough, they list AUTHENTIFICATOION as one of the things they do... they even allow doing it through the mail!! But, their instructions as far as what's required are VERY confusing!! My question is: Has anyone on this site done this before? Or can someone help me understand exactly what needs to be sent to the Embassy in D.C.?? Here's the link: http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/hzqz/gzrz/t84255.htm Thanks for the help...Kevin Ah Kevin you're more lost than you think... There seems to be a plethora of threads here this morning that belong somewhere else...Hopefully there is a MOD awake somewhere to help you out... Link to comment
Jason+Joanna Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 HI,Ok, here it goes... Wifey and I are in the process of changing from 2-year to 10-year Green Card. We're spending the next several months in China though for various reasons (Spring Festival being #1). I am working on my dissertation now, so do not really want to work/travel/etc... just stay home and work on my paper. I currently am here on a year-long 'L' VISA (I got in D.C.)... but can only stay for 90 days at a time. We're trying to figure out a way so that I can just stay as long as I'd like... and I THINK we found a way... but this is where my questions come from. Someone from some Chinese gov't office told the wife that by bringing in her 'regestration card', my passport, and an AUTHENTICATED copy of our US Marriage Cert, that I could stay in China as long as her regestration card was valid (one-year)... Well, sounds good, right? Just how the heck do we get an AUTHENTICATED copy?? We DID bring the original marriage cert with us to China... and the person she talked to said to take it to the US Embassy... so we did. The lady I talked to there seemed confused and gave me the address of a Beijing-city Notary Public... Wife called them... they said they couldn't help us... said that we needed to get this done at the Chinese Embassy inside the U.S.!!!! Well, it's kind of late for that now!!! We looked on their website, and sure enough, they list AUTHENTIFICATOION as one of the things they do... they even allow doing it through the mail!! But, their instructions as far as what's required are VERY confusing!! My question is: Has anyone on this site done this before? Or can someone help me understand exactly what needs to be sent to the Embassy in D.C.?? Here's the link: http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/hzqz/gzrz/t84255.htm Thanks for the help...Kevin Authentication: You need to go to your local notary (within the county you live in), and have your document notarized. $10 - $15. Then you will need to go to your county office and pay them to certify that the notary is indeed a registered notary within your county of residence. $26.00. You will then need to have the Sectary of State put there seal on the document once they verify everything is kosher. $26.00. Then all you need to do is run on over to your local consulate and pay them 40.00 to authenticate the document -- they will put their seal of approval on it. Link to comment
IllinoisDave Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 HI,Ok, here it goes... Wifey and I are in the process of changing from 2-year to 10-year Green Card. We're spending the next several months in China though for various reasons (Spring Festival being #1). I am working on my dissertation now, so do not really want to work/travel/etc... just stay home and work on my paper. I currently am here on a year-long 'L' VISA (I got in D.C.)... but can only stay for 90 days at a time. We're trying to figure out a way so that I can just stay as long as I'd like... and I THINK we found a way... but this is where my questions come from. Someone from some Chinese gov't office told the wife that by bringing in her 'regestration card', my passport, and an AUTHENTICATED copy of our US Marriage Cert, that I could stay in China as long as her regestration card was valid (one-year)... Well, sounds good, right? Just how the heck do we get an AUTHENTICATED copy?? We DID bring the original marriage cert with us to China... and the person she talked to said to take it to the US Embassy... so we did. The lady I talked to there seemed confused and gave me the address of a Beijing-city Notary Public... Wife called them... they said they couldn't help us... said that we needed to get this done at the Chinese Embassy inside the U.S.!!!! Well, it's kind of late for that now!!! We looked on their website, and sure enough, they list AUTHENTIFICATOION as one of the things they do... they even allow doing it through the mail!! But, their instructions as far as what's required are VERY confusing!! My question is: Has anyone on this site done this before? Or can someone help me understand exactly what needs to be sent to the Embassy in D.C.?? Here's the link: http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/hzqz/gzrz/t84255.htm Thanks for the help...Kevin Authentication: You need to go to your local notary (within the county you live in), and have your document notarized. $10 - $15. Then you will need to go to your county office and pay them to certify that the notary is indeed a registered notary within your county of residence. $26.00. You will then need to have the Sectary of State put there seal on the document once they verify everything is kosher. $26.00. Then all you need to do is run on over to your local consulate and pay them 40.00 to authenticate the document -- they will put their seal of approval on it. Well at least they make it convenient. Link to comment
PapaBear Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 HI,Ok, here it goes... Wifey and I are in the process of changing from 2-year to 10-year Green Card. We're spending the next several months in China though for various reasons (Spring Festival being #1). I am working on my dissertation now, so do not really want to work/travel/etc... just stay home and work on my paper. I currently am here on a year-long 'L' VISA (I got in D.C.)... but can only stay for 90 days at a time. We're trying to figure out a way so that I can just stay as long as I'd like... and I THINK we found a way... but this is where my questions come from. Someone from some Chinese gov't office told the wife that by bringing in her 'regestration card', my passport, and an AUTHENTICATED copy of our US Marriage Cert, that I could stay in China as long as her regestration card was valid (one-year)... Well, sounds good, right? Just how the heck do we get an AUTHENTICATED copy?? We DID bring the original marriage cert with us to China... and the person she talked to said to take it to the US Embassy... so we did. The lady I talked to there seemed confused and gave me the address of a Beijing-city Notary Public... Wife called them... they said they couldn't help us... said that we needed to get this done at the Chinese Embassy inside the U.S.!!!! Well, it's kind of late for that now!!! We looked on their website, and sure enough, they list AUTHENTIFICATOION as one of the things they do... they even allow doing it through the mail!! But, their instructions as far as what's required are VERY confusing!! My question is: Has anyone on this site done this before? Or can someone help me understand exactly what needs to be sent to the Embassy in D.C.?? Here's the link: http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/hzqz/gzrz/t84255.htm Thanks for the help...Kevin Authentication: You need to go to your local notary (within the county you live in), and have your document notarized. $10 - $15. Then you will need to go to your county office and pay them to certify that the notary is indeed a registered notary within your county of residence. $26.00. You will then need to have the Sectary of State put there seal on the document once they verify everything is kosher. $26.00. Then all you need to do is run on over to your local consulate and pay them 40.00 to authenticate the document -- they will put their seal of approval on it. Well at least they make it convenient. Years ago......there used to be another seal of approval needed in the AUTHENTICATION process and that was from the Sec. of State. Yes, when I had my documents authenticated I had to get Colin Powell's signature and seal of authentication. The process, which was mailed, took some time.....and I remember worring about the time frame to get it to the San Francisco Chinese Conulate for their approval before leaving for Beijing. Here's hoping the process is easier for you today and you don't have to leave the country after 90 days to re-enter for another 90 days. Can't youjust hop over to Hong Kong for a day or two then come on back to the mainland? Seems like a break from your disertation might be nice. You could check out Hong Kong Disneyland! Best of luck to you! PapaBear B) Link to comment
kevinbeijing Posted January 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 So, even though the cert is official and stamped by our county's court house... it STILL needs to be stamped by a notary public... and then by the county again... THEN by the sect. of state??? WoW... Link to comment
Sebastian Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 Kevin - just in case you can't get your paperwork done - You can transit to HKG, stay there a day or two, return to PRC.If you do that, the CLOCK resets for your duration stay. Doesn't have to be HKG, hey - South Korea is fairly close as well, but HKG can be FUN! Link to comment
GZBILL Posted January 24, 2008 Report Share Posted January 24, 2008 HI,Ok, here it goes... Wifey and I are in the process of changing from 2-year to 10-year Green Card. We're spending the next several months in China though for various reasons (Spring Festival being #1). I am working on my dissertation now, so do not really want to work/travel/etc... just stay home and work on my paper. I currently am here on a year-long 'L' VISA (I got in D.C.)... but can only stay for 90 days at a time. We're trying to figure out a way so that I can just stay as long as I'd like... and I THINK we found a way... but this is where my questions come from. Someone from some Chinese gov't office told the wife that by bringing in her 'regestration card', my passport, and an AUTHENTICATED copy of our US Marriage Cert, that I could stay in China as long as her regestration card was valid (one-year)... Well, sounds good, right? Just how the heck do we get an AUTHENTICATED copy?? We DID bring the original marriage cert with us to China... and the person she talked to said to take it to the US Embassy... so we did. The lady I talked to there seemed confused and gave me the address of a Beijing-city Notary Public... Wife called them... they said they couldn't help us... said that we needed to get this done at the Chinese Embassy inside the U.S.!!!! Well, it's kind of late for that now!!! We looked on their website, and sure enough, they list AUTHENTIFICATOION as one of the things they do... they even allow doing it through the mail!! But, their instructions as far as what's required are VERY confusing!! My question is: Has anyone on this site done this before? Or can someone help me understand exactly what needs to be sent to the Embassy in D.C.?? Here's the link: http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/hzqz/gzrz/t84255.htm Thanks for the help...Kevin Authentication: You need to go to your local notary (within the county you live in), and have your document notarized. $10 - $15. Then you will need to go to your county office and pay them to certify that the notary is indeed a registered notary within your county of residence. $26.00. You will then need to have the Sectary of State put there seal on the document once they verify everything is kosher. $26.00. Then all you need to do is run on over to your local consulate and pay them 40.00 to authenticate the document -- they will put their seal of approval on it. No. As long as your US marriage certificate is issued by a state -- as opposed to federal -- governmental entity, the only process that will work is as follows: The whole process is a step-by-step chain authentication. Get an original of the document issued directly by the state (or county) with a raised seal. Make sure you tell them that you need this document for use abroad because in some localities it makes a difference as to how they seal the document. If issued by the county, send it to the state bureau of vital statistics (or equivalent) and have them authenticate it. If issued by the state directly, skip this step. Then send the document to your State Secretary of State's office or the office of the Lieutenant Governor. This must be for the same state in which the document was issued. They will authenticate the latest authentication on the document. Send you by now sheaf of papers to the Chinese consulate which serves the state which issued the documentation to you. You can NOT just send it to the Chinese embassy or any consulate you feel like because they will eaither reject it or forward it to the correct consulate with a considerable delay in processing time. The Chinese consulate will authenticate the Lt. Governor's or State Secretary of State's authentication and you can take this document to China. The final step before you can actually use this document in China is to take it to the Chinese notary public for an official translation into Chinese. You should use ONLY translation services provided by a Chinese notary public as they can (and usually do) reject the document at the PSB otherwise. The US Department of State, US embassy and related entities are in no way involved in this process. Link to comment
kevinbeijing Posted January 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2008 Thanks for the clear reply... If this isn't Red Tape, I don't know what is?!?! Has anybody done this before? Link to comment
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