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chinese passport: original vs certified copy


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When I file the I-130 petition, I know I need to show both original passports, as well as copies of the biographic pages. Will my Chinese wife's original passport be retained at that time, or will it be returned to her? I will need it to apply for an ITIN for her later. Also, can anybody explain what this means: " Your wife needs to apply for ITIN with IRS. If she needs her Chinese passport to be certified, please make an online appointment with ACS for notary service." What is meant by a "certified" Chinese passport? Is the original passport in some way "certified" or authenticated, or is a certified/authenticated copy issued? Or must a "certified" copy of a Chinese passport be obtained from the Chinese Government?

 

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Attach photocopies of every document to the I-130 petition filing and keep the originals.

Bring the originals when submitting the I-130 petition so they can verify that the copies match the originals, they will not keep passport or any of the original documents.

USCIS does not require any certified copies with the I-130, simple photo copies are fine.

As for IRS and the ITIN and certified copies, there are many topics on this: http://candleforlove.com/forums/tags/forums/ITIN/

Tax Returns are a requirement of the I-864 when interviewing for visa later, and will need ITIN when filing a joint return.

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Attach photocopies of every document to the I-130 petition filing and keep the originals.

 

Bring the originals when submitting the I-130 petition so they can verify that the copies match the originals, they will not keep passport or any of the original documents.

 

USCIS does not require any certified copies with the I-130, simple photo copies are fine.

 

As for IRS and the ITIN and certified copies, there are many topics on this: http://candleforlove.com/forums/tags/forums/ITIN/

 

Tax Returns are a requirement of the I-864 when interviewing for visa later, and will need ITIN when filing a joint return.

Thanks for the great reply! And thanks for the related link. It was late and I was tired, so I probably didn't research the topic as I should have. Sorry. I'm glad to know that the original passport will not be kept and that I can use it when I apply for the ITIN. I discovered that when trying to efile you also need an ITIN for your spouse even when not filing jointly. My wife is a Chinese national, lives in China, is not filing a return (either on her own or jointly with me), has no taxable income, is not being claimed as a dependent by me, and is not claiming any tax benefits, but still needs an ITIN!
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Attach photocopies of every document to the I-130 petition filing and keep the originals.

 

Bring the originals when submitting the I-130 petition so they can verify that the copies match the originals, they will not keep passport or any of the original documents.

 

USCIS does not require any certified copies with the I-130, simple photo copies are fine.

 

As for IRS and the ITIN and certified copies, there are many topics on this: http://candleforlove.com/forums/tags/forums/ITIN/

 

Tax Returns are a requirement of the I-864 when interviewing for visa later, and will need ITIN when filing a joint return.

Thanks for the great reply! And thanks for the related link. It was late and I was tired, so I probably didn't research the topic as I should have. Sorry. I'm glad to know that the original passport will not be kept and that I can use it when I apply for the ITIN. I discovered that when trying to efile you also need an ITIN for your spouse even when not filing jointly. My wife is a Chinese national, lives in China, is not filing a return (either on her own or jointly with me), has no taxable income, is not being claimed as a dependent by me, and is not claiming any tax benefits, but still needs an ITIN!

 

 

 

When NOT filing jointly, you can list your wife's SS # as NRA (for Non-resident alien). If filing electronically, you may need to enter it as 000-00-0000. Either way is acceptable.

 

Since she has no income, though, you would come out ahead by filing jointly with an ITIN. You can file an amended return up to 3 years later to claim a refund.

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The IRS' Publication 17 says on page 22

 

If you file a separate return, you generally report only your own income, exemptions, credits, and deductions. You can claim an exemption for your spouse only if your spouse had no gross income, isn't filing a return, and wasn't the dependent of another person.
You can file Form 1040. If your taxable income is less than $100,000, you may be able to file Form 1040A. Select this filing status by checking the box on line 3 of either form. Enter your spouse's full name and SSN or ITIN in the spaces provided. If your spouse doesn't have and isn't required to have an SSN or ITIN, enter “NRA” in the space for your spouse's SSN. Use the Married filing separately column of the Tax Table or Section C of the Tax Computation Worksheet to figure your tax.

 

 

Of course, you can't do that if you're filing electronically, since a numeric entry is required. Intuit (Turbo Tax) recommends that you print paper copies, enter NRA by hand, and mail those in. Apparently, they (Turbo Tax) DON'T accept the 000-00-0000.

 

If you want to use 000-00-0000 and still file electronically, I don't expect you'll have any problem, but I'm having trouble finding anything to back that up, except for Publication 80 (Payrolls), where it says,

If you file Form W-2AS, W-2CM, W-2GU, or W-2VI on paper and your employee applied for an SSN but doesn't have one when you must file Form W-2AS, W-2CM, W-2GU, or W-2VI, enter “Applied For” on the form. If you’re filing electronically, enter all zeros (000-00-0000 if creating forms online or 000000000 if up-loading a file) in the social security number field.

 

 

. . . and this, regarding student financial aid - http://www.nasfaa.org/news-item/2336/Individual_Taxpayer_Identification_Numbers_in_Place_of_a_Social_Security_Number

 

The instructions for Questions 63-70 on the 2009-10 FAFSA (see Page 6 of the paper form) direct parents without a SSN to enter 000-00-0000 in the appropriate field.

 

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