So some things have changed...
It's been a lifetime since purchasing the dream house in Pacific Palisades and our family actually moved to the Bay Area fairly recently. We are on the road again- this time to sunny Cyprus (no not Orange County, CA) and two parents, three kids and two dogs are making the big overseas move. Our belongings are being compressed into a 20 ft container and we are going through our paperwork and checking it twice.
Here is what we were told: ·
All types of valid Visas: employment visa, visitor Visa, Schengen Visa, etc.
· University Diploma (It should be Apostilled in home country)
· CV in English – electronic format · Criminal Record (It should be Apostilled in home country)
· International Passport
· For married: Marriage Certificate (1 per couple – Apostille)
· For divorced: Divorce Certificate (Apostille).
Needed documents for Spouses
· All types of valid Visas: employment visa, visitor Visa, Schengen Visa, etc.
· University Diploma (It should be Apostilled in home country)
· Criminal Record (It should be Apostilled in home country)
· International Passport · Marriage Certificate (1 per couple – Apostille).
Needed documents for children
· Birth certificate (It should be Apostilled in home country)
· School report
· Criminal record for children above 16 years old.
All the documents should be original, translated, authenticated by the competent local authority in the country of origin of the person concerned and must be apostiled.
So first thing, for my fellow Americans, is to actually gather these documents.
Birth Certificates/Marriage Certificates- In California, go here http://www.cdph.ca.gov/ for faster service, you may have to go to the County in which the birth or marriage was recorded and get a certificate. You want the AUTHORIZED COPY (not the informational one) this can take up to 4 weeks by mail or can be done at the counter in the county where filed.
Divorce Certificate- California only has 1962-1984 on file via internet. The rest you will need to go to the Superior Court of the County in which divorce was filed. Get the Certified Copy. Six weeks by mail if you are lucky, 3 days by counter
University Diploma OK this is trickier. If you can find yours, make a color copy. Now go to a Notary and make the following statement " I, (your name) hereby swear (or affirm) that the attached reproduction the (University Diploma) dated (date on diploma) is a true, complete photocopy of the document issued to me by (Name of School). Sign in front of the notary and have your signature notarized. If you can't find yours, you are going to have to request a certification or transcript from your school. You will need a notarized copy. Some schools will do this, mine didn't.
Criminal Record This one takes the longest. Even with an expediter, expect two weeks PLUS another week for the apostille. If you are in California, you can request your record for the Department of Justice and FBI via LiveScan and it will take about 3 weeks plus a week to get the signature, THEN 6 weeks to get the apostille. If you get the FBI Certificate, it goes to Washington, DC for the apostille. If you get the DOJ Certificate you can take it to the California Secretary of State for the apostille.
Getting the apostilles in California: two choices- Sacramento or Los Angeles (you may want an expediter) take your entire stack of papers notarized or issued in California and go to the Secretary of State's office. You will pay $20 per signature to get the apostilles done. I was lucky and the line was very short the day I went. An expediter will want $29 per signature, overnight postage and a fee of up to $250 to hand carry your things through. If you can't get to Sacramento or Los Angeles as a day trip, you will need the expediter.
Here is what we were told: ·
All types of valid Visas: employment visa, visitor Visa, Schengen Visa, etc.
· University Diploma (It should be Apostilled in home country)
· CV in English – electronic format · Criminal Record (It should be Apostilled in home country)
· International Passport
· For married: Marriage Certificate (1 per couple – Apostille)
· For divorced: Divorce Certificate (Apostille).
Needed documents for Spouses
· All types of valid Visas: employment visa, visitor Visa, Schengen Visa, etc.
· University Diploma (It should be Apostilled in home country)
· Criminal Record (It should be Apostilled in home country)
· International Passport · Marriage Certificate (1 per couple – Apostille).
Needed documents for children
· Birth certificate (It should be Apostilled in home country)
· School report
· Criminal record for children above 16 years old.
All the documents should be original, translated, authenticated by the competent local authority in the country of origin of the person concerned and must be apostiled.
So first thing, for my fellow Americans, is to actually gather these documents.
Birth Certificates/Marriage Certificates- In California, go here http://www.cdph.ca.gov/ for faster service, you may have to go to the County in which the birth or marriage was recorded and get a certificate. You want the AUTHORIZED COPY (not the informational one) this can take up to 4 weeks by mail or can be done at the counter in the county where filed.
Divorce Certificate- California only has 1962-1984 on file via internet. The rest you will need to go to the Superior Court of the County in which divorce was filed. Get the Certified Copy. Six weeks by mail if you are lucky, 3 days by counter
University Diploma OK this is trickier. If you can find yours, make a color copy. Now go to a Notary and make the following statement " I, (your name) hereby swear (or affirm) that the attached reproduction the (University Diploma) dated (date on diploma) is a true, complete photocopy of the document issued to me by (Name of School). Sign in front of the notary and have your signature notarized. If you can't find yours, you are going to have to request a certification or transcript from your school. You will need a notarized copy. Some schools will do this, mine didn't.
Criminal Record This one takes the longest. Even with an expediter, expect two weeks PLUS another week for the apostille. If you are in California, you can request your record for the Department of Justice and FBI via LiveScan and it will take about 3 weeks plus a week to get the signature, THEN 6 weeks to get the apostille. If you get the FBI Certificate, it goes to Washington, DC for the apostille. If you get the DOJ Certificate you can take it to the California Secretary of State for the apostille.
Getting the apostilles in California: two choices- Sacramento or Los Angeles (you may want an expediter) take your entire stack of papers notarized or issued in California and go to the Secretary of State's office. You will pay $20 per signature to get the apostilles done. I was lucky and the line was very short the day I went. An expediter will want $29 per signature, overnight postage and a fee of up to $250 to hand carry your things through. If you can't get to Sacramento or Los Angeles as a day trip, you will need the expediter.
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