TalkBaja.com » Baja Mexico Forums » Visas for travel and living in Baja California, Mexico

Last week we thought we had all of our ducks in a row to register the Fm3's that we'd obtained at the San Diego consulate- thanks to tourguide Longlegs

But the La Paz immigration office wanted to keep the Fm3's and said to return in a week to pick them up. A trip to La Paz is a couple hundred miles each way and we have to return to the US next week so we couldn't forfeit the docs and chose not to complete the registration.

There is an immgration office closer to our town, in Puerto San Carlos (Mag Bay), but we had heard that La Paz has fewer requirements than the man at the local office.

Now we're thinking about giving the local office a try but one of his requirements is an official translation of our marriage certificate in to Spanish (not required by La Paz BTW).

A neighbor said they used an online service for this translation and were able to email the doc and pay online and the translation was emailed back to them. Has anyone ever used such a service? Contact info?

I've found a few online, but hate to pick one without some feedback about them. I have no idea what criteria the immigration office will use to determine if the translation is "official".

Any experiences?

Uhhhhhhh....nope! But I do know that the Tourista Dept. Translator is a legal official translator....only catch is that he's 'Errrrrrrrr....'Ummmmmm....'Uhhhhhhh....in LA PAZ!

Forgive me Ola, but the devil made me say that!

Maybe it'd be easier to just bite the bullet & make another trip down to the place on the hill with the great views & maybe capture some better sunrise pics! Ya know, the place where you had good neighbors in the next camp site over....I hear the owner gives really steep discounts for visits of a week or longer! OR go into Puerto San Carlos individually an hour apart & turn in your papers separately....deny any knowledge of each other....try....."Who???? You mean my BROTHER?"

Just curious - how much do they charge to translate each doc online?

Now that's a cool idea.. never even thought of it... thanks.. a keeper, if I can write down some where and not loose it...

If you find an online translator they will have to be recognized by Mexico as an official translator - otherwise you will just be throwing your money away. There is nobody providing that service close to where you live?

Woooooo,
Just reading in my bitchen' new book that the county of origin in SoCal, often, will translate these documents for you and also notarize them as being the real deal. And, for way less than a translating business.
If was anywhere near my book I would find the exact term for you but I am certain it is on Rolly Brooks website.
Of course, I have been wrong before.

Oladulce ... couldn't you get an official translation done at the Mexican consulate closest to wherever you'll be in the US? Or is that way too logical?

Edit: I think Soulpatch is referring to an apostille? That sounds good, too.

Much as I'd love to see you and Wooo in La Paz as often as possible, twice in a week would be a helluvalot of driving. If the local INM guy doesn't work out, maybe you could get the docs to someone here to drop off, then come just once to pick them up when they're ready.

Ok, it states that in the US your county clerk is supposed to know the process for apostille and to also be able to facilitate it.
And, sorry, was thinking the Wooo and not Oladulce....men.

http://www.sos.ca.gov/business/notar...entication.htm

Por ejemplo in San Diego County:
http://www.co.san-diego.ca.us/cob/do.../apostille.pdf

Orange County's looks a bit more difficult.
http://egov.ocgov.com/ocgov/Clerk-Re...%20Information

An Apostille to a document can only be "issued" by the State (of California) Secertary of State. I believe that there are various field offices. Probably go on line and check. For my FM-3, I walked in to the SOS office in Carson City, NV and it was ready the next day.....cost was $20.00

IMPORTANT: APOSTILLE APPLICATIONS MAY TAKE 3 WEEKS TO PROCESS. EXPEDITE SERVICE AVAILABLE (SEE BELOW).Print E-mail The Office of Secretary of State provides Authentication of Signatures, also known as Apostilles or Certifications. Any document to be presented to a governing body of a foreign country, or a document to be used for official business within the United States is eligible for this service. Examples include:

Marriage Certificates
Birth and Death Certificates
Letters of Eligibility of Marital Status
Powers of Attorney
Parental Permission Slips
Foreign Adoption Papers
Authorization to Conduct Business in Foreign Countries

A certified copy of marriage or divorce decrees or certificates of birth or death can be obtained from the County Recorder/County Clerk of the county in which the event occurred. Certified copies of birth and death certificates can be obtained from the State Office of Vital Records and Statistics, 4150 Technology Way Room 104 Carson City, Nevada 89706.

Procedures for Receiving an Apostille or Certificate from the Secretary of State:

Obtain a Certified Copy of Nevada Document from the county where the event occurred.
Complete and print out the Apostille/Certification Order Form. Any request for an apostille must be accompanied with this Apostille Order Form. Any apostille request submitted without this form will be returned.
Apostille/Certification Order Form (PDF)

Submit the certificate document and order form to:
Nevada Secretary of State
101 North Carson St., Suite 3
Carson City, NV. 89701

along with a money order, Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover Card number and expiration date, in the amount of $20 in U.S. currency for each certification required. In addition, it is necessary to provide an email address, a return address or self-addressed, envelope AND the name of the country in which the certification will be used.

It sounds like the man at the local immigration office isn't as concerned about the authenticity of the document (an apostille). His concern was that the certificate must be translated in to Spanish. The couple that BigWooo spoke with said they were able to do their's online from "out here", and an "official" translation of some kind was required.

I'll try to find out more...

BajaGringo, a few of the online sites will give you a cost estimate for your document but I haven't tried a quote yet. I'll let you know when i do.

I chose a random apostille service a few years ago when we needed one in a hurry and couldn't get off work to do the running around. It was supposed to be back to us in 4-5 days, and 3 weeks later it arrived. Of course I paid up front ($150 bucks i think) and was thinking during the 3 weeks when the websites phone number and email went unanswered, what an idiot I was for sending documents with potential vital statistics off to a company that may not even exist- and had already paid them for it!

A marriage certif isn't a huge identity theft risk, but the apostille experience was a lesson that not everything is as it seems on the internet so I'll try to find out more about the translation services.

You can just walk into the secretary of state apostille office in San Diego and get it done quite quickly. Parking is always a problem in San Diego but the good news is that you will get in and out quite quickly based on my few trips there these past years so don't put too many coins in the meter...

Gee, I am wondering if should start collecting all this stuff now.......2 years, 7 months and 14 days........
Time flies so I should get my act together.
I am just wondering other than birth certificates and marriage license what I should be concerned with or is the marriage certificate all I need?
Sounds like Secretary of State's office is going to be my ticket.

Patch.. don't forget the $$

It will go good, your well tuned in...

Originally Posted by soulpatch

Gee, I am wondering if should start collecting all this stuff now.......2 years, 7 months and 14 days........
Time flies so I should get my act together.
I am just wondering other than birth certificates and marriage license what I should be concerned with or is the marriage certificate all I need?
Sounds like Secretary of State's office is going to be my ticket.

In La Paz you don't have to worry about the marriage certificate, seems only the guy at San Carlos does (which is our closest immigration location). We just found out he wants it "officially" translated along with an apostile. What a pain, I think another trip to La Paz is in order, it'll be more fun going to the BIG CITY. I think fuel will cost less than all the translating and apostile-ing anyway.

I tried to avoid the marriage certificate requirement when we applied for the Fm3's in San Diego. The lady at the consulate asked for a copy of our certificate which I intentionally did not submit along with the other paperwork . I figured if there was a marriage certificate, they'd automatically make me a dependent and I'd forever be linked to his Fm3's and 2's, etc and we'd always have to figure out a way to get an apostille from down here.

I explained that I was applying independently of my husband and was prepared with our bank statements where I had highlighted my paycheck deposits and my name to show that I could meet their income requirement.

She said, "oh i don't know if they'll do this (without the certificate) but there was a couple in here earlier in the same situation so it might be ok today".

The FM3's were ready when we went back a few days later and we were happy to have them. I only noticed on the drive home that they went ahead a made me a "dependent" anyway.

Maybe I could have had my own independent FM3 if I had a bank account in my name only (the statements i gave them were a joint account in both our names) or maybe they would have done what they wanted no matter what.

Anyway, forget our local office, we'll go back to La Paz to complete the registration. But we'd like to skip to an Fm2 next time so we'll probably have to revisit this issue again.

Now you're talking! Not to mention you'll find a lot better company here than that guy in the San Carlos office! I'll bet HE didn't take you to his favorite secret 9 PM Sope place!

Soulpatch, it's a little too early to be running copies of the last 3 months of your bank statement just yet! Who knows what they'll be asking for by the time you head South! I personally believe it's easier & more straight-forward to just cross on FMT's & apply for your FM3's once you arrive here. The registration hassle alone is enough reason to just initiate the entire process here & just make two trips 2-3 weeks apart. Wooo & Oladulce's fly in the ointment is that they chose some gawd forsaken remote spot on the COLD side 200 miles from here rather than being sensible like you!

Wooo, have you shared any possible suggestions with Soulpatch on how to get "independent" FM3's rather than "dependent"....if that's something he cares about?

Ola, I think they're sticking firm on requiring 2 years on FM3 before they'll allow you to move to FM2.

I have often been accused of being sensible....
Oh, shoot, wait, that was my wife....

Originally Posted by longlegsinlapaz

Ola, I think they're sticking firm on requiring 2 years on FM3 before they'll allow you to move to FM2.

Ask anyhow, though. When I got mine (after two years on FM3), everybody had been saying that I had to have five years. When I went to renew, I just asked, and they told me to go ahead and apply.

Hopefully that works. Maybe my wife, the beautiful Spanish teacher can pave the way.....

Originally Posted by kate

Ask anyhow, though. When I got mine (after two years on FM3), everybody had been saying that I had to have five years. When I went to renew, I just asked, and they told me to go ahead and apply.