[andreagaspard]

I am too embarrased to ask my friend who has been through the paperchase. GWCA needs to have a birth certificate certified and authenticated. Isn't it already certified since I am the one requesting my own birth certificate? The certificate I have has an upraised seal on it.

I'm trying to decided if I want GWCA to do the dossier service. Again, my friend says have them do it. The contract for the dossier services doesn't really tell me what I will be doing during the paperchase. It has a table which says (not everything that we'll need). Says: Birth Certificate, Certify and Authenticate.

Very confusing...

[CoatAnnHat]

Birth certificates are already considered NOTARIZED. They still need to be sent to the State for the State SEAL. Then they need to be sent to the Chinese consulate for their SEAL.
The paperchase really does seem daunting but once you break everything down into steps it is just a matter of keeping track of things. I am the MOST unorganized person I know and I found the certifying and authenticating process relatively easy.
We are also with Great Wall and I looked into the Dragon Plan. I was all set to use it, but a friend of ours that is also using GW said it was not difficult at all if you follow the steps. It really isnt difficult. I decided that if I got overwhelmed I would switch to the Dragon plan. You can always keep that option open.
I finished my paperchase in record time, without any problems. You can do it!!

[Hopeful Gal]

Andrea,

Just to add on to the previous post, your birth certificate needs to be certified by the Secretary of State in the state it was originated. For example, I was born in NY, so I had to send it to the NY Secretary of State for certification and my husband's went to the Wisconsin Secretary of State.

I am using a service that my agency provides to authenticate all my documents at once at the Washington, DC chinese consolute office. I'm processing all my own docs and having them certified, but my agency will have them all authenticated for us.

Donna
www.waitingforlaurenelizabeth.blogspot.com

[andreagaspard]

After reviewing the 6 pager document they sent me about the dossier service, we are going to do it ourselves. There was a catch. It says we have to submit a copy of our passport.

I have to go get my passport, but I am waiting for DH's birthcard from Louisiana. I want to get our passports together. I love my husband and he is smart, but it is these types of things he is not capable of handling himself. Ha!Ha! I know that when the puppy expires, I'll have to help him renew it. So, it is better to send off for them at the same time.

I sent off for his birthcard last week. I had to mail a request directly to the parish where he was born because New Orleans vital record archives is still closed. I wish I could get a birth certificate, but until they open the New Orleans archives, we won't be able to do that. I already checked with the passport office and they'll accept his birthcard and I talked to the Louisiana secretary of state commissioner's office. They said they were authenticate his birthcard, just to make sure I put "INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION" on the authentication request letter. Do you know they don't have a form? Strange. I decided I'm going to submit the letter along with a brightly colored piece of paper stating it is for an international adoption. They said it should only take a couple of days if I state the urgency.

I don't think I'll be so overwhelmed knowing that I'll have help from those of you who are farther along in the paperchase. I LOVE THE INTERNET! It brings complete strangers together.

[drmalcolm]

Originally Posted by andreagaspard

I love my husband and he is smart, but it is these types of things he is not capable of handling himself. Ha!Ha!

Oh my gosh, I am glad I am not alone.