[JuliaC]

Hi everyone!

We received our dossier preparation instructions in the mail today. I am so confused about getting everything notarized. I know this may sound stupid but I do not understand how to do all of this. Am I supposed to create forms with a place at the end for the notary to fill out? How do I get finger print cards and birth certificates notarized? The birth certificates that I ordered have the date that I ordered them printed on them. This date will be different than the date of the notary’s signature. Do I attach a piece of paper to them for the notary to fill out? I am so sorry to ask so many questions but I really don't understand.

[ManyTimesBlessed]

Don't panic! You can do this!!!!

For the birth certificates/marriage certificates/divorce certificates, what you need to order is certified copies. These do not have to be notarized or sent to your secretary of state. They only go to the Guatemalan Consulate to be authenticated.

As far as the other documents, you might want to ask you agency if they have online forms that you can use. Our facilitator sent us the forms and we just filled in our information and printed them out. Otherwise, when you type up the form you need a line for each person to sign and date and then you need a line for the notary to sign and date. The notary will have a stamp that they use to prove that it's legitimate.

What I suggest to people is just to take it one step at a time. Pick one document and work on it. Then do the next one. Make sure you keep everything together in a folder or file. You will do just fine.

If you have more questions, we're happy to help you if we can. Also, you can ask your agency questions too - that's part of what you're paying for!

[waitingforIsabel]

It doesn't sound stupid at all. All of us are new to this process at the beginning. When you get something notarized, the notary will stamp, date and sign the actual document, usually on the bottom. You just need to present the document and identification. Most banks have a notary and usually if you go to your own bank there is no charge. When you request your birth certificates and police clearances ask them to send you a notarized copy. When you get your medical reports ask them to notarize in the doctors' office- they usually have a notary in a medical office. I think the different date on document vs notary is ok. It was for us.

[mcmom]

I was so overwhelmed when we got our dossier info as well and had no clue what I was doing. She is right though, just take it one step at a time and ask lots of questions!! You will be surprised once you get going, it's not as confusing as it seems. I had to read through it once, set it aside, and reread the info again. It didn't seem as bad when I broke it down!! Best wishes!!!!

[dspakowsky]

Don't feel silly about asking these questions - we've all been there.

Your BC's will come notorized with the State Registrar's signature.

You need to go to your local police station and request three finger print cards. Take them home with you. Two go to the FBI and one to the State. Once you get the FBI letter back with your prints, you write a letter that states "this is a true and original document from the FBI..." then you notorize your signature. For the State of NC, you'll receive a notarized letter when you get your prints back - so they're easy.

The other forms, such as medical and employment, just leave room on the bottom for the notary to stamp and sign.

Once you have all these documents, they go to the Secretary of State where they got notarized. NC's link is http://www.secretary.state.nc.us/Corporations/

Then, they go the Guatemalan Consulate for Authentication. Only certain states go to certain Consulates, so make sure you're sending it to the right one.

But, don't worry about certifying or authenticating now, just take it one step at a time.

I'll e-mail you the forms I used.

Most importantly - have everyone write very clear. They cannot use their regular signature if is it's unreadable. Same goes for the notaries. Make sure the notaries commission doesn't expire for 1-2 years. Don't bend or fold any of your documents, unless they came that way (BC's for example). Don't remove any staples from any documents. Decide one way you'll sign your name and stick with it. Preferrable use your full name (middle included).

[mommytoEli]

It is really overwhelming in the beginning. Do everything one thing at a time. Ask as many questions as you need to. We were all where you are now.

[auntiepippi]

Yes, I too felt very overwhelmed and even more so when I got the packet from my home study social worker. But, the good news is that it is achievable with time and patience. We just finished our paperwork, so this is very fresh in my mind. A few things to add to the other's comments...

Your agency should give you samples of these letters -- ours did. PM me if you have specific questions about wording and I can copy into my response what our letters said.

Your FBI cards (you can print these from the website -- PM me if you need the site) will not come back notarized and you will type up a notarized letter to accompany the cards saying they are true and original documents from the FBI.

Ask your state police to notarize your police clearances before sending them back to you. Our state did so right on the clearance letter with no problem, but each state may do things differently. It is helpful if your doctor office has a notary on staff, so call ahead and find out -- otherwise you may have to bring a notary with you.

Tell all the people that sign your letters -- witnesses, notaries, etc. to sign legibly! I asked everyone to sign each letter carefully and usually they did with no problem. What they sign needs to be exactly as it is printed below the line as well. Our agency stressed this and it may save time later when PGN is looking for reasons to kick your file out.

Good Luck -- Let me know if you have any other questions -- and your agency should help you with this as well!

[Pipercub]

Somebody mentioned the birthcertificates don't have to go to the secretary of state. I just wanted to say that our agency did require them to go to the secretary of state before going to the guatemalan consulate to be authenticated. And not every vitalcheck issued certified birth certificate comes with the signature required to be certified by the secretary of state. For my husband's birth certificate from Kentucky, a "regular" certified copy of his birth certificate from vital check was not sufficient. To be certified, it had to have a "Live" (real ink, not stamp) signature from Vital Check, which was something we had to specifically ask for for adoption. Vital Check had to pull the order out of the regular process and hand deliver it to the Kentucky Vital Check director's office for a signature. The KY Secretary of State would not validate the birth certificate without the live signature, and the Washington DC Guatemalan Embassy would not authenticate it without being validated by the KY secretary of state. All that to say, different states requirements vary, as do agency requirements. I recommend checking with your agency for their requirements.

Good luck. One step at a time, and you will get it done! I understand how overwhelming it seems at first; I promise in a few weeks you will be on your way to being an expert. You can do this! {{Hugs}}

[JuliaC]

Thank you all so much for your help! I feel better already.

[pjb1967]

I know when I got my dossier packet I felt sick, I mean really sick. I took about 5 re-reads before I started to understand what it all means. I broke it down. I did the things that were easy to understand first, like making a copy of my last tax return or getting a physical at the doctor. Then, as I started to work on the easy things, I gained more understanding of the process and how to do the harder documents. I'm sure every agency's requirements are different but ask all the questions you want. That is why we pay an agency, to help you. Good luck

[itsinhishands]

I too did the same as pjb; There were only a couple of things I could grasp what to do in the beginning. Then, as I got into it, it got easier. My best suggestion is to talk to your agency OFTEN; as often as you need to; thats why they are there! We were so lucky, too. A coworker is a notary, and she did ALL of our stuff, for free! (I did buy her a bottle of wine though) Good luck!

[Larue]

Oh how I remember this. When I got the dossier list from our agency, I sat at the kitchen table and cried. But the next day I created my "adoption binder", with a table of contents and tabs, and even a cute cover with pictures from Guatemala. I'm such an Auditor

And I made a commitment to myself that everyday I would accomplish at least one task. Going to the bank to get a document notarized, writing a cover letter, scheduling the appointment for our medical exams, mailing something for State certification, etc. And before you know it -- it was done. I was amazed. It took 6 weeks. Some folks get it done faster. But I was happy with my 6 weeks.

Hang in there...and ask questions any time you want pointers. This Forum is a wealth of information

[KKR213]

Don't panic....take it one form at a time. You might want to do the things that might be harder to get done like Doctors letters first. I also made a binder with a checklist and checked off the items as they were completed, then notarized, certified and authenticated. My agency gave me forms to complete that were really large (11x18?) and had plenty of room to be notarized. I also suggest making a master copy of all blank forms since that way you will have them if you need to redo them.

Good luck!

[CashCrew]

I'm right there confused and overwhelmed with you! I'm wondering where and how we get a POA or name affidavit.

[aunt Ceecee]

I was so overwhelmed when my package came I looked at it and sat it down and stayed away from it for a few weeks....my friends and family road me till I picked it up and did it. And once I sat down quietly and started , it all fell into place. I do have one thing to add ....I read all of the other post on this topic and I have to say that my dossier was a bit different then some of yours so I am going to assume that all agencys are not the same. or maybe it was a bit eaiser for me because they were right in my neighborhood and I could run right over and get something handled. Now here is one I didn't get is the finger print cards? Why did you need fingerprint cards....let alone 3 sets? My finger prints were done at a private agency that did nothing but finger prints and drug testing and the second time was at our local immigration office. and as far as the police records I went to our local police station and had them run a check local and state and they signed and sealed it right there in a matter of a few min. And what FBI cards? I am a bit miffed on these cards? And as far as everything getting notarized, our local bank knows us very well and they knew of our adoption right from the start so they were more then happy to notarize things for us , we just signed in front of them and if one or two had to be done without the signing right there well they trusted us. And they did free of charge. So you are not alone....... wait till you get the packet for your lawyer, I went over that 3 /4 times to make sure everything was in there....Good Luck.....CeeCee