[guatwis]

Perhaps this has been discussed, but I got an e-mail from the US Embassy last week informing me of a new requirement (effective Nov. 27), and we have to NOTARIZE all pages of our passports, including blank and instruction pages!

My banker is gonna love me!

J.T.

-Celebrating our 3rd family day today with our Guatemalan prince

-Waiting in PGN for our daughter since 8/9

[aimwait5]

Hi J.T.

We had this discussion on Saturday on this forum look for the post that says "submitted for pink w/o copies of passport blank pages" and according to the UCICS this requirment doesn't start until November 27.....so I'm not sure why you got an email regarding this now. You should call your local representatives regarding this because our Embassy should not be doing this before the effective date! I just got submitted for pink this past thursday and they don't have blank copies of our passports - we didn't visit and we didn't know anything about this or the fact that they needed notarized.......What did your email say exactly and did you visit?

[LISAKAYE]

I am sooo confused on why those pages would have to be notorized???? You get signatures notorized!!! Not blank pages!!!!!!!!
Yet one more thing to waste everyones time!!!!

Lisa

[yaddakal]

Bumping...I will let you know what I hear today. I have emailed my coordinator, her boss, the embassy, our senators....

[guatwis]

Aimwait5, I'm sure you're fine, as the requirement doesn't go into effect until well after you'll be home! Yay! But we'd received the other e-mail last month regarding passport copies (not notarized) and that was effective this month. Yes, blank pages, too! I scanned all our passport pages and e-mailed them to our agency, and thought we were set. Then I got this new e-mail last week and since we're still in PGN, I'm sure the new requirement will apply to us by the time we travel. So we'll be notarizing our signatures on our passport pages -- I'm waiting to hear from my agency about if I need to do ALL pages, even the blank and instruction pages!

We did visit, although I think everyone needs to do this, regardless of whether they visited or not. Below is the exact e-mail I received.

Best wishes!
J.T.


In an ongoing effort to better serve you more efficiently, USCIS will now require that adopting parents submit notarized copies of their passports
(every page that contains any information) with the final adoption packet and the fully completed I-600. USCIS is requiring these notarized copies in order to
expedite the final adjudication process on the day of your "pink slip" appointment interview with the U.S. Consulate.

Please note that new requirement decisions are ones that are not made arbitrarily or capriciously, but are made in the interest of the adopting parent.

This is effective November 27, 2006.

Thank you for your understanding.

Sincerely,
Joseph T. Roma
Officer-in-Charge
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
American Embassy, Guatemala
Unit 3334
APO AA 34024

[KevinK]

I've been out of town and this is news to me. The way I read it, it would not be blank pages, only ones with relevant info on them. In the past, you only copied the page with your photo on it and notarized it saying that it was a true copy or some other similar wording. What was missing was any page regarding proof that you had travelled prior to the adoption being finalized. So I could see how they would want to have that info in order to process the adoption as an IR3 or IR4. Certainly they can not expect every parent to pay a notary to notarize alll the blank sheets...

Kevin
Guatadopt.com

[riptune2]

So, since we will have to notarize everything... does this mean that it will also have to be authenticated and sent to the Guat embassy for signoff before we get down there?

Can they make things more difficult for us??!!

Shannon

[dac_cincy]

The notarized pages do not need to be sealed or authenticated, just notarized.

[aimwait5]

So still confused here....Are you guys saying that the first 2 pages picture and signature that we did send down should have been notarized even though we did not visit????? or this part hasn't come into effect yet. Gosh I'm so confused at his point....

[Tammy2005]

I`m hoping it is just the first two pages if you did not go to visit. I have done this already and had a page attatched stating that it was a true original copy, and that was notarized. Gosh I hope this is it. Do I really have to do every page and the instruction page too??? Tammy

[Pipercub]

I'm copying in the link below to the other thread where we discussed this a couple days ago:

It says the letter from Joseph T. Roma at the US embassy says the following. I get the impression they probably just want the personal information page, and copies of the pages with stamps. Copying blank pages doesn't seem necessary (only ones with information) I'm sure agencies can get further clarification for families:

In an ongoing effort to better serve you more efficiently, USCIS will now require that adopting parents submit notarized copies of their passports (every page that contains any information) with the final adoption packet and the fully completed I-600. USCIS is requiring these notarized copies in order to expedite the final adjudication process on the day of your "pink slip" appointment interview with the U.S. Consulate.

Please note that new requirement decisions are ones that are not made arbitrarily or capriciously, but are made in the interest of the adopting parent.

This is effective November 27, 2006.

Thank you for your understanding.

Official statement on new passport requirement

[yaddakal]

Well, we were submitted for pink this morning without copies of our passports...no copies at all....our agency will not answer me on the rumors I heard here on this board. They just tell me that I should be out after 4:30pm on Weds...which probably means Thurs since Wed is a holiday.