Instructions for Selectees: Civil Documents

Requirements

Review these requirements regarding civil documents you will need to obtain before your interview at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Please do not send any civil documents to the Kentucky Consular Center.

Required DV Qualifying Education or Work Experience

The principal diversity visa applicant must have a high school education, or its equivalent, OR two years of qualifying work experience in the last five years.

Education: Submit to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate at your interview, a certificate of completion equivalent to a U.S. diploma, school transcripts, or other evidence issued by the person or organization responsible for maintaining records, which specifies the completed course of study. The diversity visa selectee must have completed a 12-year course of elementary and secondary education in the U.S. or a comparable course of study in another country, sufficient in itself to qualify a student to apply for college admission. The following are not acceptable:

• Equivalency certificates (such as the G.E.D.) are not acceptable.
• Vocational degrees that are not considered a basis for further academic study will not be considered equivalent to U.S. high school education.

Work Experience: Submit documentation to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate at your interview demonstrating that you have two years of qualifying work experience in the last five years immediately prior to application. Qualifying work experience must be in an occupation that, by U.S. Department of Labor O*Net Online Database definitions, requires at least two years of training or experience that is designated as Job Zone 4 or 5, classified in a Specific Vocational Preparation (SVP) rating of 7.0 or higher. (See Step 1 for information about using O*Net Online.)

Birth Certificate

Each applicant will need to obtain an original birth certificate issued by the official custodian of birth records in the country of birth, showing the date and place of birth and the parentage of the applicant, based upon the original registration of birth. Submit to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate at your interview. Important Notice: All Immigrant Visa applicants must submit a long form original birth certificate. Short form birth certificates will not be accepted.

 The certificate must contain the:

• Person's date of birth;
• Person's place of birth;
• Names of both parents; and,
• Annotation by the appropriate authority indicating that it is an extract from the official records.

Unobtainable birth certificates

The applicant's birth record may not be obtainable. Some reasons are listed below:

• The applicant's birth was never officially recorded.
• The applicant's birth records have been destroyed.
• The appropriate government authority will not issue one.

Please obtain a certified statement from the appropriate government authority stating the reason the applicant's birth record is not available. With the certified statement the applicant must submit secondary evidence. For example:

• A baptismal certificate that contains the date and place of birth, as well as both parents' names (providing the baptism took place shortly after birth).
• An adoption decree for an adopted child.

Note: An affidavit must be executed before an official authorized to take oaths or affirmations. An affidavit from a close relative, preferably the applicant's mother, stating the date and place of birth, both parents names, and the mother's maiden name.

Court and Prison Records

Applicants who have been convicted of a crime must obtain a certified copy of each court record and any prison record, regardless of the fact that he or she may have subsequently benefited from an amnesty, pardon or other act of clemency. Submit to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate at your interview. Court records should include:

• Complete information regarding the circumstance surrounding the crime of which the applicant was convicted:
• The disposition of the case, including sentence or other penalty or fine imposed.

Deportation Documentation

Applicants who have previously been deported or removed at government expense from the United States must obtain Form I-212, Permission to Reapply after Deportation, from the U.S. Citizenship or Immigration Services or from a U.S. Embassy or Consulate, and follow the instructions included on that form.

Marriage Certificate

Married applicants must obtain an original marriage certificate, or a certified copy, bearing the appropriate seal or stamp of the issuing authority. Submit this to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate at your interview.

Note: Marriage certificates from certain countries are unavailable. More specific information is available online on our Reciprocity by Country webpage.

Marriage Termination Documentation

Applicants who have been previously married must obtain evidence of the termination of EACH prior marriage. Evidence submitted to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate must be in the form of original documents issued by a competent authority, or certified copies bearing the appropriate seal or stamp of the issuing authority, such as:

• Final divorce decree
• Death certificate
• Annulment papers

Military Records

Persons who have served in the military forces of any country must obtain a copy of their military record. Submit documentation to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate at your interview.

Note: Military records from certain countries are unavailable. More specific information is available online on our Reciprocity by Country webpage.

Police Records

Which Applicants Need to Submit a Police Certificate

Each applicant aged 16 years or older must submit police certificates to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate at your interview.

What Does the Applicant Submit

The applicant must submit police certificates that meet the following guidelines. The police certificate must:

• Cover the entire period of the applicant's residence in that area.
• Be issued by the appropriate police authority.
• Include all arrests, the reason for the arrest(s), and the disposition of each case of which there is a record.

How to obtain a police certificate

1. Determine from which countries an applicant is required to obtain police certificates. The table below will assist in determining from where an applicant must obtain police certificates.
   Note: Present and former residents of the United States should NOT obtain any police certificates covering their residence in the U.S.
2. Contact the appropriate police authorities. Selecting the appropriate country from the Reciprocity by Country page will provide you with additional information on how to obtain a police certificate.

IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT POLICE CERTIFICATES: The Reciprocity by Country pages will indicate if a country's police authorities require the submission of a specific Police Certificate Request form. Some countries may require the submission of specific Police Certificate Request forms in order to properly request and obtain the applicable Police Certificate(s).

Note: Police certificates from certain countries are unavailable. More specific information is available online on our Reciprocity by Country webpage.

When the Applicant Needs a Police Certificate

IF the applicant…	AND…	THEN the applicant needs a police certificate from…
is living in their country of nationality at their current residence for more than 6 months	is 16 years old or older	the police authorities of that locality.
lived in a different part of their country of nationality for more than 6 months	was 16 years or older at that time	the police authorities of that locality.
lived in a different country for more than 12 months	was 16 years or older at that time	the police authorities of that locality.
was arrested for any reason, regardless of how long they lived there	was any age at that time	the police authorities of that locality.

Custody Documentation

For adopted children, the adoptive parent must provide:

1. A certified copy of the adoption decree;
2. The legal custody decree; if custody occurred before the adoption;
3. A statement showing dates and places where child resided with the parents; and
4. If the child was adopted while aged 16 or 17 years, evidence that the child was adopted together with, or subsequent to the adoption of, a natural sibling under age 16 by the same adoptive parent(s).