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How NRIs Can Get Single Status Certificate from United States?

How NRIs Can Get Single Status Certificate from United States?

The single status certificate is known as with another name in the United States. It is called the Certificate of No Impediment. This is not a single name. There are some more ones to refer it.

Here are a few more ones:

  • Eligibility to Marry
  • Affidavit of Civil Status
  • Affidavit of Single Status
  • Affidavit of Marriageability
  • Certificate of No Public Record
  • No Record of Marriage Apostille
  • Certificate of No Record – Marriage
  • Certificate of Freedom to Marry Apostille

Why do you need it?

Like birth proof, it is evidence of one’s bachelorhood. The foreign ministry of the United States requires it from a non-resident when he or she is likely to solemnize marriage with its native. This is to ensure that there is no wrong intention, like getting citizenship of this country, associated with the prospective marriage.

Besides, the employer here may also request it from the non-resident employee. It is simply to discover how many dependents he or she has.

But mostly, it is required for matrimony. So, the applicant has to apply for it three months prior to the marriage. This can help him/her to get verified before marriage. Else, it can be delayed. Without prior submitting this document, the marriage is not permitted.

How can you get it in the USA?

This document is basically issued as an oath or a sworn statement. It ensures that you are genuinely the person you claim to be and free to get married.

You may visit a notary public for drafting this single status certificate as an affidavit and get it notarized. Or, you have an alternative to meet a matter expert in this regard. He can guide you through the entire process of how to get a single status certificate in the United States.  His guidance can help you to include or exclude important details like information about your fiancé and his/her parents in the document. This can help you to get it attested in a go. You face no rejection or refilling for it.

What all you can do is to follow these steps:

  • For citizens, it is a must to submit the “no record of marriage” before “certificate of no impediment”. Or, you may talk to the County Clerk, or supervisor to guide you.
  • Once issued from the County Clerk’s office, you won’t need any notarization.
  • NRIs visit the US embassy website: “usembassy.gov” to get through a full list of addresses, phone numbers, and websites for each consulate. Find the nearby one from the list.
  • Schedule an appointment online at the website.
  • Go to the nearest American Consulate or Embassy in the country where you are located.
  • Get there for your appointment and show your passport & other documents.
  • The U.S. consular officer will ask you a number of questions, like for your passport and the names of your parents, about your birth certificate, and other details.
  • Once satisfied, the competent person will write the affidavit and have you sign it. Then, he himself signs & attests it to make it valid.
  • Then, get it apostilled or attested from the Washington DC embassy office.

Checklist of Documents to Enclose

Before visiting there, you should have all documents ready. Here is the list of all of those certificates and papers:

  • Passport
  • Valid Driver’s License
  • Birth Certificate
  • Social Security number
  • If divorced, Decree Absolute.
  • If widowed, Death Certificate of previous spouse (and Marriage Certificate).
  • I-94 (if came as a refugee in the united states)
About Fee

Once done, you have to pay out the relevant fee. This can be revised over time.

Obtaining an apostille service for this certificate can be complicated. Don’t leave this process to untrained employees or non-professionals. They do not fully understand the apostille process and the associated requirements/documents of certain countries. Consequently, your paperwork could be rejected. It may cost you time and money also. So, avoid this happening and hire a professional consultant or legal advisor to guide you through this process.

How Do NRIs Apply for Single Status Affidavit?

How Do NRIs Apply for Single Status Affidavit?

Single status affidavit is the legal evidence issued by the district magistrate (DM) or sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) in India. It is also called the Single Status Certificate, Certificate of No Record, Certificate of No Impediment, Certificate of Nulla Osta, Single Statutory Declaration and Certificate of Legal Capacity of Contract Marriage.

This proof is necessary to submit with the embassy and immigration authority when you are likely to solemnize marriage with a foreigner abroad.

How to Apply?

To know about how to apply for the single status affidavit, let’s get through the entire procedure that you, being an NRI, need to follow:

  • Visit the court where you are from in India. Or, you can ask in embassy for the affidavit.
  • Provide all necessary details to the attorney or your relative/friends if you are getting it from your native place. Else, you need to fill the form providing all details like passport number, address, date of birth and other details.
  • Get it notarized from the court.
  • At the background, the authority will get the stamp from Sub district magistrate or District magistrate or Court.
  • Then, one needs to contact the outsourcing agencies, which are just four in the entire India. You can get their details from the official website and Services 2NRI.
  • The outsourcing agent will get it attested from the home department of the Ministry of External Affairs or Apostille.
  • Enclose a demand draft worth INR 50 for the postal order.
  • Submit it to the Indian embassy or to other foreign embassy where you want to solemnize marriage.

Attestation of this affidavit is the most tedious task. And, the substantial thing is that you cannot get it done by yourself. The Ministry of External Affairs does not accept any request for attestation of this affidavit in person. You need to raise a request with the authorized outsourcing agent.

The foreign authority may require parent’s affidavit also. The procedure for it would be similar.

Documents Required

  • Aadhaar Card
  • National identity card or Passport
  • Address proof
  • If divorced, Decree Absolute
  • If widowed, Death Certificate of previous spouse (and Marriage Certificate)
  • Deed Poll if you have changed your name
  • Affidavit of parents

Fee Structure

  • SDM stamp- INR 2000 to INR 3000 (depending on the location)
  • Fee for Notary – INR 350 (if there is any)
  • Fee for Attestation – INR 105
  • Fee for Apostille – INR 50

Processing Time

The apostilling or attestation takes maximum to maximum ten days. In short, you need to apply for this document a month ago for coming across any kind of hassles.

What does it read?

Being a sworn statement, it should read like this:

SINGLE STATUS AFFIDAVIT

I, (applicant’s name), s/o or d/o (name of parents) born on (D.O.B) in (place of birth), am eligible to marry with an Indian or other national according to law. I am single (for unmarried) or, have no dependent from the previous marriage (for divorcee/widowed).

The foresaid information of mine is true and correct.

Solemnly Declared at (City/District, State, India) on (Date) DD/MM/YYYY

 

Likewise, the applicant may also require submission of the parent’s affidavit. It should read as:

AFFIDAVIT

“We (parents’ name), of (age), married citizens of (country) with legal address after having been sworn to the law, hereby state that we are the legal parents of (the applicant’s name) born on (D.O.B) in (address). We are the evidences of the fact that he/she has never been married with any man/woman till today (for unmarried).

 Or, he/she is divorced now and has no dependent from the previous marriage (for divorcee).”

Solemnly Declared at (City/District, State, India) on (Date) DD/MM/YYYY

 

What is Single Status Certificate?

What is Single Status Certificate?

A Single Status Certificate specifies marital status corresponding to the judiciary legislation of the country. However, Indian court or embassy accepts a self sworn statement or an affidavit to attest, which states that the affiant is single or, has no dependents from the previous marriage. If you ask what the single status certificate is, it refers to a legal document that discloses the matrimonial background, if there is any, revealing one’s eligibility for wedding in the foreign country.

This is basically a precautionary measure for governments to save their citizens from being victimized with polygamy. More than one marriage is not legally valid in many countries. So, it is a judicial law to have just one spouse.

Attestation Is Essential

A sworn statement would be considered just a plain statement, stating your marital status. The foreign authority does not accept it unless it is approved or verified by the competent authorities. So, you have to get validated at the state and central government level before moving to the embassy for a final attestation.

Here is a blueprint of which authority is going to attest on that affidavit step by step:

  • Notary

A notary public is an officer who notarises the bachelorhood affidavit. He works at the ground level, attesting it in the court. Before putting a stamp, he verifies all documents with his analytical eyes while deeply figuring out your gestures. He signs when he gets satisfied with all documents & your intentions.

  • SDM

A short for Sub-Divisional Magistrate, the SDM is competent to authorize the single status certificate in India at district level. He verifies the affidavit before counter-attesting it to prove that it is valid from all aspects.

  • MEA

Also called the Ministry of External Affairs, the MEA is the topmost authority working in the center that you cannot skip for attestation. It has appointed a few agencies to collect and come for NRIs or emigrants’ attestation services in all states of India.

  • Embassy

This is the last authority in a sequence to get certificate of non impediment for marriage attested for the non-residents of India who are temporarily living in the foreign country. Upon getting this certificate apostilled from the MEA, this particular document is sent for the counter-attestation of the Embassy.

POA for Getting CENOMAR from India

Power of Attorney or POA empowers the stated person to represent the attorney giver. This is a common case of NRIs who cannot come down here more often. So, they appoint someone who is near or dear for handing over POA. This power defines that the attorney is approved or permitted to perform legal proceedings on their behalf.

He or she drafts an affidavit at first. Once it’s all done, the applicant visits the nearest DM or SDM office to get his/ her signature on that document. Later, he gets the MEA stamp or apostille sticker for legalizing the document. Lastly, the attorney visits the Indian Embassy to get its stamp on that affidavit.

Apply Via A Consultant

This is easier to carry out, visiting a professional in an agency and submit the requisite documents. The agent makes sure that the document is being attested and apostilled from the state and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

It is recommended to approach a highly experienced agency for getting professional assistance. It is simply because only a professional knows how to sail across all glitches coming your way. It can save many hours and money, promising that the document will be verified and delivered within a stipulated time without any error or discrepancies.

Documents To Be Enclosed With Affidavit

  • 3 sworn statements of the applicant and two witnesses (that can be parents or relatives)
  • Birth proof
  • Visa Number
  • Passport number
  • Complete address

In addition, the document should have properly attested and validated by the requisite state and central government administration. Although it can be time-taking procedure, yet you can get it, certainly.

How to Get Single Status Certificate in India

How to Get Single Status Certificate in India

Single status certificate is the proof of a person’s bachelorhood that its holder is single and is free to get married. The reason why it’s necessary in some countries is because cases and complaints were coming against people for having more than one spouse in different countries. This is why many Asia-Pacific countries like China, Philippines, Japan, Malaysia and also most of the European countries have made it mandatory to show the certificate of bachelorhood.

single status certificate

Why you need CENOMAR?

If your journey to aforementioned Asian nations is on card and your ticket is booked, then first check out your single status certificate, in case you are a bachelor or spinster. FOR WHAT you need it while leaving for the foreign country?

  1. Fear of Detention:Future is uncertain and hassles wait for none. You may be detained over wrong allegations on alien land. At that mean time, this certificate will rescue you from getting handcuffed by foreign sheriff.  It will authenticate your actual status of bachelorhood certificate. So apparently, it will help you to gain green signal over clearance from foreign police.
  2. For Issuing Passport: When you plan to say ‘goodbye’ to that nation for landing on another country, you may be asked for this certificate again for passport. Therefore, get it in your wallet before the problems knock at your door and cause delay to your upcoming dreams.

Is it easy to get?
Yes, you can have it in India conveniently by two ways. Let I acknowledge you how easy it is to get.

In person: The certificate in India is issued by the first class magistrate and Ministry of External Affairs, India. To obtain the certificate, you have to go to the nearest magistrate’s office and fall in the line to be able to get one. Be prepared as it can eat-up your time & money too. So, hit the ministry office in person when you have a lot of leisure time.
Through online: Those, working and living abroad or settled outside their city and cannot make it to their home city, online services for NRI are a great option to get the bachelorhood certificate. Not only does it save time and unnecessary hassle of running about government offices, but also money that you might spend on the travels. What all you need for taking advantages of S2NRI:

  1. Click and open the S2NRI’s web portal.
  2. Fill the requisite details of yours.
  3. Send it through your personal email. This process will consume relatively less time than that of getting it in person. And, hurdles will never take their advances to you.
  4. You will get revert in the least of an hour.

CENOMAR certificate includes:

  • Complete name of the person
  • Complete name of the father
  • Complete maiden name of the mother
  • Date of birth
  • Place of birth
  • Complete name and address of the requesting party
  • Number of copies needed
  • Purpose of the certification

As this certificate signifies single status, thus, the applicant can be divorcee or widow/widower. In such case, the following documents are needed for obtaining Single Status Certificate:

  • An affidavit from Indian national parents. It should have clear statement that the applicant or Indian national is not committed to anyone in India. It also showcases the number of the children, in case the spouse is divorcee or widow/widower.
  • The foregone affidavit is stamped by SDM (Sub-Divisional Magistrate) or Executive Magistrate or District Magistrate (DM) or court authority in India.
  • The attested affidavit will be forwarded to the home department of the state government for further attestation.
  • The final step is to get the stamp from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Patiala House, Tilak Marg in New Delhi.

After the aforementioned procedure, the applicant must visit Indian embassy to go through the interview round with the consul. The one-o-one session is carried on during working days.

FAQs

What is Single Status Certificate?

Single Status Certificate is also called CENOMAR or “Certificate of No Marriage Record” or Bachelorhood Certificate, “Certificate of No Impediment” or “Nulla Osta”. It’s an affidavit-a legal document, mentioning that the bearer is single and has no dependent from previous marriage (if it has happened). It clearly reads that the bearer is not in a marriage contract. He or she may be a divorcee or widowed, which also depicts singleness.

Why do you need this certificate?

You may require it for tying a knot with someone in the foreign country, especially in Europe, Philippines, Australia, the USA, the UK and many other countries. The external affairs department in those countries prevents the rights of their natives, seeking single status certificate.

Apart from that, the employer or academic institute in abroad may also seek it from NRIs or call to show it up during and after immigration for employment or study purpose.

Where can you apply for it in India or abroad?

If you are in India, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) or District Magistrate is the competent authority to be applied with. It also needs notarization from notary public (court) and legalization (i.e. attestation/authorization/apostille) from the State Home Department and then, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Then only, it would be accepted as a valid proof of singleness.

As an NRI, you can apply with the Indian embassy in the country where you live.

What do you mean by legalization of Single Status Certificate?

Legalisation means validating the certificate, which is backed with the verification of all supporting documents. These documents show authentic proof of the bearer’s identity, address, birth, citizenship and guardians. The competent authorities in India, such as SDM and then, MEA, put the stamp on this affidavit upon cross-examining the details of the person who applies for it in the docs. Once it is done, the authorities attest or apostille the certificate to make it acceptable across the globe.

How can you get it apostilled in India?

You can access e-sanad website, which is active in only a few states and districts. In short, you cannot access the services from this government project all across India. Applicants can enclose all supporting documents with the Single Status Affidavit on the official e-sanad website.  Upload documents and pay the requisite fee online. Upon being attested by the MEA, you can see a sticker denoting that it’s been apostilled.

However, the MEA does not accept direct applications for its attestation. You have to contact the outsourcing agency near you to get it done.

Is apostille service for this certificate valid in all countries?

No, it is not valid for all countries. Only 63 countries are members of the Hague Convention, which needs apostille services for all documents.

For rest of countries, you have to visit or contact the outsourcing agency, if in India and embassy, if in abroad.

Which countries need the apostille/ attestation of this certificate? 

Afghanistan, Jamaica, Sudan, Algeria, Jordan, Syria, Angola, Kenya, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Kuwait, Tanzania, Benin, Laos, Togo, Burkina Faso, Lebanon, Thailand, Burma (Myanmar), Libya, Turkmenistan, Cambodia, Macedonia, UAE (United Arab Emirates), Cameroon, Madagascar, Uganda, Canada, Malaysia, Vietnam, Chile, Mali, Yemen, China, Mauritania,  Zambia, Congo Republic, Nepal, Zimbabwe, Congo Democratic, Niger, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Cuba, Pakistan, Egypt, Palestine, Eritrea, Philippines, Ethiopia, Qatar, Ghana, Rwanda, Guinea, Saudi Arabia, Haiti, Senegal, Indonesia, Sierra Leone, Iran, Singapore, Iraq and Sri Lanka

What is the checklist of supporting documents for it?

  • Photographs
  • Original Passport & its photocopy
  • Decree Absolute, if divorced
  • Affidavit (of spouses, parents and witnesses)
  • Death certificate (of deceased spouse, if widowed)
  • Original and photocopy of Aadhaar Card/ Voter ID Card/Driving licence

How much does its attestation cost?

  • Notary/Affidavit: INR 20 to INR 100 (variable)
  • Home Department: Nil
  • Apostille: INR 50 (may be revised)
  • Embassy: Variable (in thousands)
  • MEA: INR 50 (agency charges) + INR 90/- (Service Fee)+ INR 3 per page (Scanning Fee)

How many days does its delivery take?

The postal orders service has been discontinued for normal attestation. So, its delivery can take more than a month.

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