Proper documentation will be your key to easing the process of immigration. If you have ever been given an official document of some kind in your life, through a court or other public official, then it probably bears some weight in your life. Documents of importance include: Birth
certificate These documents must all bear an the official stamp of the originating official, and are most commonly known as "certified copies." To further validate the authenticity of these documents, an International Act was written whereby the signing countries would accept an "Apostille" as proof of authenticity. This document, an Apostille, can only be obtained by (in the U.S.) the Secretary of State in which the original documents were issued. For example, if you were born in Texas, you would need to obtain a certified copy of your birth certificate from your state health department, and then receive an Apostille from the Texas Secretary of State. Likewise, if you were divorced in Maryland, you would have to get a certified copy of your divorce decree from the court that issued the decree, and subsequently get an Apostille for this document from the Maryland Secretary of State. While this may seem to be a headache, in this case an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The fees, while cumulatively may amount to a large sum, depending on your own circumstances, are somewhat nominal individually, ranging anywhere from $5 to $15 in most cases. The most simple way of obtaining these documents is through the mail, and sending self-addressed, stamped envelopes, along with explicit instructions. Most organizations have websites where the amount of fees necessary can be obtained in advance.
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