Hello!
I am an American citizen and will be getting married to my fiance this September in Sao Paulo, Brazil. My fiance has been a permanent resident of Brazil for 30 years even though he holds a foreign passport. I'll be arriving on a 90-day tourist visa and will get married as soon as possible.
In order to get married in Brazil, I know that I'll need my 1) Birth Certificate and 2) Single Status Affidavit (also known as a Certificate of Freedom to Marry or Certificate of No Impediment for Marriage or Certificate of No Record Marriage). I live in Los Angeles and today, I went to the LA County Registrar-Recorder (County Clerk) office and requested both certificates. Once I receive them in the mail, I will get them legalized at my local Brazilian consulate - probably some time towards the end of June.
Now, here is where it gets confusing:
1. I explained to the clerk at the Registrar office that I needed a Single Status Affidavit to prove that I'm currently single and have never been married before. She said that she'll request a Certificate of Marriage Search dating back to 1991 and then asked me to fork over $15. Lol! Did I get the correct certificate? Has anyone in Los Angeles received the same certificate for this purpose?
2. Once both certificates are legalized, will they be valid for 90 days, 180 days, or permanently? I've read different things, so could someone kindly clarify? I just want to make sure that my legalized certificates don't expire before I submit them to the Cartório in Brazil in September.
3. I know that both certificates also need to be translated into Portuguese by a translator (Tradutor Juramentada). Can this only be done in Brazil? If so, how quick is the turnaround? Can I have them translated here in Los Angeles through the Brazilian consulate? Again, I am just worried that once I arrive in Brazil, we will be racing to get everything turned in to the Cartório to process our marriage certificate before my tourist visa expires.
Thank you so much!
Victoria