Posted by Dave
Got the docs yesterday and found that Michigan forgot to put the apostille on moms amended birth cert. I called them and they said no problem, just send it back and they would take care of it.
Then I noticed that the info on the amended cert had been copied wrong and my grandfathers age was listed as 23 rather than the 33 on the original. Again no problem, just note what is wrong and theyll fix it.
Then I realized that the 33 on the original was wrong! He was only 32 at the time. Probably, the European date format is the culprit. They note the dates in the date/month/year format. So when nonno gave his birth date, he probably wrote it as 4/11/1898 which would have been understood as April 11 here, rather than November 4. The clerk writing the Birth cert thought his birthday was past and listed his age as 33.
To get that changed, Ill have to send another 2 pieces of evidence. I have his birth cert for the first, but when I checked the death cert there is ANOTHER date November 13, listed as his birth date. So now I will need to get that changed by the state of California. I need to request a special form from the state, pay money and provide them with a couple of docs for evidence and then 8-9 months later, Ill get a new cert.
I have roughly one year before my appointment with the consulate, so Id better get moving on this stuff. Michigan takes about 6-8 weeks to change things. California takes 8 months. Sheesh.
The other option is to just note all the discrepancies for the consulate and maybe they will let them go. I dont know if I want to try that or not. I think that if I have the time, Ill go ahead and just pay the moolah and hope the amended docs show up on time. If they dont, then its on to plan B: note the discrepancies and pray for the best.