Friday, August 25, 2006

Off to the Consulate...

Well after a very busy last two days, our documents are off to the Vietnamese Consulate for authentication!! We spent the day in Columbus where we got our State Certifications, shipped the documents, picked up a birth certificate, and I even had time to attend a business meeting - whew!

For those who are not in the process of adopting - this is a big step for us - once the documents come back from the consulate, we will make copies, do one more certification, and be ready to send our entire Dossier to our Agency! So, the document chase is almost over (knock on wood).

For those of you who are adopting - here are my helpful hints / observations. The Secretary of State's office is in the Borden Building at 180 Broad Street (almost across from the State Capitol Building. When we arrived (around 9:30 am) there were several metered parking spots within the block. I would try these first as they are less expensive than the lots. The authentication process only takes about 20 minutes - however, we were the only folks there. I would hate to see the office busy, as there is very limited seating.

If, like us, you can't wait to get your documents in the mail to the Embassy, there's a staffed Fed Ex in the Huntington Building. Its about 3 blocks from the Borden Building on S Main St. The Fed Ex is on the second floor when you come in. We shipped standard overnight, as it will get there by 3:00 Monday.

Another suggestion I would make is to create a personal Fed Ex account before you mail the documents. You can do it online, its free, and all you need is a credit card. This way you can create a return mailer without having to know the exact amout it will cost. Its also way cooler and I think you get a discount (don't quote me on that though!)

Also, if you need a copy of your Ohio Birth Certificate for any reason, the Bureau of Vital stats is only about 3 blocks North of the Borden building (definitely a driving destination, though!). If you don't live in Columbus, its nice to get many things done at once.

If you don't mind some walking, you could also park at City Center Mall, walk to the Sec of State's office, walk back to Fedex, and do some quick shopping or eat a meal. The City Center garage is only $1 for the first 3 hours.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home