Here are some random tips for the paper chase. Some of these aren't essential, but it may help you as you prepare your documents.
Organizing Your Work: One of the most intimidating things about the paperchase is simply "figuring it all out." When we started, nothing seemed to make sense, and we never thought we would be able to figure out what to do, when to do it, and where to send it when it was done. However, our agency provided a tracking sheet for our dossier, and it simply allowed you to check off all the steps. Ask your agency if they have one, or make one in Excel. You can get an idea of what ours looked like by clicking here. (You'll feel so good when it's all filled in!)
Signatures on documents: From what we've learned, the CCAA is very big on being able to read a signature - even if it's not how someone normally signs their name. In other words, if they read the typed name "Dr. Jane Smith," they want to be able to read "Dr. Jane Smith" in her signature. Therefore, make sure you explain to everyone signing documents - doctor's forms, notaries, employment letters, etc - to sign their name legibly, even if it isn't how they normally sign their name.
Notaries: Make sure your notaries have an expiration date over a year away. This is a generous amount of time, but it will prevent you from having notaries expire while you're still gathering papers. Also, make sure they don't stamp over words on the documents. Try to provide a blank space for them to make their stamp. Finally, try to use as few different notaries as possible; the only reason for this is to save time at the Secretary of State's Office. Each different notary requires a different search and different paper print out to attach to your documents. When we visited, 6 of our 11 documents were from the same notary, so they were able to search for her once, print out six sheets, and quickly attach them to each of her documents. This isn't a crucial step, but it can save you some time if you're going in person. Mailing it in? Don't worry about it!
Authentication at the Chinese Consulate/Embassy: It's important to remember - and we didn't understand until late - that documents have to be authenticated at the Chinese Consulate or Embassy that has jurisdiction over the area where a document started. For example: most of our papers - employment letters, financial documents, home study, marriage license, etc - originated in Texas, so they had to go to the Chinese Consulate in Houston since it has Texas jurisdiction. However, our birth certificates are from Tennessee, so they had to go to the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D. C. since it has jurisdiction over Tennessee.
Authentication Requirements for Consulates vs. Embassies: This is tricky, but there are differences between requirements for documents going to consulates as opposed to embassies. Documents that are going to a Chinese Consulate (as most of ours did in Houston), only require the State level of authentication which we got at the State Secretary of State's Office. However, documents going to the Chinese Embassy (as did our birth certificates) have to go to State Level (which Tennessee did when we ordered them), then to the U.S. Secretary of State's Office, then to the Chinese Embassy. So, for whatever reason, documents going to the Embassy have to have one more layer of authentication than those going to a Consulate; understanding that will help you as you plan your timeline.
Fed Ex: To help with shipping documents, set up a personal Fed Ex account. It's free to do so, and it's linked to your credit card. Then, to ship, all you have to do is write your account number on it and drop it off at any Fed Ex location or call for a pickup. Stop by a Fed Ex place (or set it up online), set up your account, then pick up several of the labels and envelopes - and possibly the small boxes. By the end, the stack was too big for the envelopes and you needed the boxes. Your own account number will save you time (don't stand in line again!) and you can orchestrate your pickups from home. (Plus, you can save extra money when you arrange your shipping online!) Also, if you want to get documents Fed Exed at the last minute, be sure to check for the late night pickup in your area. In the Dallas/Fort Worth area, for example, the airport has a Fed Ex office that allows drop-offs until 10pm, and they're delivered the next morning! Check it out...
At the Chinese Consulate: When we filed our papers in the Houston Consulate, they required an extra copy of the home study for their files. They had a copier for us to use, but it was 25 cents per copy. It would be cheaper to make a copy before hand and bring with you. Also, they needed a copy of the passport photo page for the person on the application. We had heard this before hand and brought it, but we would have been caught off-guard...not to mention five hours from home without our passport. So, just to be safe, throw in a copy of your passport and bring it with you!
In Houston, the room you go to looks similar to a bank: there is a long row of desks at a counter behind glass. Look for the Drop Off lines as opposed to the Pick Up lines. (Ha! Nice joke, huh?) Get in line at the Drop Off, tell them what you're needing, and they'll look over it, fill out a receipt, and give it to you. They'll tell you when to return, and when you do go to the Pick Up line. Show your receipt, pay your money (cash, cashier's check or money order only), and get your documents. Be sure to check over your documents to make sure you got them all. Save time in advance by filling out the form required - the G1 form. Download it here. There are spaces for five documents, so we used three of them since we had 11 documents. I filled one out and put it on top of the documents listed, and handed in three different packs in essence. I got one receipt and paid for them all at the same time when I returned. In Houston, you have to turn in documents by 11am for same day service. I don't know about other locations, so I would check in advance before you go if you need it same day.
Authenticating Documents: All at once or mail them in?: All along, we had waited for our 171 before we authenticated documents. In our thinking, we figured why send some in advance when we were still going to have to take another form later when the 171 arrived. So, we took all our documents to Austin in person at one time, and paid $100 to get them authenticated. (Texas has a $100 cap per adopted child so it doesn't save money to do it one way or the other; I don't know about other states). Then, we took them all to the Chinese Consulate in Houston to get them authenticated, and paid for same day service so we could make the weekly agency deadline to go to China. We wanted to pay more to get our documents to China quicker, so we forked over $50 per document for 11 documents. Looking back, we could have sent in the others through the mail and paid $20 each much earlier and then waited on the 171. Then, when it arrived, we could do same day service and only pay $50 for it, as opposed to all 11. Live and learn. If I were doing it again, you ask? I would mail everything to the State level and get it done, then mail to the Consulate and pay regular price. Then, when the 171 arrived, I would drive to Austin, get it authenticated, then drive it Houston and do same day service. It would save me $300 over what I did this time. (But really, at this point, what's another $300?)
Courier Service: When we realized that our birth certificates had to go to Washington, D. C. instead of Texas (see above) we wanted to do it quickly, and through the mail can take up to six weeks when you Fed Ex to the U.S. Secretary of State and then the Chinese Embassy. I'm sure that's worst case scenario, but it could take a while. We decided to use a courier service, and it was awesome! We used the Assistant Stork. We Fed Exed our birth certificates on July 3rd around 8pm, and they arrived on Wednesday morning (dang July 4th holiday!). Laura took them to the U.S. Secretary of State on Thursday and waited on them, then took them over to the Chinese Embassy for 24 hour turn around. She picked them up on Friday and Fed Exed them back. We had them back in our hands in 6 days (including a holiday) so it was worth her nominal fee. Check out her website if you have to send documents to Washington, D. C.
Photo Pages: Designing your photo pages is a pretty important step, and we have a few tips for you to consider as you prepare yours. First, I would use a graphic design program to make it on your computer. I used Corel Draw. It isn't essential, but I would be afraid that scrap book pages could come apart in all the shipping and moving of your papers. Plus...I'm not a scrapbooker. Our agency reminded us to use pictures from only the previous two years. (At first I thought "how would they know?" but then I realized my wife's hair has been numerous lengths...so they may wonder about her incredible shriking/stretching hair if I used pictures too old!) Except for our home photos, we were told either Amy or I had to be in each of the photos, so you may need to remember that on upcoming events! We had lots of pictures of other people, but couldn't use them because we weren't in it. We couldn't find one single picture of us and our parents from the previous two years! So, if you have a holiday or birthday coming up, be sure to take lots of photos and make sure you or your spouse is in each one. Then, make sure everyone is clearly labeled and that the CCAA can understand what is going on and who is in the photo. We are by now way experts, but you can check out our photo pages here.
Organizing Your Work: One of the most intimidating things about the paperchase is simply "figuring it all out." When we started, nothing seemed to make sense, and we never thought we would be able to figure out what to do, when to do it, and where to send it when it was done. However, our agency provided a tracking sheet for our dossier, and it simply allowed you to check off all the steps. Ask your agency if they have one, or make one in Excel. You can get an idea of what ours looked like by clicking here. (You'll feel so good when it's all filled in!)
Signatures on documents: From what we've learned, the CCAA is very big on being able to read a signature - even if it's not how someone normally signs their name. In other words, if they read the typed name "Dr. Jane Smith," they want to be able to read "Dr. Jane Smith" in her signature. Therefore, make sure you explain to everyone signing documents - doctor's forms, notaries, employment letters, etc - to sign their name legibly, even if it isn't how they normally sign their name.
Notaries: Make sure your notaries have an expiration date over a year away. This is a generous amount of time, but it will prevent you from having notaries expire while you're still gathering papers. Also, make sure they don't stamp over words on the documents. Try to provide a blank space for them to make their stamp. Finally, try to use as few different notaries as possible; the only reason for this is to save time at the Secretary of State's Office. Each different notary requires a different search and different paper print out to attach to your documents. When we visited, 6 of our 11 documents were from the same notary, so they were able to search for her once, print out six sheets, and quickly attach them to each of her documents. This isn't a crucial step, but it can save you some time if you're going in person. Mailing it in? Don't worry about it!
Authentication at the Chinese Consulate/Embassy: It's important to remember - and we didn't understand until late - that documents have to be authenticated at the Chinese Consulate or Embassy that has jurisdiction over the area where a document started. For example: most of our papers - employment letters, financial documents, home study, marriage license, etc - originated in Texas, so they had to go to the Chinese Consulate in Houston since it has Texas jurisdiction. However, our birth certificates are from Tennessee, so they had to go to the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D. C. since it has jurisdiction over Tennessee.
Authentication Requirements for Consulates vs. Embassies: This is tricky, but there are differences between requirements for documents going to consulates as opposed to embassies. Documents that are going to a Chinese Consulate (as most of ours did in Houston), only require the State level of authentication which we got at the State Secretary of State's Office. However, documents going to the Chinese Embassy (as did our birth certificates) have to go to State Level (which Tennessee did when we ordered them), then to the U.S. Secretary of State's Office, then to the Chinese Embassy. So, for whatever reason, documents going to the Embassy have to have one more layer of authentication than those going to a Consulate; understanding that will help you as you plan your timeline.
Fed Ex: To help with shipping documents, set up a personal Fed Ex account. It's free to do so, and it's linked to your credit card. Then, to ship, all you have to do is write your account number on it and drop it off at any Fed Ex location or call for a pickup. Stop by a Fed Ex place (or set it up online), set up your account, then pick up several of the labels and envelopes - and possibly the small boxes. By the end, the stack was too big for the envelopes and you needed the boxes. Your own account number will save you time (don't stand in line again!) and you can orchestrate your pickups from home. (Plus, you can save extra money when you arrange your shipping online!) Also, if you want to get documents Fed Exed at the last minute, be sure to check for the late night pickup in your area. In the Dallas/Fort Worth area, for example, the airport has a Fed Ex office that allows drop-offs until 10pm, and they're delivered the next morning! Check it out...
At the Chinese Consulate: When we filed our papers in the Houston Consulate, they required an extra copy of the home study for their files. They had a copier for us to use, but it was 25 cents per copy. It would be cheaper to make a copy before hand and bring with you. Also, they needed a copy of the passport photo page for the person on the application. We had heard this before hand and brought it, but we would have been caught off-guard...not to mention five hours from home without our passport. So, just to be safe, throw in a copy of your passport and bring it with you!
In Houston, the room you go to looks similar to a bank: there is a long row of desks at a counter behind glass. Look for the Drop Off lines as opposed to the Pick Up lines. (Ha! Nice joke, huh?) Get in line at the Drop Off, tell them what you're needing, and they'll look over it, fill out a receipt, and give it to you. They'll tell you when to return, and when you do go to the Pick Up line. Show your receipt, pay your money (cash, cashier's check or money order only), and get your documents. Be sure to check over your documents to make sure you got them all. Save time in advance by filling out the form required - the G1 form. Download it here. There are spaces for five documents, so we used three of them since we had 11 documents. I filled one out and put it on top of the documents listed, and handed in three different packs in essence. I got one receipt and paid for them all at the same time when I returned. In Houston, you have to turn in documents by 11am for same day service. I don't know about other locations, so I would check in advance before you go if you need it same day.
Authenticating Documents: All at once or mail them in?: All along, we had waited for our 171 before we authenticated documents. In our thinking, we figured why send some in advance when we were still going to have to take another form later when the 171 arrived. So, we took all our documents to Austin in person at one time, and paid $100 to get them authenticated. (Texas has a $100 cap per adopted child so it doesn't save money to do it one way or the other; I don't know about other states). Then, we took them all to the Chinese Consulate in Houston to get them authenticated, and paid for same day service so we could make the weekly agency deadline to go to China. We wanted to pay more to get our documents to China quicker, so we forked over $50 per document for 11 documents. Looking back, we could have sent in the others through the mail and paid $20 each much earlier and then waited on the 171. Then, when it arrived, we could do same day service and only pay $50 for it, as opposed to all 11. Live and learn. If I were doing it again, you ask? I would mail everything to the State level and get it done, then mail to the Consulate and pay regular price. Then, when the 171 arrived, I would drive to Austin, get it authenticated, then drive it Houston and do same day service. It would save me $300 over what I did this time. (But really, at this point, what's another $300?)
Courier Service: When we realized that our birth certificates had to go to Washington, D. C. instead of Texas (see above) we wanted to do it quickly, and through the mail can take up to six weeks when you Fed Ex to the U.S. Secretary of State and then the Chinese Embassy. I'm sure that's worst case scenario, but it could take a while. We decided to use a courier service, and it was awesome! We used the Assistant Stork. We Fed Exed our birth certificates on July 3rd around 8pm, and they arrived on Wednesday morning (dang July 4th holiday!). Laura took them to the U.S. Secretary of State on Thursday and waited on them, then took them over to the Chinese Embassy for 24 hour turn around. She picked them up on Friday and Fed Exed them back. We had them back in our hands in 6 days (including a holiday) so it was worth her nominal fee. Check out her website if you have to send documents to Washington, D. C.
Photo Pages: Designing your photo pages is a pretty important step, and we have a few tips for you to consider as you prepare yours. First, I would use a graphic design program to make it on your computer. I used Corel Draw. It isn't essential, but I would be afraid that scrap book pages could come apart in all the shipping and moving of your papers. Plus...I'm not a scrapbooker. Our agency reminded us to use pictures from only the previous two years. (At first I thought "how would they know?" but then I realized my wife's hair has been numerous lengths...so they may wonder about her incredible shriking/stretching hair if I used pictures too old!) Except for our home photos, we were told either Amy or I had to be in each of the photos, so you may need to remember that on upcoming events! We had lots of pictures of other people, but couldn't use them because we weren't in it. We couldn't find one single picture of us and our parents from the previous two years! So, if you have a holiday or birthday coming up, be sure to take lots of photos and make sure you or your spouse is in each one. Then, make sure everyone is clearly labeled and that the CCAA can understand what is going on and who is in the photo. We are by now way experts, but you can check out our photo pages here.
Thank you so much for your tips. We live in the DFW area as well and are just about to submit our application and begin the paperchase. These are good tips I have bookmarked and I will be following your journey to China. Best of luck to you!