OHIO FAMILIES
I HAVE MY DOSSIER DOCUMENTS COMPLETED. NOW WHAT?
Step 1: Have you made sure to fax, scan and email or send copies of all of your dossier documents to CHI-Ohio for review? If not, please do so in order to avoid mistakes that could substantially delay submitting your dossier if not discovered in time. Please fax documents to Kellie’s attention at 216.524.4989. If you would like to scan and email, please email to kellie.zaccardelli@childrenshope.net. If you are mailing copies of the documents, please mail them to CHI-Ohio:
Children's Hope International
5534 Brecksville Road
Cleveland (Independence), OH 44131
Step 2: Make sure each document is notarized.
If the document is notarized by an attorney or is a state issued document such as a certified birth or certified marriage
Otherwise, check to make sure that the notary's expiration is more than one year from now (If not, please contact us). Then, go to Step 3.
Step 3: You need to find out where your notary is registered. To do this, click here:
http://www1.sos.state.oh.us/pls/portal/PORTAL_CF.NOT_QRY_NOTARYV2.SHOW_PARMS
Enter your notary’s information and find out where your notary is registered (ex. Franklin County, Cuyahoga County, Summit County, etc.). Please make sure of the following:
o Is the notary's name signed exactly as registered (ex. if the notary's name is Bill M. Smith, does he sign Bill M. Smith, or
just Bill Smith, etc.). If the notary did not sign exactly the way it is listed on the computer, please contact us.
o Is the notary's expiration date correct (i.e., does the date listed on the computer match the date indicated on the notary's
stamp or within the document? If not, please contact us.
Step 4: Send or take each document to the Clerk of Courts in the county where your document’s notary is registered. For example, if the notary is registered in Franklin County, you need to send or take that document to the clerk of court in Franklin County. Here is a sample cover letter for document verification at the county level (you'll need to format this letter for your purposes). Here is the County Contact Information for some of the common Ohio counties. If your county is not listed, use the following link for a listing of all Ohio counties: http://www.fcmcclerk.com/links/clerks/clerks.htm#H. Contact your county's Clerk of Courts for more specific information.
** You should consider sending
your documents via some form of track-able mail (FedEx, UPS, etc.). Also, keep
in mind that you must include a check and a self-addressed, stamped
return envelope (or pre-paid fed-ex, UPS, etc. envelope). If you have questions
about the county’s policies, please contact them at the phone number provided.
Step 5: Ohio Secretary of State
** Please note: Starting with this step 5, the Ohio office is happy to complete the remainder of the authentication process for you. Fees are as follows, and cover the following: FedEx fees, Ohio Secretary of State (SOS) or other SOS fees, Courier fees where applicable.
CHINA FEES:
(1) One State: All Ohio documents (i.e. only one state), all county verifications have been completed and documents will be couriered to the Chinese Consulate: $550, payable to ISAIAH’S PROMISE
(2) One Out of State: All Ohio documents and one out of state document (i.e. only two states), all county verifications have been completed and documents will be couriered to the Chinese Consulate: $600, payable to ISAIAH’S PROMISE
(3) Two Out of State: All Ohio documents and two out of state document, all county verifications have been completed and documents will be couriered to the Chinese Consulate: $650, payable to ISAIAH’S PROMISE
***Ex. If both spouses live in Ohio, all documents originate in Ohio, but they were married in Florida, they would fall under #2
Russia, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, Colombia, and Ethiopia Fees- determined on a case by case basis.
** If you are going to complete the authentication process yourself (recommended for families who live in Columbus or are within driving distance of the Secretary of State):
Once you receive the documents back from the county level, or if you are sending documents notarized by an attorney or an
OHIO state issued document such as a certified birth or marriage certificate, complete this cover letter and send, via track-able
mail, to the address provided (Please note, if sending via FedEx or UPS, please do not send to the PO Box address. You must
mail to the street address provided). (**check, cover letter, return envelope)
For Documents Issued Outside the State of Ohio: If your document was issued outside the State of Ohio, you can find Secretary of State information here. Please contact us for assistance at 877.408.4673
Step 6: NEXT STEP?
a. China: Once you receive the documents back from the Ohio Secretary of State, you can send the documents to the Chinese Consulate in New York, or forward them to the Courier that CHI-Ohio has worked with in the past. For Courier Information, click here.
b. Russia: No additional step is needed. Please send your completed dossier to the Ohio Regional Office (we highly recommend making a copy for yourself first); when you make a copy DO NOT REMOVE ANY STAPLES or the document will be invalid!
c. Colombia: No additional step is needed. Please send your completed dossier to the Ohio Regional Office (we highly recommend making a copy for yourself first); when you make a copy DO NOT REMOVE ANY STAPLES or the document will be invalid!
d. Kazakhstan: No additional step is needed. Please send your completed dossier to the Ohio Regional Office (we highly recommend making a copy for yourself first); when you make a copy DO NOT REMOVE ANY STAPLES or the document will be invalid!
e. Vietnam: More information to follow
f. Ethiopia: More information to follow
PA AND WV FAMILIES - We apologize for any inconvenience. More information is coming soon!