Job Discussion Forums

twilightsummers · Joined: 09 Jan 2005 Posts: 8 Location: Wrocław, Poland

I just wanted to post this message for anyone who is dealing with this now or for the future.

The process for authenticating documents through the US State Dept is clearly outlined on their webpage. What they do not tell you, however, is that if you choose to send your documents to them via the US Postal Service, they get sent to a large warehouse processing facility where they must be screened, and it can take weeks for things to reach their office from that facility. If you send them via a private courier, e.g. FedEx, they are received in a smaller facility from which they make two pick-ups per day.

I overnighted my docs to them via USPS, and they were signed for on July 31st. After not seeing any activity on the return overnight tracking number, I waited on the phone for 45 minutes to speak to an agent today and was told the above. Lucky me, they got my documents in their office on August 5th, so hopefully they'll be mailed out by tomorrow.

When I asked why they didn't explicitly state this valuable piece of information on their website, the agent told me that the government doesn't really want to advertise that fact. Here is the only bit of information their website has on the subject:

"Using tracked mail delivery will expedite handling of your request by mailroom and may prevent damage to documents caused by irradiation of USPS regular mail." Since I was using USPS Overnight service, which is obviously tracked, it never occurred to me that there would be a significant handling difference between that and a courier like FedEx.

Please, learn from my mistake!

On a side note, anyone have experience with not having your attested documents in hand when you get on the plane to the UAE? :-/

DLIguy · Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 7:09 pm Post subject:

Apparently, this is the first time you've used or trusted the USPS!

Their indifference is legend.

I am fully convinced that they do the customer service training for the US State Department worldwide.

twilightsummers · Joined: 09 Jan 2005 Posts: 8 Location: Wrocław, Poland

LOL Actually, the USPS delivered it right on schedule. The processing facility was a government office one (not sure if just for the State Dept), not a USPS facility. Still, can't believe I didn't just use FedEx to begin with. smh

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

This mail glitch has been in effect since the anthrax mailings just after 911. Note on all the Congress critters, they now tell you to send an email because the mails can take weeks or months to get through all the scans. I suspect that the State Department is this same issue. (irradiation? of mail?)

The difference here is that the politicians are rather upfront on the cause of the delay... don't know why State wants to keep it some sort of secret.

VS

citadel · Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 9:55 pm Post subject:

At least you are not having a stroke.

My courier service made a huge mistake! The lost the translation document Shocked

The strange thing is the county, state and US Department of State authenticated the letter stating that the translation is true and accurate without the copy of the translation.

Thank goodness my teacher certificates and transcripts are not in Latin!!!!

After getting a heap of documents authenticated this nonsense happens. It costing me over 400 USD!!!

To those you have a college diploma in Latin, make sure you as the courier to submit both the letter and translation or you will have to do the entire process all over again!