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[lizarddoctor]

I finally got through to someone back home and am getting my criminal backgroung check with authentication papers and a notory stamp from the Clerk of Courts in my hometown. I suggest that you find the nearest Clerk of Courts office in your hometown and write them about your situation (aka the Consulate isnt helping) and have a family member head down and pick up the paperwork for you. The authentication papers that they prepare removes the need to head back to the states and sign for the notory yourself. They are public records after all, just the Clerk has the power to make the papers legit. I know they are easy to get off the internet, but I have yet to hear of anyone getting the consulate to notorize them here or Vietnamese Immigration actually accepting something from the internet.

Hope this helps

[lizarddoctor]

Here are the docs sent to me from the Consulate, but even he said that he was looking into other possibilities

Instructions for U.S. Citizens seeking Labor Certification in Vietnam


CRIMINAL RECORD CHECKS FOR U.S. CITIZENS

LOCAL POLICE CHECK: GO TO YOUR LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENT WHERE YOU RESIDE OR LAST RESIDED IN THE UNITED STATES, REQUEST THAT THE POLICE CONDUCT A CRIMINAL RECORDS SEARCH AND PROVIDE YOU WITH A DOCUMENT REFLECTING THAT THERE IS NO HISTORY OF A CRIMINAL RECORD. LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS MAY REQUIRE YOUR PERSONAL APPEARANCE IN ORDER TO CONDUCT THE SEARCH. YOUR LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENT CAN PHRASE THIS IN WHATEVER WAY THEY DEEM APPROPRIATE. THE DOCUMENT SHOULD THEN BE AUTHENTICATED FOR USE ABROAD.



FBI RECORDS CHECK: The Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)centralizes criminal justice information and provides accurate and timely information and services to local, state, federal, and international law enforcement agencies, the private sector, academia, and other government agencies. The subject of an identification record may obtain a copy thereof by submitting a written request to the CJIS. The request must be accompanied by satisfactory proof of identity (consisting of name, date and place of birth, and a set of roll-inked fingerprint impressions) and a certified check or money order for the $18 processing fee. The FBI will not provide copies of arrest records to individuals other than the subject of the record. Requests should be directed to FBI CJIS Division, Attn: SCU, Mod. D-2, 1000 Custer Hollow Rd., Clarksburg, West Virginia 26306. If there is no criminal record, a report reflecting this fact is provided.

GETTING YOUR FINGERPRINTS TAKEN: U.S. citizens should be able to obtain fingerprint cards from their local police departments in the United States.
U.S. embassies and consulates do not provide this service.

NOTICE REGARDING AUTHENTICATION OF U.S. DOCUMENTS FOR USE IN VIETNAM: CHAIN OF AUTHENTICATION PROCEDURE



The Consulate General notifies U.S. citizens, especially prospective adoptive parents and individuals investing or doing business in Vietnam, that the correct procedure for authenticating U.S. documents for submission to Vietnamese authorities is the prescribed "Chain of Authentication". The process is described as follows:

1. Notarized Documents: The procedure for authenticating documents executed before a notary public such as affidavits or acknowledgments varies from state to state in the United States. It is advisable to contact the state authentication authority to learn what steps are necessary between the notary's seal and the state Secretary of State's seal. In some states, this requires contacting the clerk of the court of the county where the notary is licensed, and obtaining an authentication of the notary's seal. The state Secretary of State's office can then authenticate the seal of the clerk of the county court. After the seal of the state Secretary of State or comparable authority is on the document, it may be authenticated by the U.S. Department of State Authentications Office. The final step is to obtain the seal of the foreign embassy or consulate in the United States.
2. State Documents: State documents such as documents originating with a state court or agency (birth, death, marriage, etc.) must be authenticated by the appropriate office in the state Secretary of State's office. The document may then be authenticated by the U.S. Department of State Authentications Office as explained above. The document may then be authenticated by the foreign embassy or consulate in the United States following the instructions below.
3. U.S. Department of State Authentications Office: The office is located at 518 23rd St., N.W., SA-1 Columbia Plaza, Washington, D.C. 20520, tel: (202) 647-5002. There is a fee of $6.00 for each authentication payable in the form of a check drawn on a U.S. bank or money order made payable to the Department of State. Mastercard and Visa are also accepted. For additional information, call the Federal Information Center: 1-800-688-9889, and choose option 6 after you press 1 for touch tone phones. Walk-in service is available from the Authentications Office from 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Monday-Friday, except holidays. Walk-in service is limited to 15 documents per person per day (documents can be multiple pages). Processing time for authentication requests sent by mail takes about 3 working days from receipt. Documents may be express mailed by Federal Express, UPS, DHL, and Airborne directly to the authentications office. There will be a delay for regular mail service. See the Department of State Home Page, http://www.state.gov, for more information.
4. Foreign Embassy: This is the last step in the authentication chain. Usually, foreign embassies or consulates in the U.S. can only authenticate the seal of the U.S. Department of State. Check with the embassy or consulate of the foreign country to see if some of the steps can be avoided. Some foreign embassies and consulates maintain sample seals of state authorities. Remember that what is needed is only the foreign consul's authentication on the document for the document to be "self-proving" in the foreign country.
Vietnamese Embassy, 1233 20th Street, Suite 400, NW, Washington, DC 20036, telephone 202-861-0694 or 2293, Fax 202-861-1297, Internet home page: http://www.vietnamembassy-usa.org
Vietnamese Consulate General, 1700 California Street - 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94109, telephone 415-922-1577

I also have the above doc in vietnamese, but when I posted it the script changed to jibberish. PM me with an email address and I will forward it to you.