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Family Law: divorce proceedings, conclusion of marriage (Russia)
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Question

I met an Russian woman on an international dating site. I went to see her in her town and after a week she proposed to me to get married, so I could apply for the vise on behalf her to come to the US. The "marriage ceremony" in the local courthouse was suspiciously short and some money was given without a receipt...

So we were married, and I applied for the I-130 spouse visa, but I needed a divorce certificate from her. She sent me a divorce certificate that was dated seven days prior our marriage certificate, signed by the same money recipient clerk.

I was suspicious, so I went to Moscow unannounced and knocked on her apartment door, guess who opened: the ex hubby!

I am a victim of a scam. She just needed a visa to the US. All of this happened in August 2010.

Is this "marriage" legal? What should I do to get rid of this marriage certificate?

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Answer

From the documents provided by you it follows that the marriage was dissolved on August 3, 2010 and the new marriage was registered on August 10, 2010.

The laws do not establish any period between termination of a marriage and registration of the next marriage. You can register a new marriage even the day following the date of termination of the previous marriage.

Thus, the marriage registered on August 10, 2010 is totally legit. Unfortunately, such marriage cannot be annulled upon the basis that a week passed from the date of termination of the previous marriage. There may be other basis but a marriage annulment proceeding is an expensive and time-consuming proceeding.

I think the simplest way to solve your problem is to divorce. I charge my attorney fee for a divorce suit. You can pay for my services by credit card online: http://russian-divorce.com/payment .

We may file a marriage annulment suite, for example, on the basis that there was no interpreter when the marriage was registered and you didn’t understand what was happening. But such proceeding is very expensive and I think it is not required in your case. It will be enough for you to dissolve the marriage. If you know any advantages of annulment of the marriage, please let me know about such advantages.

In any event a power of attorney and payment is required for me to start the work. I will prepare the text of the power of attorney and we will start the work.

I will be happy to help you.

Articles and consultations authored by attorney reflect the state of law as of the date of their writing. The laws change daily. Users of this site are advised to consult attorney regarding their situation.
Karina Duvall
Divorce
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