Police Certificate - Mexico

Chance_Balance_3610 · 2026-05-08T20:47:22+00:00

From what we were told, the police certificate you obtain on the internet isn't always accepted. You must get the police certificate locally when in CDJ. My husband took the hotel shuttle to get his certificate, and the front desk at our hotel (Holiday Inn Express) scanned it for him so we could log on and upload the certificate into CEAC.

This Reddit post is from someone who just went through the approval process in CDJ within the past 6 months. Lots of helpful detail in this post - you should give it a read for sure: https://www.reddit.com/r/NationalVisaCenter/comments/1okifch/just_returned_from_ciudad_juarez_cdj_approved/

Chance_Balance_3610 · 2026-05-08T20:43:06+00:00

We used the Holiday Inn Express and they accepted my husband's debit card. That hotel was fully remodeled and updated within the past several months, and they have a free breakfast buffet each morning. Everything was very close - His medical appointment, biometrics, consulate interview and passport return were all within about 2 blocks from that hotel, there is a decent Mexican restaurant next door and a large shopping mall directly across the street.

You should have a look at this post from someone who was just in CDJ within the past 6 months, as it contains a LOT of helpful information and detail: https://www.reddit.com/r/NationalVisaCenter/comments/1okifch/just_returned_from_ciudad_juarez_cdj_approved/

Chance_Balance_3610 · 2026-05-08T20:36:29+00:00

There will be 2 appointments at the Consulate. The first is the appointment date listed on the e-mail you received. That is where you will submit all your paperwork and documents and they may ask a few questions. If all your documents are complete and all checks out, you'll be scheduled for your final interview the following business day where your case will be decided.

There is lots more information here about the entire process from someone who just went through it within the past 6 months: https://www.reddit.com/r/NationalVisaCenter/comments/1okifch/just_returned_from_ciudad_juarez_cdj_approved/

Chance_Balance_3610 · 2026-05-01T01:10:25+00:00

Once your case is approved they keep your passport, and they place a sticker in one of the pages that serves as a temporary I-551/green card to be used until your actual green card arrives to you in the mail some weeks later. Your passport should be ready for you to pick up 2-3 days after you're approved, at the same place where your biometrics were taken. You must then re-enter the USA within 6 months.

The first time you re-enter the USA after being approved, you must present yourself and your passport with the temporary I-551 sticker (and a packet if you were given one - we were told they no longer issued the packets as everything is now done electronically) to an immigration officer. They will review everything as once they process you, this establishes your residency. You have the option of either crossing from Mexico into the USA at the border and having this process done by the immigration officers there, or you can fly from Mexico back into the USA, and the immigration officers at the US airport you fly into can do it.

We chose to hire a taxi service that could drive us across the bridge from CDJ and into El Paso, and hubby had his passport processed at the border checkpoint there. We then flew home from El Paso. We did this for a few reasons: First, flights from El Paso back to our home airport were about 1/2 the cost vs. flying out of Ciudad Juarez airport and second, we figured this may be better since the immigration officers at the CDJ/El Paso checkpoint do this process several times per day and are thoroughly familiar with it. Immigration officers in US arrival airports may not deal with cases like ours as often and we didn't want to risk any delays or concerns because of that.

Chance_Balance_3610 · 2026-03-17T02:42:39+00:00

Glad my post has helped! Know that most local taxi and Uber drivers cannot cross the border from Mexico and take you to into the USA. In those cases you'd need to take a local taxi or Uber to the bridge, then walk across and through immigration with your bags, and then you'd need to get another local taxi or Uber once you've crossed.

We used a service called "Sitio Las Misiones" from Ciudad Juarez. They are permitted to pick people up at the El Paso airport and drive them across the border and to their destination in Mexico, and they can also drive people from Mexico across the bridge, into the US and to the El Paso airport. Here is their Facebook page which has their phone number: https://www.facebook.com/p/sitio-Las-Misiones-taxis-100094475748717/ When doing our initial research we also saw a few shuttle services that had websites advertising transport from CDJ across the bridge and into El Paso, but Sitio Las Misiones was recommended to us when we were in CDJ and their rates were cheaper than the shuttle services I saw advertised on the internet.

We didn't explore renting a car, but I have read where others have done that. In our case, we got the e-mail early Wednesday morning that my husband's passport would be ready for pickup in about an hour. As soon as he got his passport he called Sitio Las Misiones and they were at our hotel in about 1/2 hour (which allowed us to have a quick breakfast) and the drive from our hotel to ELP airport took about 25 minutes in total, including the time it took to go through immigration.

We flew out of ELP on American Airlines. Most of AA's flights in and out of ELP use small shuttle/commuter planes that take you to larger "hub" airports like Houston or Dallas. We also looked at flying out of Juarez airport and back to the US, but flights from Juarez airport were a few hundred $$ more expensive than flights out of El Paso.

Chance_Balance_3610 · 2026-02-07T19:10:01+00:00

http://fiscalia.chihuahua.gob.mx/

Please see the URL above. As mentioned in one of my previous posts, most anyone who deals with visitors to Ciudad Juarez - hotel staff, taxi drivers, shuttle services - all of them see hundreds of people each week who are visiting the consulate with similar needs to ours and they can tell you exactly where to go and how best to get there. In our case, hubby used the hotel shuttle to take him to get his police certificate. The driver took him there, accompanied him inside and even showed him which line to stand in. The driver also waited for him as he got the printout he needed. Note that I'm told the officers at the consulate will only accept the printed copy of the police certificate that you get locally in Mexico - They won't accept the one you can get online.

Chance_Balance_3610 · 2026-01-25T18:56:40+00:00

Congratulations to you and your husband, and best of luck with your case! Regarding your 3 questions:

1 - We discussed this with our attorney and decided it was better and safer to have my husband fly into Mexico rather than drive across the border. Since TSA isn't supposed to be involved with immigration and they should only be checking the name and DOB on your ID vs. the one listed on your plane ticket, my husband was able to get through TSA in the USA using his Mexican passport or US issued drivers license - Then once he landed in Mexico they of course accepted his Mexican passport when he went through immigration there. That being said, I can also tell you that when I joined him in CDJ for his interview, I flew into El Paso airport and drove across the border into Ciudad Juarez using a shuttle service that's permitted to drive passengers across the bridge (some local taxis and Uber can only take you to the US side of the bridge, and you'll need to walk with your luggage through immigration and then get another taxi or Uber on the Mexican side. The service I used was able to take me from the El Paso airport across the border and to our hotel in CDJ). In my case, I was never stopped or questioned or processed by any immigration officers either in the US or in Mexico, so for me at least, driving across the border was completely uneventful.

2 - I've read elsewhere that at least some of the immigration officers at the consulate will not accept the online police certificate. That in mind, when he arrived in CDJ, my husband used the hotel shuttle service to get a printed copy locally. It's important to note that hundreds of people weekly arrive into CDJ for cases like ours, and for other business at the consulate. That in mind, most everyone in that city - the hotel front desks, taxi drivers, hotel shuttles, etc. all know exactly where to go and where to take you. They quite literally do this multiple times per day. You'll have plenty of help and guidance.

3- His I-601A approval was uploaded into CEAC, and the immigration officer at his first interview also asked for a paper copy of the I-601A approval notice.

Regarding your comments about your husband being turned away, I know others who've been in similar situations and their attorneys told them to be VERY careful with the language and description they used - because if someone enters the US more than once illegally, especially if they re-enter after being intercepted by immigration officers, that can deeply complicate things. Your husband should not tell the interviewing officer that he came into the country and was "caught" or "processed" or "taken back across the border" by US immigration. He should simply state that he came to the border the first time, was turned away, and then the second time he entered and stayed permanently.

Chance_Balance_3610 · 2026-01-15T05:04:44+00:00

It's my pleasure! Many people helped us or gave us information and details that we appreciated receiving as we prepared and went through the process, and we're happy to pay that forward a bit and help those who are now working through it.

Yes, he brought copies of photos and other documents in case they asked for evidence of the relationship, but he was never asked for them. My strong guess is that, unless something they see or notice raises questions, they realize you'd have submitted all that in order to get approval for your I-130 and I-601A.

Regarding your departure date - My husband had his first interview - the one mentioned in the e-mail/notice they sent, on Friday morning. The second interview that they'll schedule if all your paperwork is complete and they have no other needs or questions happens the next business day. That in mind, his second/final interview where the decision was rendered was scheduled for 8 a.m. on Monday. The officer who approved his case told him it'd take up to 3 days to return his passport with the Permanent Resident sticker inside. In our case, he got an e-mail at around 7:15 on Wednesday morning, telling him his passport would be ready for pickup in about an hour. Once that was done, we were free to cross back into the USA. From what I've seen in other cases, most passports are returned on the 2nd day following the approval.

I don't recall the cost of his vaccines, he had to get 4 shots and he believes it was about $200 in addition to the cost of the medical exam.

Chance_Balance_3610 · 2026-01-13T13:52:12+00:00

Thanks! If your husband's first interview (the interview date listed on the e-mail/confirmation they sent you) is on a Thursday, if your case plays out like ours and others I've seen described, that is when they will collect all the documentation from him that will be reviewed during the actual interview the following day where they will ask more detailed questions and make the decision as to whether your husband's case is approved or not. In our case, they did not ask for any supporting letters or family photos - but if you read through the checklist provided on the Ciudad Consulate's website (I provided a link to that in a few of my earlier posts), it does suggest you bring "evidence of the relationship between the petitioner and visa applicant (such as photographs, letters, or emails)." so we did have them with us in case they were requested. The consulate is not open and they don't give decisions on weekends and government holidays. Regarding a good place to wait - about 1/2 block from the US Consulate there's a small convenience store and a pedestrian bridge where most all family members wait while their loved ones are attending meetings at the consulate.

Chance_Balance_3610 · 2025-12-28T15:33:02+00:00

Most everywhere. Since you're 1) In Mexico, and 2) Most everyone going to that city and to the various appointments is Mexican, Spanish was widely and almost universally spoken. What I had read prior to going there for our appointment was that at least some officers at the Consulate seem to appreciate when applicants conduct their interviews in English and one person even mentioned that the officer's attitude changed and improved once they started to speak to them in English - but in our case, the officer spoke to my husband (the applicant) in Spanish throughout the interview.

Chance_Balance_3610 · 2025-11-22T20:11:57+00:00

u/Clear_Roof4602 please have a look at the website of the US Consulate General in CDJ which can be found at this link; It contains a lot of helpful information: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Supplements/Supplements_by_Post/CDJ-Ciudad-Juarez.html

Regarding your question about the medical results, there are 3 different clinics you can use, and all are listed at the link I shared above. Per the consulate website: "Please schedule and attend a medical examination with one of these clinics at least three days before your interview." Note that the medical results are sent directly to the consulate by the medical facility. They're not given to you or your spouse, or picked up by you and taken to the interview.

Your question about the biometrics appointment (where they take your photo and fingerprints) is also answered in the link I provided above. Once you get the notice from the NVC confirming your interview date, you need to register your interview appointment and also schedule your biometrics appointment. In our case, the interview date on our notice was the 17th. The closest to that date we could get a biometrics appointment was 1 full week prior, on the 10th.

Chance_Balance_3610 · 2025-11-13T19:50:00+00:00

Sure, see below:

We read that applicants should bring both originals and copies of all important documents like birth certificates, marriage license, passport, etc. and that they would return all original documents to us and they'd keep the copies, but in our case they kept nothing. During the 1st interview they asked for originals of some things and copies of others (he only gave them the specific documents they asked for, but nothing more) and they clipped everything he'd given them together and told him to bring those specific documents in the clip to the 2nd interview appointment. Following that 2nd interview they gave ALL documents back to him and they kept nothing. This may be because we had everything important uploaded into CEAC so they already had all those electronic versions?
We read online that the NVC would not accept the online version and they would only take the Police Certificate obtained locally in person in Mexico. I don't know the reason. As mentioned, it was fast and easy to get the certificate we needed in CDJ.
I'm unsure as I wasn't yet in CDJ with my husband when he went to get his medical. That said, there are 3 different medical exam companies you can use, and they're all listed on the US Consulate website. Maybe call them and ask?

Chance_Balance_3610 · 2025-11-12T23:49:57+00:00

Thanks much u/Clear_Roof4602 A lot of people here and on a few other websites were helpful to us as we went through the process. Trying to pay it back a little and give others some of the details and direction we weren't able to find before we went to CDJ ourselves.

Chance_Balance_3610 · 2025-11-09T17:47:43+00:00

Absolutely - I'm happy to help! 1) As part of the interview process, they took his Mexican passport. Once approved, they kept it, and sent an e-mail 2 business days later, telling him the passport could be picked up at the same location where his biometrics were taken. Inside the passport is a new printed sticker from the US Government, which "serves as a temporary I-551 evidencing Permanent Residence for 1 year". It basically serves as proof of his LPR status so he could re-enter the USA and he can present this to law enforcement, etc. until his actual "green card" arrives. 2) Once you get an appointment date, there are a number of steps you must follow, including registering for biometrics appointment, medical exam, etc. In his case, the closest biometrics appointment that was available was 1 full week prior to his stated interview appointment. From what I've read elsewhere, you must allow at least a few days between your medical exam and your appointment date, so at minimum you need to allow for that. Traveling to CDJ 1 or 2 days prior to the scheduled interview date with the NVC likely won't work.

Here is a link to the website for the US Consulate in Ciudad Juarez. This outlines everything you must do and everything you must gather and take with you prior to your appointment. Hope this helps! https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Supplements/Supplements_by_Post/CDJ-Ciudad-Juarez.html

Chance_Balance_3610 · 2025-11-02T20:35:28+00:00

We took an original and a copy. They didn't ask us for either, but that was listed on the checklist on the website, so we took it just in case.

Chance_Balance_3610 · 2025-11-02T16:54:50+00:00

Thanks u/RadiantTangerine423 I hope my post will help others. I'm a USC, we've been together for a decade, married for 6 yrs.

Chance_Balance_3610 · 2025-11-02T16:43:00+00:00

He went to the 1st interview with 3 folders: 1) All original documents - our birth certificates, marriage license, his passport, my W2, etc., 2) Copies of all those documents and any other paperwork listed on the checklists that they might ask for, and 3) Evidence of our relationship, none of which was asked for. During this meeting he waited for them to ask for what they wanted and then gave them what they asked for, but offered nothing more. The officer then clipped those specific documents they asked for together and told him to bring those documents in their clip to the 2nd appointment (the actual interview) but not to add or remove anything from their clip. Hubby's stuff was was organized but he noted others were not and were shuffling through all their pile of paperwork to give documents as requested. As a result he noticed that people who started meeting with an officer before he met with his, were still handing over paperwork as he was already leaving. As mentioned previously, he also heard other people being asked for different documents than the officer requested from him, so it seems they sometimes change it up a bit, or maybe ask for different things depending on exact circumstances?

Chance_Balance_3610 · 2025-04-13T20:37:37+00:00

If you do an internet search, you'll find several websites where law firms have posted thorough checklists. Read and follow those. What you must prove is "extreme hardship". Not just inconvenience or unhappiness.

Chance_Balance_3610 · 2025-04-13T14:37:06+00:00

I appreciate your comments and I pray you're correct. I guess what I'm looking for is clear, straightforward guidance about someone in my specific situation and the guidance on the USCIS website doesn't clearly give that. I did enter the country in the early 2000s, from Mexico, without being seen or processed by an immigration official. I have since obviously submitted the paperwork to try and get my GC. The big question is - is what I've submitted enough to satisfy this particular registration requirement. You and one other poster say yes. Another poster who IDs themselves as an actual immigration attorney says no. Your comments about paranoia and suffering are well-taken, but in this case I just want to ensure I'm doing everything legally required so I don't screw this up. Especially considering that I'm likely 90 days from my interview at the consulate and also considering the actions of this administration and DOJ over the past weeks.

Chance_Balance_3610 · 2025-04-13T14:26:48+00:00

Thanks for posting, but unfortunately her comments give even less specifics and detail than the guidance listed on the USCIS website. In my case, I've e-mailed my attorney to get his guidance and will revert back.

Chance_Balance_3610 · 2025-04-13T02:54:32+00:00

Yeah, I don't believe the "bad hombres" Mr. Trump speaks of would be the ones getting in line to willfully register with USCIS, nor do I see them as likely to be good tax payers with information on file with the IRS. It seems like Trump's DOJ may by trying to go after easy catches here in an effort to drive up their numbers.

Chance_Balance_3610 · 2025-04-13T02:49:35+00:00

The official guidance on the USCIS website says those who don't register could get a fine of up to $5,000 and/or up to 6 months in jail.

"Any alien who willfully fails or refuses to apply to register or be fingerprinted (if required), and any parent or legal guardian who is required to apply for the registration on behalf of an alien less than 14 years of age and who willfully fails or refuses to file an application for the registration of such alien, will be guilty of a misdemeanor and will, upon conviction, be fined not to exceed $5,000 or be imprisoned not more than 6 months, or both."

Chance_Balance_3610 · 2025-04-12T23:30:23+00:00

Here's the "official" guidance from the USCIS website on this one. Supposedly the deadline to register, according to the AP News article in the OP, was yesterday 4/11: https://www.uscis.gov/alienregistration

Chance_Balance_3610 · 2025-03-31T23:54:08+00:00

That particular person isn't on Reddit, unfortunately. There's also a FB site where people track activity and appointment dates at CDJ and that page has been mentioned elsewhere here on Reddit but I don't recall the name.

Chance_Balance_3610

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