Follow the NVC and consular checklist for each applicant, including required applications, passports, civil records and medical documentation. Country-specific document instructions determine what form of a record is acceptable.
Review originals and consistency
Compare names, dates and family relationships across the records and resolve discrepancies before the interview. Keep relevant petition and investment information accessible in case it is requested. Obtain required translations and bring originals or certified copies as instructed.
The correct package depends on the individual’s circumstances, so do not assume that a generic project checklist covers prior marriages, name changes or other personal history. Read each document as an officer would: what does it state on its face, and does that statement match the rest of the file? A certificate that gives a different spelling, a different birthplace or a different parent’s name than the application is not a small clerical matter, because the officer cannot see the explanation you have in mind.
Hypothetical example: an investor whose funds came from a surveying-instrument distribution business submits a company registration extract in which his name appears in a shortened form used commercially, while every other record uses the full legal name. Obtain the record that links the two forms, or an official amendment, rather than annotating the copy yourself. Translations should be complete and prepared as the instructions require, and originals or certified copies brought as directed.