Dec 192011
 

I will be applying for dual citizenship through the Detroit consulate. I heard that I needed to get documents validated by the consulate governing the state that issued the documents. That means sending the NY docs to the NYC consulate and the Pennsylvania docs to the Philadelphia consulate.

I found some information about this on http://italiancitizenship.freeforums.org/

I'm applying through Boston, and I am currently waiting for translation validations from CA, NJ, and NY. I emailed the NY consulate asking how to obtain a validation from their consulate and here's the response I received:

"Dear Sir:

In reference to your request to have your certificates issued in New York  State validated by this Consulate, in order to apply for Italian citizenship, you  might proceed  according to one of the following options :

1) come in at our Office prior scheduling an appointment, providing:
– original Long Form certificate legalized with Apostille, translation in Italian and a set of copies; (should you choose to have a representative to come in, please provide a Power of Attorney specifying the purpose of your request and attach a copy of your passport). On that day, you will be required to pay the legalization fees.

2) send by mail:
– your statement indicating the purpose of your request;
– original Long Form certificate legalized with Apostille and translation in Italian and a set of copies;
– a copy of your passport;
– a credit card number to charge the fees due for legalization (American Express not accepted);
– a pre-paid envelope to return the documentation to you;
– the attached form filled out and signed by you in front of a Notary Public.

Regards
Anna Amoroso 
Citizenship Office
Consulate General of Italy
New York

 

I, the undersigned…………………………………………………………………………

Born on………………………………………….in…………………………………………..

Residence………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

holder I.D. no……………………………………….

issued by……………………………………………….

do hereby declare that I assume all responsibility for the mailing of my original documents.

I understand that the Consulate General of Italy in New York is NOT responsible for the loss or damage of my documents in transit.

I therefore wish for my documents to be mailed back to me via the pre-stamped envelope that I have provided including a photocopy.

 

Date

 

                                                ________________________

                                                                                                     (signature)"

I followed these instructions (even included a copy of this email with notes directing the reader to the corresponding tab for each required document I enclosed). As you can see you must send in the original doc, and hold NY harmless for its loss. That's ominous, but I did it anyway.

I didn't want to send in my credit card number without knowing the fees, but they have not responded to my follow up email on this matter. FWIW, both SF and NJ quote a fee of $8.50 per original document page. They accepted money orders for the validation. 

I didn't know about the other requirements described above so I stapled the translation pages together and just clipped them to the original. Hope that doesn't hurt me. 

BTW, the SF consulate received my docs last Thursday, and I saw via USPS tracking that they have mailed my docs back to me already! That's a 2 day turnaround. NJ said they would turn it around in a day or so too. Don't know about NY. I only submitted one doc to them.

Dec 192011
 

Today we celebrated Christmas with my family. I took some time today to search through my dad's records and found an official copy my father's birth certificate, my mother's death certificate, and my mother's birth certificate. I had a photocopy of my mother's birth certificate, but I thought I would need to get a court order to obtain an official copy with a raised seal. Assuming I can get this version apostilled, no court order may be necessary. I also found a copy of my parents' marriage certificate, but it was a short version, not the long form. I will going to the Town of Tonawanda town hall with my dad to get a long-form copy.

Dec 162011
 

My great-grandparents' marriage certificate arrived today. My great-grandfather, Angelo Palmeri, was 25 years old. My great-grandmother, Maria Giambrone, was 19 years old. They were both living in Yatesboro. My great-grandfather's brother, Calogero Palmeri, was the guardian for my great-grandmother (apparently, 19 was not of legal age in Pennsylvania to marry without permission). He was married to Barbara Giambrone, Maria's older sister. It lists my great-grandfather as a miner and my great-grandmother as a housekeeper.

They were married on 5 Nov 1910 in Yatesboro in St. Mary's Church. Salvatore Baglio (probably the brother-in-law of Angelo and Calogero's brother Peter) and Sam Iannello (probably the brother-in-law of Angelo and Calogero's brother Salvatore) were witnesses.

Unfortunately, my great-grandfather's name is misspelled Angelo Palmieri and my great-grandmother's name is misspelled Maria Giambroni. I guess I will be needing to do a court appearance in Pennsylvania sometime too. Ugh.

But it's so clear that they were illiterate. Note that they all signed the documents with an X. It says "his mark" and "her mark".


marriage certificate for Angelo Palmeri and Maria Giambrone

Dec 142011
 

Last week, I emailed several churches in Buffalo in order to find a record of marriage for my great-grandparents, Angelo Palmeri and Maria Giambrone. NY State said they had no record, but they also said that marriage licenses were not required until a few years after my great-grandparents were married.

Today I received this wonderful email from someone at Holly Cross Church:

We received your request for a copy of your great grandparents, Angelo and Maria Palmeri’s, marriage certificate. You wrote that your great-grandparents were married around 1910. Our records begin in 1914, when our parish was founded, so your great-grandparents marriage record is not here.

I did some research. Our records show that your great-grandfather was buried from here. Having the date of death, I was able to find his death notice in the Buffalo Evening News. Then having the names of his siblings, which were listed in the death notice, I was able to find his listing on the 1910 U. S. Census. With this information, I located your great-grandparent’s marriage record. It was in Saint Mary Mother of God Catholic Church in Yatesboro, Pennsylvania. I called the Saint Mary Mother of God parish office and told them to send a copy of the marriage certificate here. When we receive it, we will mail it to you.

Your great-grandparents were married on November 11, 1910.

I will also be contacting (again) the Armstrong County clerk to see if they have an official copy. Then I will need to get them apostilled.

Dec 062011
 

A few weeks ago, I realized that the marriage certificate we had wasn't our official marriage certificate, but a marriage document from the City of Tonawanda. Only an official marriage certificate can be apostilled. Today I received our official marriage certificate from NY State. 

redacted version of our marriage certificate from NY State

Nov 292011
 

Last month, I received a letter from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service stating that no record was found of my great-grandfather's naturalization as a U.S. citizen. That started a process of doing a search of the National Archives for naturalization records, census records, and immigration records. An expensive process.

Today, I received this email: "After further review of your case we have discovered an error on our part. We actually located a certificate of naturalization file for Mr. Palmeri; I have attached a copy of the positive results letter which includes the directions on how to order the actual file. I do apologize for any inconvenience this may have cause and if you have any additional questions please feel free to contact me. Have a great day."

Of course I'm happy they actually found his record. This document proves that my great-grandfather became a naturalized U.S. citizen 10 years after my grandfather was born in the U.S. That qualifies us for dual Italian citizenship.

I'm not so happy that it cost me $150 in unnecessary NARA searches.

My great-grandfather was naturalized on 5 Jul 1921 in the Supreme Court of Buffalo, NY

Nov 262011
 

I requested official certified copies of the 1900, 1910, and 1920 US census showing my great-grandfather, Angelo Palmeri. They arrived today. The 1910 is from Pennsylvania, where he and his brothers were coal minres. The 1920 and 1930 are from Buffalo.

Now if they could send me something on his naturalization, I'd be happy.

1910-NARA certified census

1920 NARA-certified census

1930 NARA-certified census

Nov 202011
 

The mystery of where and when my great-grandparents were married continues.

Today I received a "NO RECORD CERTIFICATION" from the NY State Department of Health. No record of marriage was found for the period 1 Jan 1910 (before my great-grandmother immigrated) and 31 Dec 1911 (after my grandfather was born).

Next to do is see if I can search Buffalo records.

Next after that is to get a search and certification from Serradifalco (even though she lists herself as single on the immigration manifest).

Update 4 Dec 2011

I learned that before around 1915, an official marriage certificate was not required. So it's quite possible that my great-grandparents were married in the church without ever having obtained a marriage certificate. I have mailed Holy Angels and Holy Cross Roman Catholic Churches on the West Side of Buffalo to see if they could possibly search their church records for me.

Update 10 Dec 2011

One of the churches also suggested that I contact St. Joseph's and St. Anthony's in Buffalo. Both were founded in the 1800s. Particularly, St. Anthony's was the church for many Italian immigrants.

Update 14 Dec 2011

It turns out that my great-grandparents were married in Yatesboro, Pennsylvania.

NO RECORD CERTIFICATION
for Angelo Palmeri and Maria Giambrone marriage

Nov 122011
 

I sent my birth certificate and Amy's birth certificate to get apostilled by the NY Department of State.

They were returned today. Even though these are official birth certificates, with signatures and a raised seal, from the City of Buffalo, in order to get apostilled, they need to also be certified by the Erie County Clerk.

Ugh.

Glad we're not under any time constraint.

Update 14 Nov 2011

Found out how to request that our birth certificates be signed and certified by the Erie County Clerk. Cost: $3 a piece. Include a SASE. Mail to: 
Erie County Clerk
Attn: Customer Service
92 Franklin Street
Buffalo, NY 14202

Nov 112011
 

I received my first NARA (National Archives & Records Administration) request today.

This is a certified photocopy of the manifest from Ellis Island for my great-grandfather, Angelo Palmeri. The photocopy is simply a photocopy. But it comes with a certificate attached – bolted really – to the paper with a ribbon and certificate sticker attached to it. I presume this is an accepted and secure method to guarantee that the document – even if it is just a photocopy – is authentic.

official certified copy of Ellis Island manifest for my great-grandfather

Nov 022011
 

I've heard that some naturalizations could have occurred in county or state court 100+ years ago. Since U.S. Immigration turned up no record, this morning I emailed Armstrong county in Pennsylvania (where my great-grandfather lived and worked right after immigrating), Erie county (where he lived in Buffalo), and New York State, to see what the process would be to search for a record.

Erie County Clerk Responds:

Many of the naturalization records in our office are original records of the Supreme Court granting naturalization and as such are unique and not available at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).  The Department of Homeland Security (formerly Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS)) informs us that INS did not collect or maintain records of naturalization prior to September 26, 1906.  Therefore, the court records of naturalization in this office prior to that date are the only existing original records.   We usually certify copies of those records PRIOR TO September 26, 1906 when requested and may certify later records.

After September 26, 1906, some duplicate records may be found at the National Archives and Records Administration.  If the record is not available at the Department of Immigration’s record keeping entity ( NARA), the County Clerk has the only official file.  If the requestor provides proof in writing that the specific record is not available at NARA, the Clerk will certify copies of the Supreme or Superior Court records of naturalization.  

For clarification, if the file in the Erie County Clerk's Office is a court record, it is certified upon request.  

You may make your request to the Erie County Clerk's Office.  The request will engender a search charge. Please make your request in writing to the Erie County Clerk – Basement Record Room, 92 Franklin Street, Buffalo, New York 14202 and be sure to enclose an SASE and your daytime telephone number.  You may simply copy this email and mail with your check.  As a suggestion, since we will not know the actual cost until the search is completed, you may send in a check with the amount blank and a note that the check is not to exceed a certain amount.  We will return a receipt.

The cost for a search is $5 for every two years per name, per document.

The cost for copies is $1 per page and certification is an additional $5.  Based upon the year and the issuing entity, we may or may not be able to certify the documents.  Erie County Clerk

92 Franklin Street
Buffalo, New York 14202

Nov 012011
 

Given that I struck out in my search of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service, I need to do a search of the National Archives and I need to order certified paper copies of census records and immigration records for my great-grandfather.

You can order the certified record from NARA online here:
https://eservices.archives.gov/orderonline/start.swe?SWECmd=Start&SWEHo=eservices.archives.gov

You'll need to set up an account to place an order. After that:
– Click on Order Reproductions.
– Click on Census Pages (bottom left quadrant, first entry).
– Click on NATF 82: Census Records (NATF 82).
– Be sure to choose Certified Paper Copy from the Delivery Format dropdown menu.
– Complete your order.

1) NARA Search for Naturalization Record for Angelo Palmeri $7.50 plus $15 for certified paper copy.

2) NARA immigration record $25 + $15 for certified paper copy.

3) NARA 1910 census $25 + $15 for certified paper copy.

4) NARA 1920 census $25 + $15 for certified paper copy.

5) NARA 1930 census $25 + $15 for certified paper copy.

Nov 012011
 

Even though my great-grandfather had listed himself as "na" (naturalized) on the 1930 census, I just received a letter of "no record" from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service. Maybe my great-grandmother gave the information and did not know, or did not understand, or maybe they had submitted the records but never actually finalized the naturalization.

Now I need to request a certification of non-existence of a naturalzation record. Looks like I'll also need to get certified copies of the Census as well. From one of the online discussion groups, I saw that this was required:

2. if he/she never became a US citizen, you must provide a), b) and c): 
a) an Official statement issued by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, specifying that he/she never became a U.S. citizen. Such document must show, as confirmation, the full name with all aliases, the date and place of birth. 
b) you are also required to do an extensive search with the National Archives (www.nara.gov). The National Archives will have to provide a letter of confirmation which contains full name with all aliases, the date and place of birth. 
c) census record may provide additional information relevant to your case: Immigration Records, Naturalization Records, Ship Passenger Lists, Military records, U.S. Passport applications, Voter Lists Record and other (www.census.org);

I also found this:

To check to see if someone naturalized (and I assume we're talking about the US, here), there are several routes you can use. The end-all-be-all of agencies is the USCIS <www.uscis.gov>. Once you have proof of death of the person (death certificate, obit, etc.) or the person's approval (if living), you can file a G-639 FOIA request for the C-File of the person. You'll either get a "letter of no record" if the person didn't naturalize or the person's naturalization file. The problem with the USCIS is that it takes a very long time to get a response (1+ years). An advantage is that it's free.

A faster route is the National Archives (NARA) <www.archives.gov>. You have the specify where the person lived, and for a fee, the archives will search for naturalization documents filed in federal courts with that person's name in their region (each NARA office covers a region of the country). NARA will then send you either a "letter of no record" (you must request to have them mail you a letter if nothing is found) or a copy of the naturalization documents except for the certificate of naturalization (they don't keep those). It costs $22.50 for certified documents, but they get back to you in a matter of weeks.

Since the National Archives only searches documents filed in federal court, you may also want to check the county in which the person lived to see if he/she filed in that court. The procedure, price, and timing varies. You'll have to contact the county archives directly. 

Oct 312011
 

Someone on the Italian Citizenship Message Board posted this:

vr@health.state.ny.us is the email address. 518-474-3055 they will email you documents. I have attached the affidavit for the Death Certificate.

This is what they wrote back:

Attached is a PDF file listing the requirements for obtaining certified records for dual citizenship purposes (Dual Citizenship Requirements): (See attached file: Dual Citizenship Requirements.pdf)

For more information about birth records, visit our web site at http://www.nyhealth.gov/vital_records/birth.htm
For more information about marriage records, please visit our web page at http://www.nyhealth.gov/vital_records/marriage.htm
For further information about obtaining death certificate copies, please visit our website at http://www.nyhealth.gov/vital_records/death.htm

To obtain a certified copy of your parents', grandparents' or great grandparents' marriage certificate for dual citizenship purposes, please provide the following:

If either the bride or the groom of the marriage is still living:

1. The bride or groom may request his or her own marriage record. The record will be sent to the requestor who may then give it to the applicant for dual citizenship. The requestor must include a copy of his or her identification.
2. The bride or groom may request his or her own marriage record and include a signed and notarized letter stating that he or she gives the department permission to send the document to the applicant for dual citizenship. The requestor must include a copy of his or her identification.
3. If the applicant has power of attorney (POA) for the bride or groom, the applicant may request the record. The POA must be signed by the bride or the groom on the marriage certificate. The language stated in the POA must be sufficient to allow the person given POA to obtain the marriage certificate. Applicant must include a copy of the applicant’s identification along with the power of attorney and completed application.

If both the bride and groom are deceased:
1. A completed Marriage Certificate application form (see attached) along with a check or money order for the appropriate fee.
2. A photocopy of your identification (see application for identification requirements).
3. Photocopies of the death certificates of both the bride and groom on the record. If they died in New York State outside of New York City and you do not have copies of the death certificates, please provide the town, city or village where they died, name at the time of death and the dates of death.
4. A completed, signed and notarized Affidavit to Request Certified Copy of Marriage Certificate (see attached DOH-5000).

If you are requesting us to forward your documents to the New York State Department of State to obtain an Apostille (Exemplification), you must also include:

a. A note telling the Department of State which country requires the Apostille, the address to which the documents and Apostilles should be sent and,
b. A separate check made out to the Department of State for $10.00 for each document that requires an Apostille.

NOTE: Submitting a false affidavit may result in prosecution for perjury.

Affidavit to Request Certified Copy of Marriage Certificate: (See attached file: DOH-5000 DC Aff – Marriage FORM.pdf)

Mail-in Application for Copy of Marriage Certificate (doh-4382): (See attached file: Mail-in Marriage Certificate Application.pdf)

Please use this application only if the marriage license was issued in New York State outside of the five boroughs of New York City. Marriage records for licenses issued in New York City are not available through the New York State Department of Health.

If the marriage license was issued in one of the five boroughs of New York City, you can call the New York City Clerks office at (212) 669-8090 for information or visit their web page to download a form: http://www.cityclerk.nyc.gov/

___________________________________

Grandparent’s or Great Grandparent's Death Record:

The applicant must include along with the application for a death certificate, a completed and notarized Affidavit to Request Certified Copy of Death Certificate, documentation demonstrating relationship and a copy of his or her identification.

NOTE: Submitting a false affidavit may result in prosecution for perjury.

Affidavit to Request Certified Copy of Death Certificate: (See attached file: DOH-5001 DC Aff – Death FORM.pdf)

Mail-in Application for Copy of Death Certificate (doh-4376): (See attached file: Mail-in Death Certificate Application.pdf)

Please use this application only if the death occurred in New York State outside of the five boroughs of New York City. If the death occurred in one of the five boroughs of New York City, you will need to apply to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene as they are the custodians of New York City death records. You can find more information and an application on their web site at http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/home/home.shtml

IMPORTANT NOTICE: This e-mail and any attachments may contain confidential or sensitive information which is, or may be, legally privileged or otherwise protected by law from further disclosure. It is intended only for the addressee. If you received this in error or from someone who was not authorized to send it to you, please do not distribute, copy or use it or any attachments. Please notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail and delete this from your system. Thank you for your cooperation.

Oct 312011
 

The Detroit consulate sent me a roughly formatted document last week that I now realize has information buried in it for how Amy can get Italian citizenship by marriage:

Italian citizenship through marriage
If you and your spouse reside abroad, you can apply for Italian citizenship after three years from the date of marriage, by presenting a request for naturalization accompanied by the receipt of the payment4 of Euro 200.00 and the following documents:
– birth certificate of the applicant;
– certified full copy of marriage certificate issued by the Italian Town Hall;
– certificate of residence of the applicant.
– certificate of citizenship of the Italian spouse (this will be issued by the consulate of residence at the time of application);
– certificat of family status (same as above);
– Police Clearance or Certificate of criminal records, issued by the central authority of each state of which the applicant has been a resident since the age of 14, accompanied by a translation into Italian.
– F.B.I. Clearance with finger prints form (in addition to the above certificate/s), with translation into Italian.

The fee must be paid prior to the presentation of the request, through international bank transfer or through Eurogiro network.
When making your payment use the following guidelines:
Beneficiary: CONTO CORRENTE POSTALE "MINISTERO DELL'INTERNO D.L.C.I. – CITTADINANZA"
IBAN code n. IT54D0760103200000000809020
Reference of payment :
a. For citizenship by marriage please indicate: "ISTANZA DI CITTADINANZA PER MATRIMONIO"
b. For reacquisition of citizenship please indicate "ISTANZA DI RIACQUISTO CITTADINANZA"
c. For renouncing Italian citizenship please indicate "DICHIARAZIONE DI RINUNCIA ALLA CITTADINANZA"
BIC/SWIFT code of Poste italiane:
– for international bank transfer: BPPIITRRXXX
– for Eurogiro transactions: PIBPITRA

Oct 302011
 

Poking around Italian Citizenship Message Board today and saw this: "They were both married in Pennsylvania, which does not record marriages at the state level. When we originally requested these certificates from the county courthouse, the county clerk ASSURED us that the marriage certificates provided to us were the only official record of marriage. As my husband feared, the certificates lacked certain information. The consular officer nearly laughed out loud when he saw how short they were. Specifically, he said that the certificates needed to show parent's names and information of any previous marriages (or a statement that there were none)."

I now realize that our marriage certificate is a "short form" from the City of Tonawanda. I need to apply for a long-form from NY State. Another $30.

Oct 302011
 

I will need to get several US documents translated into Italian (various birth, marriage, and death certificates). Even though I am going through the Detroit consulate, I will need to get several of my NY documents authenticated by the NY consulate. Detroit does not seem to have a list of approved translators, but NY does. So I think I should pick a translator from their list. I'll be emailing them to get a sense of the cost for their services. I've heard up to $50 per document, though some have noted prices half that. Fingers crossed.

Looking at the Italian Citizenship Message Board, I see that some consulates require, e.g., "to have the translator certify the accuracy of the translations and to get the translator's certification notarized and apostilled" … "it was necessary for the translator to be a licensed translator, who could certify the translation (which certification would then be notarized and apostilled)" … "Documents on the line of descent originating in states outside of the jurisdiction of the L.A. consulate had to be authenticated by the consulate with jurisdiction over GA and P.R. I hired a wonderful translator in Miami who set-up the appointment with the Miami consulate and took all the docs to be authenticated." 

From the NY consulate : http://www.consnewyork.esteri.it/NR/exeres/5B0358BE-3263-4F8E-B3A2-18C4B37B82E6,frameless.htm?NRMODE=Published

TRADUTTORI/TRANSLATORS

Aggiornato/Updated: 2011/03/16 info.newyork@esteri.it

BENEVENTANO Loredana
1 Penn Plaza, Suite 2016
New York, NY 10119
Tel.: (917) 291 4568
Fax: (212) 736 2159
mail: bnvloredana@gmail.com

CERESA Carlo e Alberta
935 White Plains Road – Suite 206
Trumbull, CT 06611
Tel. 203 880-9668
Fax 203 880-9830
e-mail: ital_ct@yahoo.com

COCCIA Rahoy Gabriella
Jamaica Estates, Queens, NY
Tel.: (718) 523-6864
E-mail: gabrie4@verizon.net

CROCE GIANLUCA
244 Fifth Avenue, Suite G259
New York, NY 10001
Tel.: 917 837-9943
E-mail: glcroce@gmail.com

GALETTA Maria
ATA Certified Eng>Ita
Manhattan, NYC
Tel.: (212) 366-1346
E-mail: mgaletta@earthlink.net
Professional Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mariagaletta

GENEVA WORLDWIDE
261 West 35th Street
New York, NY 10001-1902
Tel. 877-464.3638 (toll free)
212-255-8400 x124
FAX: 212-255-8409
www.genevaworldwide.com
rhorowitz@genevaworldwide.com bob@genevaworldwide.com

ITALIAN-AMERICAN Language Srvc.
Prof. Rosaria TENACE, Certified Interpreter -Translator
Tel.: 860 257-4227
Fax: 860 760-6063 (24/7)
e-mail: RTenace@cox.net
Website: www.ITALIANAMERICANLS.COM

LAWYERS’ & MERCHANTS’ Translation Bureau, Inc./RWS Group
11 Broadway, Room 466
New York, NY 10004
Tel.: (212) 344-2930
Fax: (212) 422-6877
Email: lmtb@rws.com

MARINOZZI Piercarlo
300 Glen Street – Suite 2
Glen Cove, NY 11542
Tel. 516 656-5888
Fax: 516 656 5999
E-mail: pmarinozzi@aol.com

PRADERIO Marco Ph.D.
400 3rd Avenue Apt. 14A
New York, NY 10016
Tel. 212 – 684 2410
Fax: 212 – 683 2923
E-mail: italicusinc@earthlink.net

RUSSO Fiorentina
Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Italian
St. John’s University
Tel. (516) 850-7939
E-mail: florentina.russo@gmail.com

QUARTERO Marco
15 Parkway Drive
Port Chester, NY 10573
Tel/Fax: (914) 939-5827
E-mail: Starmaq@aol.com Quartero4132@gmail.com
Website: http://italytranslation.com

SALMERI PHERSON Anna Maria
ATA Certified Eng>Ita
Tel/Fax: 860 561-4704
Cell: 860 670-8077
amsalmeripherson@msn.com

VERBUM LINGUISTIC SERVICES
Rosanna M. Giammanco Frongia, Ph.D.
637 Tompkins Avenue, upstairs
Staten Island, New York 10305
Tel. (718) 727-7728
Cell (718) 619-2637
Fax (718) 727-0770 e-mail: RosannaGiammanco@earthlink.net 

Update 31 Oct 2011

Definitely glad I emailed everyone. Some responses were wonderfully detailed and helpful. One refused to respond to anything over email, demanding that I telephone. Another said they wouldn't even give a ballpark until they saw the documents. Gives you a quick glance at how these folks might be to deal with in the coming month.

I also learned that the translation part is definitely NOT a bottleneck. Estimates ranges from 3 days to 2 weeks.