Hello Folks,

I am enrolled at the University of St. Gallen and am trying to apply for dependent visas for my spouse and child. My family and I have already submitted a mountain of documents. To my great delight today, I received a request for some more and find myself in need of some advice.

In particular, there is one request that I am confused about:

- Familienstandsbescheinigung (behördliche Bestätigung, dass Ihre Ehe inzwischn nicht geschieden wurde) ....
which I think translates to "Marriage Status Certificate (that you are not divorced)...."

My wife and I were married in the US. I am not sure that there is such a form in the US that we can obtain. Has anyone else had experience with this one? How did you solve it? If we get a sworn affidavit that we are still married, will that work?

Another document that they have asked for is proof of minimum account balance in a Swiss Bank for a fairly large amount. We have shown sufficient funds in our US accounts, but it seems that it is not enough. They actually want some of our money here. Is this usual? I can do it but I find the process fairly intrusive, to put it mildly.

I appreciate your comments, advice or war-stories. Thanks in advance for your help.

Best Regards,