Updated November 12, 2026

Filing a K-1 visa: Form I-129F rules, lockbox steps, and the 90-day timeline

Filing a K-1 visa starts when a US citizen mails Form I-129F, Petition for Alien Fiance(e), to the USCIS Dallas lockbox with proof that both partners are legally free to marry and met in person within the past 2 years. Once USCIS approves the petition and a Department of State consular officer issues the single-entry visa, your fiance(e) has up to 6 months to seek admission at a US port of entry. Under USCIS rules, you must marry within 90 days of entry so your spouse can file Form I-485 for a Green Card, because K-1 status cannot be extended.

Who qualifies before filing a K-1 visa

Only a US citizen can file Form I-129F to bring a foreign fiance(e) to the United States to marry. Under USCIS rules, a Green Card holder cannot petition for a fiance(e) and may only file Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, for a spouse after marriage, an unmarried child under 21, or an unmarried son or daughter of any age.

USCIS requires four conditions for a K-1 petition: you are a US citizen, both partners are legally free to marry with any prior marriages ended by civil divorce decree, death certificate, or annulment order, both partners intend in good faith to marry within 90 days of K-1 admission to build a life together rather than solely for an immigration benefit, and you met in person at least once in the 2 years immediately before filing. Couples who have already married, plan to marry abroad, or whose fiance(e) already resides legally in the US do not qualify.

You can request a waiver of the 2-year meeting rule on Form I-129F only if meeting in person would cause extreme hardship to the US citizen petitioner (supported by medical records or proof of immediate danger) or would violate strict, long-established customs of your fiance(e)'s culture or social practice and all traditional arrangements will be met (supported by statements from religious leaders).

Comparison of K-1 fiance(e) and spouse petition paths under USCIS rules

The 5-step K-1 visa process from petition to Green Card

The K-1 process spans USCIS, the Department of State (DOS), and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), with criminal, national security, and biometric checks at each stage.

Worked calendar example (invented couple written by our team to illustrate USCIS deadlines). US citizen Maya mails Form I-129F after visiting her fiance Liam abroad within the prior 2 years. After USCIS approval, the consulate issues Liam's single-entry K-1 visa on March 1, valid for up to 6 months through August 31. Liam lands in Chicago on May 10, and CBP admits him for 90 days through August 8. They marry on June 20 and file Form I-485. USCIS approves Form I-485 on April 15 of the next year. Because they have been married less than 2 years at approval, Liam receives a 2-year conditional Green Card (Form I-551), and both spouses must jointly file Form I-751 during the 90 days before it expires.

• Step 1, USCIS petition. Mail Form I-129F to the Dallas lockbox. USCIS checks completeness and may issue a Request for Evidence or biometrics notice. Approval recognizes the intended marriage and goes to the DOS National Visa Center (NVC), without granting travel permission.
• Step 2, DOS visa interview. NVC assigns a case number, forwards Form I-129F to the US embassy or consulate where your fiance(e) lives, and notifies you. Your fiance(e) completes fingerprint checks, brings medical and relationship proof to the interview, and receives a single-entry K-1 visa valid for up to 6 months if approved.
• Step 3, CBP inspection. Your fiance(e) seeks admission while the visa is valid. CBP collects biometrics, interviews your fiance(e), decides admissibility, and grants a 90-day stay.
• Steps 4 and 5, Marriage and Form I-485. You marry within 90 days and file Form I-485. Approval before your second anniversary grants a 2-year conditional Green Card requiring a joint Form I-751 in the 90 days before expiration, while approval after your second anniversary grants a 10-year card.

How to complete Form I-129F part by part

Use the 01/20/25 edition of Form I-129F (OMB No. 1615-0001) from USCIS, keeping the edition date and page numbers visible at the bottom of every page from that same edition. USCIS estimates 3.067 hours to prepare the petition plus 1 hour and 10 minutes if biometrics are needed.

Type or print legibly in black ink, writing N/A when a text item does not apply and None when a numeric answer is zero. USCIS rejects any petition missing the classification sought, family name, or date of birth in Part 1 or Part 2, the petitioner's mailing address in Part 1, or a handwritten signature in Part 5. Typed or stamped names are rejected, though a photocopy, fax, or scan of an original ink-signed petition is valid.

• Part 1, Information About You. Enter any A-Number, USCIS Online Account Number (only from a prior IOE receipt), Social Security number, and K-1 classification. List your legal name, aliases, mailing address, 5-year address and job histories, parents' details, prior marriage end dates, citizenship details, prior Form I-129F filings, ages of children under 18, and every US state and country lived in since age 18.
• Part 2, Information About Your Beneficiary. Enter your fiance(e)'s legal name, aliases, birth details, 5-year address and job histories, parents' details, prior marriage end dates, and any prior Form I-94 and US travel passport numbers, even if expired. List all children in Items 39 through 44.h, intended US address, native-alphabet name and foreign address if non-Roman, family-relationship items, 2-year meeting details in Items 53 and 54, International Marriage Broker items in Items 55 through 61, and requested consulate in Item 62.
• Part 3, Other Information. Answer the protection-order and criminal history questions in Items 1 through 4.b, and select a Multiple Filer Waiver in Items 5.a through 5.d if applicable.
• Part 4, Biographic Information. Mark your ethnicity, race, eye color, and hair color, height in feet and inches (never metric), and weight in pounds (enter 000 if unknown, under 30, or over 699 pounds).
• Parts 5 through 8, Signatures and Extra Space. Sign and date Part 5 in ink, have any interpreter sign Part 6 and any preparer sign Part 7 (with Form G-28 or G-28I for representatives), and sign and date any Part 8 continuation sheets labeled with your name, A-Number, page, part, and item number.

IMBRA criminal disclosures and multiple filer waivers

Under the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act (IMBRA), Part 3 requires petitioners to report specified criminal histories and protection orders even if sealed, expunged, or cleared. Upon approval, USCIS sends your petition and any uncovered criminal records to DOS to share with your fiance(e), keeping any victim's name and contact details confidential.

You must request a Multiple Filer Waiver in Part 3 if you previously filed Form I-129F for 2 or more fiance(e)s, or had a Form I-129F approved less than 2 years before filing. Once 2 petitions are approved and you file another within 10 years of the first filing date, USCIS logs your filings in its tracking database and notifies both partners. If you used a fee-charging International Marriage Broker (excluding non-profit cultural or religious groups and general dating platforms charging comparable rates to everyone), enter its details in Part 2 and attach your fiance(e)'s signed written consent form.

• Criminal records (Items 1 through 4.b). Submit certified police and court dispositions for any protection order, arrest, or conviction involving domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse or neglect, dating violence, elder abuse, stalking, homicide, rape, kidnapping, trafficking, false imprisonment, or 3 or more alcohol or controlled-substance convictions from separate acts, plus any other offense except non-alcohol, non-drug traffic fines below the form's threshold.
• Multiple Filer Waiver options (Items 5.a through 5.c). Request a General Waiver if you have no violent offense record, an Extraordinary Circumstances Waiver with proof of rehabilitation or exemplary military service if convicted of a violent offense, or a Mandatory Waiver if you were subjected to battery or extreme cruelty and acted in self-defense or violated a protection order meant for your safety.

Initial evidence checklist and Dallas lockbox filing

Send legible photocopies unless an original is specifically required, as USCIS may destroy unsolicited originals. Include a full English translation for any foreign-language record with a signed translator certification of accuracy and competence, printed name, date, and contact information. If a primary civil record does not exist, attach a civil authority unavailability statement plus secondary church, school, or census records, or at least two sworn affidavits from non-parties with direct personal knowledge. Never send thumb drives, CDs, DVDs, musical cards with chips or batteries, DNA samples, or intimate photos.

Form I-129F is filed on paper by mail at the USCIS Dallas lockbox and cannot be adjudicated at international offices. Verify the fee on the 10/26/26 edition of Form G-1055, Fee Schedule, because an incorrect fee triggers rejection. Pay by card on Form G-1450 or US bank ACH on Form G-1650, or include Form G-1651 if exempt from electronic payment. Cash is never accepted. If you want an email or text message when the lockbox accepts your petition, complete Form G-1145 and clip it to the first page of Form I-129F. Non-US citizens who move must update their address within 10 days online, never via the lockbox.

• Citizenship and prior marriage records. Copy of your US birth certificate, Certificate of Naturalization or Citizenship, Form FS-240, unexpired 5-year US passport or passport card, or consular citizenship statement, plus civil divorce, annulment, or death records for all prior marriages of either partner and any legal name-change orders.
• Photos and 2-year meeting proof. One 2 by 2 inch color photo each taken within 30 days on thin glossy paper with a white to off-white background, head height 1 to 1 3/8 inches, eye height 1 1/8 to 1 3/8 inches from the bottom, and name and A-Number written lightly on the back in pencil or felt pen, plus airline tickets, passport stamps, and written meeting statements.
• Statement of intent to marry template (written by our team for each partner to sign in ink). "I, (Full Legal Name), am the (US citizen petitioner / foreign fiance(e) beneficiary) on Form I-129F. I am legally free to marry and intend in good faith to marry (Partner's Full Legal Name) within 90 days of (Beneficiary's Full Legal Name)'s admission to the United States as a K-1 nonimmigrant. I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America that the foregoing is true and correct. Executed on (Date). Signature: (Handwritten Ink Signature), (Printed Name)."

USCIS Dallas lockbox addresses and payment forms for Form I-129F

Consular interview, K-2 children, and CBP arrival

Requesting a consulate outside the country where your fiance(e) lives does not guarantee that post will accept the case. At the interview, the officer checks admissibility and whether your relationship is bona fide. If the officer finds the relationship is not bona fide, DOS refuses the visa and returns Form I-129F to USCIS, where an expired petition generally stays expired, though you can file a new one. Bring a folder containing a valid passport, visa confirmation, photos, birth certificate, prior marriage termination records, police and court clearances, medical and vaccination proof, updated relationship proof, and fresh 90-day intent statements.

K-2 visas and electronic Form I-94. Unmarried children under 21 listed on Form I-129F can apply for K-2 visas without a separate petition, travel with or after the K-1 parent (never before), and must stay unmarried and under 21 upon admission. At the port of entry, CBP grants a 90-day stay and creates an electronic Form I-94. Since May 2019, I-94 numbers use 11 alphanumeric characters (9 digits, a letter in the 10th position, and a digit in the 11th position). Print it via Get Most Recent I-94 on the CBP site or CBP Link app, or visit one of CBP's more than 70 Deferred Inspection Sites to fix any error.

• Consular check 1, In-person meeting. Know exact trip dates, cities, and how you first met, matching Part 2, Item 54 of Form I-129F, plus proof of visits since filing.
• Consular check 2, Petitioner background. Know the petitioner's job, 5-year work history, US address, children under 18, and exact dates any prior marriages ended.
• Consular check 3, IMBRA and wedding plan. Be ready to discuss any IMBRA disclosures and confirm you will marry in the US within 90 days without having held a legal wedding abroad.

After arrival: the 90-day rule, work, travel, and Form I-485

K-1 and K-2 status expires after 90 days, cannot be extended, and generally cannot be changed to another nonimmigrant status in the US, unlike F, J, M, or H holders who file Form I-539 at least 45 days before departure. CBP warns against overstaying by even 1 day. Without marriage in 90 days, your fiance(e) and K-2 children must depart or risk removal, and marrying your petitioner after day 90 requires Form I-130.

Filing Form I-765 right after entry gives work authorization only for the initial 90 days, whereas filing it with Form I-485 grants a 1-year permit extendable in 1-year increments. Unlike H-1B, L-1, V, or K-3 and K-4 holders, a K-1 applicant must have an approved Form I-131 Advance Parole document before leaving the US or Form I-485 is abandoned. Marrying your Form I-129F petitioner within 90 days treats you as an immediate relative, exempts you from INA 212(a)(5) labor certification, preserves any K-1 Form I-601 waiver, and lets unmarried K-2 children file Form I-485 with or after you.

• Form I-485 packet checklist. Include Form I-485 with its Form G-1055 fee, Form I-797 approval notice for Form I-129F, civil marriage certificate, 2 passport photos, photo ID copy, birth certificate, passport K-1 visa and admission stamp copies, printed Form I-94, Form I-864 (or I-864EZ), Form I-693 vaccination proof, certified arrest dispositions if any, and J-1 or J-2 INA 212(e) or Form I-612 proof if applicable.

Post-arrival USCIS forms for K-1 spouses and K-2 children

Practice example

How and when did you and your petitioner meet in person, and what are your plans after you arrive in the United States?

State how you first connected, then give the exact dates and cities where you met physically during the 2 years before your petitioner filed Form I-129F. Match every trip detail to Part 2, Item 54 of the petition and your visa application. Next, state the US city and street address where you will live together, matching the intended address listed on Form I-129F, and explain your plan to marry within 90 days of entry without claiming you have already held a legal wedding. Keep supporting records organized in your folder in case the officer asks to see them, including passport entry stamps, boarding passes, dated photos together, signed statements of intent to marry, and evidence of communication since filing. If either partner had a prior marriage, know the exact date it ended and keep the divorce decree, annulment order, or death certificate ready.

The consular officer checks that your relationship is bona fide, that you met in person within the required 2-year window, and that you intend to marry your US citizen petitioner within 90 days of US entry. Under USCIS and Department of State rules, if the officer does not find the relationship to be bona fide, the consulate refuses the K-1 visa and returns Form I-129F to USCIS.

This is interview practice, not legal advice. For questions about your own case, talk to an immigration attorney. Visaful is not affiliated with the U.S. government or the Department of State.