K-1 Visa: Requirements, Fees and Steps From USCIS and the State Department
A K-1 visa is the nonimmigrant fiancé(e) visa. A U.S. citizen files Form I-129F, Petition for Alien Fiancé(e), which Form G-1055 (edition 10/26/26) lists at $675 ($0 for K-3 status based on a Form I-130 the petitioner filed), and the couple must intend to marry within 90 days of the fiancé(e)'s admission. The State Department lists a K visa application processing fee of $265 per applicant (Fees for Visa Services page, archived copy of July 9, 2026). This page reads the USCIS, State Department and eCFR documents with their dates and says where they leave a case open.
Maintained by Archie Chang · Reviewed November 3, 2026 · Methodology & sources
What the K-1 visa is and who may file
USCIS describes the visa on its Visas for Fiancé(e)s of U.S. Citizens page (last reviewed March 23, 2018), and the State Department describes it on its K-1 page (archived copy of July 13, 2026).
If you are a U.S. citizen who wants to bring your foreign fiancé(e) to the United States in order to get married, you will need to file a Form I-129F, Petition For Alien Fiancé(e). This is the first step to obtaining a K-1 nonimmigrant visa for your fiancé(e). The K-1 nonimmigrant visa is also known as a fiancé(e) visa.
The fiancé(e) K-1 nonimmigrant visa is for the foreign-citizen fiancé(e) of a United States (U.S.) citizen. The K-1 visa permits the foreign-citizen fiancé(e) to travel to the United States and marry his or her U.S. citizen sponsor within 90 days of arrival. The foreign-citizen will then apply for adjustment of status to a permanent resident (LPR) with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
In order to obtain a K-1 fiancé(e) visa, you and your fiancé(e) must intend to marry each other within 90 days of your fiancé(e) entering the U.S as a K-1 nonimmigrant. Your marriage must be valid, meaning both you and your fiancé(e) have a bona fide intent to establish a life together and the marriage is not for the sole purpose of obtaining an immigration benefit.
USCIS lists these eligibility requirements. The in-person meeting requirement and its waiver (strict and long-established customs, or extreme hardship to the petitioner) are part of the same item.
You may be eligible to bring your fiancé(e) to the United States on a fiancé(e) visa if you meet the following requirements:
You are a U.S. citizen;
You and your fiancé(e) intend to marry one another within 90 days of your fiancé(e)’s admission to the United States on a K-1 nonimmigrant visa;
You and your fiancé(e) are both legally free to marry (this means you both are legally able to marry in the United States and any previous marriages have been legally terminated by divorce, death, or annulment); and
You and your fiancé(e) met each other in person at least once within the 2-year period before you file your petition. You may request a waiver of this in-person meeting requirement if you can show that meeting in person would:
Violate strict and long-established customs of your fiancé(e)’s foreign culture or social practice; or
Result in extreme hardship to you, the U.S. citizen petitioner.
If you have already married, plan to marry outside the United States, or your fiancé(e) is already residing legally in the United States, your spouse or fiancé(e) is not eligible for a fiancé(e) visa.
The USCIS Form I-129F page (last reviewed May 29, 2026) says the form is used for a K-1 fiancé(e) and K-2 children, or for a K-3 spouse and K-4 children.
Use this form to petition to bring your:
Fiancé(e) (K-1) and their children (K-2) to the U.S. so you may marry your fiancé(e); or
Spouse (K-3) and their children (K-4) to the U.S. to await the approval of a Form I-130 filed on behalf of your spouse.
The Instructions for Form I-129F (edition 01/20/25) state who may file.
You may file this petition if you are a U.S. citizen and:
1. You and your fiancé(e):
A. Are legally free to marry and intend to marry within 90 days of your fiancé(e)’s admission to the United States; and
B. Have met each other in person within the two years immediately before you filed this petition, unless you establish that either:
(1) The requirement to meet your fiancé(e) in person would violate strict and long-established customs of your fiancé(e)’s foreign culture or social practice, and that any and all aspects of the traditional arrangements have been or will be met in accordance with the custom or practice; or
(2) The requirement to meet your fiancé(e) in person would result in extreme hardship to you; or
2. You have filed or are filing Form I-130 on behalf of your spouse and wish to have your spouse enter as a nonimmigrant to await the immediate availability of an immigrant visa and to file for adjustment of status. NOTE: If you have children with your beneficiary, they might have acquired U.S. citizenship through you. Check the U.S. Department of State (DOS) website at http://travel.state.gov for more information.
At the visa stage, 22 CFR 41.81 states when a person is classifiable as a nonimmigrant fiancé(e), and the exception to the immigrant requirements in paragraph (d).
(a) Fiancé(e). An alien is classifiable as a nonimmigrant fiancé(e) under INA 101(a)(15)(K)(i) if:
(1) The consular officer is satisfied that the alien is qualified under that provision and the consular officer has received a petition filed by a U.S. citizen to confer nonimmigrant status as a fiancé(e) on the alien, which has been approved by the DHS under INA 214(d), or a notification of such approval from that Service;
(2) The consular officer has received from the alien the alien's sworn statement of ability and intent to conclude a valid marriage with the petitioner within 90 days of arrival in the United States; and
(3) The alien has met all other qualifications in order to receive a nonimmigrant visa, including the requirements of paragraph (d) of this section.
(d) Eligibility as an immigrant required. The consular officer, insofar as is practicable, must determine the eligibility of an alien to receive a nonimmigrant visa under paragraphs (a), (b) or (c) of this section as if the alien were an applicant for an immigrant visa, except that the alien must be exempt from the vaccination requirement of INA 212(a)(1) and the labor certification requirement of INA 212(a)(5).
The in-person meeting requirement and its waiver
The USCIS K-1 page and the I-129F instructions state the requirement and the waiver in the quotations above. Two more documents state them in their own words, quoted here in full with their dates, because the wording differs.
The petitioner shall establish to the satisfaction of the director that the petitioner and K-1 beneficiary have met in person within the two years immediately preceding the filing of the petition. As a matter of discretion, the director may exempt the petitioner from this requirement only if it is established that compliance would result in extreme hardship to the petitioner or that compliance would violate strict and long-established customs of the K-1 beneficiary's foreign culture or social practice, as where marriages are traditionally arranged by the parents of the contracting parties and the prospective bride and groom are prohibited from meeting subsequent to the arrangement and prior to the wedding day. In addition to establishing that the required meeting would be a violation of custom or practice, the petitioner must also establish that any and all other aspects of the traditional arrangements have been or will be met in accordance with the custom or practice. Failure to establish that the petitioner and K-1 beneficiary have met within the required period or that compliance with the requirement should be waived shall result in the denial of the petition. Such denial shall be without prejudice to the filing of a new petition once the petitioner and K-1 beneficiary have met in person.
In general, the foreign-citizen fiancé(e) and U.S. citizen sponsor must have met in person within the past two years. USCIS may grant an exception to this requirement, based on extreme hardship for the U.S. citizen sponsor to personally meet the foreign-citizen fiancé(e), or, for example, if it is contrary in the U.S. citizen sponsor’s or foreign-citizen fiancé(e)’s culture for a man and woman to meet before marriage.
K-1 fees as the saved documents state them
| Item | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Form I-129F, general filing | $675 | USCIS Form G-1055 (edition 10/26/26); 8 CFR 106.2(a)(5)(i) |
| Form I-129F, K-3 status based on a Form I-130 filed by the petitioner | $0 | USCIS Form G-1055 (edition 10/26/26); 8 CFR 106.2(a)(5)(ii) |
| K visa application processing fee (Form DS-160), per applicant | $265 | State Department Fees for Visa Services (archived copy, July 9, 2026); 22 CFR 22.1 item 21(d) |
Form G-1055 and 8 CFR 106.2(a)(5) state the I-129F amounts. The eCFR text reads:
(5) Petition for Alien Fiancé(e), Form I-129F. (i) For filing a petition to classify a nonimmigrant as a fiancée or fiancé under section 214(d) of the Act: $675.
(ii) For a K-3 spouse as designated in 8 CFR 214.1(a)(2) who is the beneficiary of an immigrant petition filed by a U.S. citizen on a Petition for Alien Relative, Form I-130: No fee.
The State Department fee page and 22 CFR 22.1 state the K visa processing fee:
Nonimmigrant visa application processing fees are tiered, as shown below, based on the visa category for which you are applying.
[…]
K – Fiancé(e) or Spouse of U.S. citizen category visa: $265.00
[…]
21. Nonimmigrant Visa Application and Border Crossing Card Processing Fees (per person):
[…]
(d) K category (fiancé) nonimmigrant visa
$265
[…]
Item 22 of 22 CFR 22.1 lists exemptions from the nonimmigrant visa application processing fee; they are not repeated on this page. The Instructions for Form I-129F point to Form G-1055 for the fee:
Filing Fee. See Form G-1055, available at www.uscis.gov/forms, for specific information about the fees applicable to this form.
You can find the filing fee for Form I-129F by visiting our Fee Schedule page.
The USCIS Form I-129F page (last reviewed May 29, 2026) did not state a filing fee in dollars when we checked on November 3, 2026; it points to the Fee Schedule page. Form G-1055 and 8 CFR 106.2(a)(5) state the amounts shown in the table.
The archived State Department K-1 page (archived copy of July 13, 2026) named the Form DS-160 visa application processing fee but gave no dollar amount when we checked on November 3, 2026; it points to the Fees for Visa Services page (archived copy of July 9, 2026), which lists the $265 amount shown in the table.
The State Department K-1 page lists the services for which fees are charged. The K-2 children quotation in the section on arrival, below, covers the fee for each K-2 applicant.
Fees are charged for the following services:
Filing an Alien Fiancé(e) Petition, Form I-129F
Nonimmigrant visa application processing fee, Form DS-160 (required for each K visa applicant)
Medical examination (required for each K visa applicant; costs vary from post to post)
Other costs may include translation and photocopying charges, fees for getting the documents required for the visa application (such as passport, police certificates, birth certificates, etc.), and travel expenses to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate for an interview. Costs vary from country to country and case to case.
Filing Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or to Adjust Status
The State Department fee page (archived copy of July 9, 2026) lists a nonimmigrant visa issuance fee as Fee varies (Reciprocal) and refers to the Visa Reciprocity Tables for the amount, if applicable. 22 CFR 22.1 item 23 lists the fee as RECIPROCAL. Neither states an amount. They read:
23. Nonimmigrant Visa Issuance Fee, including Border-Crossing Cards (Reciprocity Fee)
RECIPROCAL.
Nonimmigrant visa issuance fee, including border-crossing cards.
See the Visa Reciprocity Tables to find out the visa issuance fee amount, if applicable: Fee varies (Reciprocal)
Item 24 of 22 CFR 22.1 and the State Department fee page also list exemptions from the issuance fee; they are not repeated on this page.
The adjustment-of-status filing (Form I-485) has its own entry in Form G-1055; that amount is not repeated on this page. K nonimmigrants are listed as exempt from the USCIS Immigrant Fee in both USCIS documents that state the exemptions; see the USCIS Immigrant Fee page of this set.
The steps, as USCIS and the State Department describe them
USCIS describes five steps. The quotations are from the USCIS K-1 page (last reviewed March 23, 2018); the State Department page (archived copy of July 13, 2026) adds the visa-stage details after the steps.
You file Form I-129F, Petition for Alien Fiancé(e) according to the form instructions. This form asks USCIS to recognize the relationship between you and your fiancé(e).
We review your Form I-129F and the documents you submitted. We may mail you a request for evidence if we need additional documentation or information.
If you establish your eligibility, we approve your Form I-129F and recognize the claimed fiancé(e) relationship. Otherwise, we deny your Form I-129F and notify you of the reasons for denial.
We send the approved Form I-129F to the DOS National Visa Center (NVC).
The NVC forwards the approved Form I-129F to the U.S. Embassy or consulate where your fiancé(e) will apply for a K-1 nonimmigrant visa. This is generally the U.S. Embassy or consulate where your fiancé(e) lives.
The U.S. Embassy or consulate notifies you when the visa interview for your fiancé(e) is scheduled.
Your fiancé(e) applies for the K-1 nonimmigrant visa and brings the required forms and documents to the visa interview.
The DOS consular officer determines whether your fiancé(e) qualifies for the K-1 nonimmigrant visa.
If the consular officer grants the K-1 nonimmigrant visa, it is valid for up to 6 months for a single entry.
If the consular officer does not find the relationship to be bona fide, DOS will not issue a K-1 nonimmigrant visa and instead will return the Form I-129F to USCIS. Generally, if DOS returns a Form I-129F to us after it has expired, we will allow it to remain expired. However, you may choose to file a new Form I‑129F.
If DOS issues a K-1 nonimmigrant visa, your fiancé(e) travels to the United States and seeks admission at a port of entry while the K-1 nonimmigrant visa is valid. As with any visa, a K-1 nonimmigrant visa does not guarantee admission to the United States. A CBP officer at the port of entry will make the ultimate decision about whether to admit your fiancé(e).
If your fiancé(e) is admitted as a K-1 nonimmigrant, you and your fiancé(e) have 90 days to marry each other.
If you marry within 90 days, your fiancé(e)—now your spouse—may apply for a Green Card by filing Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status.
We review Form I-485 and the documents your spouse submitted. We may mail a request for evidence to your spouse if we need additional documentation or information.
You and your spouse will usually be required to appear for an interview.
If you were married for less than two years at the time the Form I-485 is approved, USCIS will grant your spouse conditional permanent resident status and issue a Green Card valid for 2 years. Your spouse will need to remove the conditions on his or her residence by filing Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence in the 90 days before his or her Green Card expires.
The State Department page and 8 CFR 214.2(k)(5) state the validity of an approved petition and of an issued visa; the figures in them are validity periods and are not about the handling of a case.
The I-129F petition is valid for four months from the date of approval by USCIS. A consular officer can extend the validity of the petition if it expires before visa processing is completed.
The approval of a petition under this paragraph shall be valid for a period of four months. A petition which has expired due to the passage of time may be revalidated by a director or a consular officer for a period of four months from the date of revalidation upon a finding that the petitioner and K-1 beneficiary are free to marry and intend to marry each other within 90 days of the beneficiary's entry into the United States. The approval of any petition is automatically terminated when the petitioner dies or files a written withdrawal of the petition before the beneficiary arrives in the United States.
With your visa, you can apply for a single admission at a U.S. port-of-entry within the validity of the visa, which will be a maximum of 6 months from the date of issuance. You must marry your U.S. citizen fiancé(e) within 90 days of your entry into the United States.
Where the documents differ, both wordings are shown, with their dates. The three documents below word the place to file Form I-129F differently.
| Document | Wording |
|---|---|
| USCIS Form I-129F page (last reviewed May 29, 2026) | File Form I-129F at the USCIS Dallas lockbox. |
| State Department K-1 page (archived copy, July 13, 2026) | You, the U.S. citizen sponsor, must file Form I-129F, Petition for Alien Fiancé(e), with the USCIS office that serves the area where you live. See Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-129F, Petition for Alien Fiancé(e) for information on where to file the petition. Further information is available on the USCIS website under Fiancé(e) Visas. Note: Form I-129F cannot be filed at a U.S. Embassy, Consulate, or USCIS office abroad. |
| Instructions for Form I-129F (edition 01/20/25) | Please see our website at www.uscis.gov/i-129f for the most current information about where to file this petition. |
The three wordings are shown as printed. The instructions point to the USCIS I-129F page for the most current filing information, and the USCIS page lists its lockbox addresses.
Items 3 to 8 of the evidence section of the I-129F instructions
Items 3 to 8 of the evidence section of the Instructions for Form I-129F (edition 01/20/25) are quoted below as the instructions number them; the numbering starts at 3 in the instructions as printed, and item 9, which applies to K-3 petitions, is left out. Items 3 to 8 are not the whole packet: the instructions also say evidence is listed in their Specific Instructions sections.
Evidence. When you file your petition, you must submit all evidence and supporting documents listed in the What Evidence Must You Submit and/or Specific Instructions sections of these Instructions.
You must submit all evidence requested in these Instructions with your petition. If you fail to submit required evidence, USCIS may reject or deny your petition for failure to submit requested evidence or supporting documents in accordance with 8 CFR part 103.2(b)(1) and these Instructions.
Submit the primary evidence listed below to support your petition. If a primary evidence document is not available, you must submit a statement from the appropriate civil authority certifying that the primary evidence is not available. You must then submit secondary evidence such as church or school records, baptismal certificates, U.S. census records, or other evidence to support your claim. If you can establish that secondary evidence is not available, you may submit two or more sworn affidavits by persons who are not parties to your petition, who were living at the time of the event, and who have direct personal knowledge of the event.
3. Evidence of U.S. citizenship which may include any of the following:
A. A copy of your birth certificate issued by a U.S. civil authority;
B. A copy of your original Certificate of Naturalization;
C. A copy of your original Certificate of Citizenship;
D. A copy of your Form FS-240, Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the United States;
E. A copy of your valid, unexpired U.S. passport or passport card issued with a validity period of at least five years; or
F. A statement executed by a U.S. consular officer certifying that you are a U.S. citizen and the bearer of a currently valid U.S. passport.
4. Termination of Previous Marriages
If either you or your beneficiary were married before, submit evidence that all previous marriages were legally terminated. Evidence of termination of previous marriages may include a divorce decree, annulment, or death certificate issued by a civil authority.
5. Photographs
You must submit one color passport-style photograph of yourself and one color passport-style photograph of the beneficiary taken within 30 days of filing this petition. The photos must have a white to off-white background, be printed on thin paper with a glossy finish, and be unmounted and unretouched. The color passport-style photos must be 2 by 2 inches. The photos must be in color with full face, frontal view on a white to off-white background. Head height should measure 1 to 1 3/8 inches from top of hair to bottom of chin, and eye height is between 1 1/8 to 1 3/8 inches from bottom of photo. Your head must be bare unless you are wearing headwear as required by a religious denomination of which you are a member. Using a pencil or felt pen, lightly print your name and A-Number (if any) on the back of the photo.
6. Evidence of Legal Name Change
If either you or your beneficiary use a name other than the one shown on evidence submitted in support of your petition, you must submit copies of the legal documents (such as a marriage certificate, adoption decree, or court order) reflecting the legal name change.
7. Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record
If U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or USCIS issued you a Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record, provide your Form I-94 number and date that your authorized period of stay expires or expired (as shown on your Form I-94). The Form I-94 number also is known as the Departure Number on some versions of Form I-94.
NOTE: You may visit the CBP website at www.cbp.gov/i94 to obtain a paper version of an electronic Form I-94 if needed. If you cannot obtain the Form I-94 from the CBP website, it may be obtained by filing Form I-102, Application for Replacement/Initial Nonimmigrant Arrival-Departure Record, with USCIS. See Form G-1055, available at www.uscis.gov/forms, for specific information about the fees applicable to Form I-102. Passport and Travel Document Numbers.
If your beneficiary used a passport or travel document to travel to the United States, enter the passport or travel document information in the appropriate space on the petition, even if the passport or travel document is currently expired.
8. Evidence for Petitions to Classify a Fiancé(e) as a K-1 Nonimmigrant
In addition to the evidence described above, you must submit evidence of:
A. Intention to Marry Within 90 Days of Entry.
Submit evidence that you and your fiancé(e) intend to marry within 90 days of your fiancé(e)’s entry as a K-1 nonimmigrant. Evidence of your intention to marry may include statements of intent to marry signed by both you and your fiancé(e) or any other evidence that establishes, by a preponderance of the evidence, your mutual intention; and
B. In-Person Meeting.
Submit evidence that you and your fiancé(e) met in person during the 2-year period immediately before you filed this petition. Evidence of this meeting may include, but is not limited to, a written statement from you and/or your fiancé(e) stating the circumstances of your meeting, a copy of airline tickets, passport pages, or other evidence. If you believe you qualify for an exception to the in-person meeting requirement, submit evidence in support of the exception.
If you claim that the in-person meeting requirement would result in extreme hardship to you, submit evidence to support your claim.
If you claim that the in-person meeting requirement would violate strict and long-established customs of your fiancé(e)’s foreign culture or social practice, include evidence that any and all aspects of the traditional arrangements have been or will be met in accordance with the custom or practice.
The instructions also address copies, translations and, under the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act, disclosures and a multiple-filer database.
Copies. You should submit legible photocopies of requested documents unless the Instructions specifically instruct you to submit an original document. USCIS may request an original document at any time during our process. If we request an original document from you, we will return it to you after USCIS determines it no longer needs the original. NOTE: If you submit original documents when they are not required or requested, USCIS may destroy them after we receive them. Translations. If you submit a document with information in a foreign language, you must also submit a full English translation. The translator must sign a certification that the English language translation is complete and accurate, and that he or she is competent to translate from the foreign language into English. The certification must also include the translator’s signature, printed name, the signature date, and the translator’s contact information.
Under the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act (IMBRA), U.S. citizen petitioners are required to disclose information on any permanent protection or restraining order (civil or criminal) related to any specified crime described in Part 3. of these Instructions, and information on any convictions for any specified crime described in Part 3. of these Instructions. In addition, IMBRA requires USCIS to maintain a database to track multiple Form I-129Fs filed by the same petitioner. USCIS will notify petitioners upon approval of a second Form I-129F petition they filed and that their information has been entered into a multiple-visa petition tracking database. USCIS will enter into this database all additional Form I-129Fs that the petitioner files. Once a petitioner has had two Form I-129Fs approved, and if an additional Form I-129F is filed less than 10 years after the date the first Form I-129F was filed, USCIS will notify both the petitioner and the beneficiary of the number of previously approved petitions listed in the database.
The USCIS Form I-129F page carries an informational checklist. USCIS says it is not to be submitted and does not replace the instructions:
Please do not submit this checklist with your Form I-129F. The checklist is an optional tool to use as you prepare your form, but does not replace statutory, regulatory, and form instruction requirements. We recommend that you review these requirements before completing and submitting your form. Do not send original documents unless specifically requested in the form instructions or applicable regulations.
The State Department K-1 page lists the documents brought to the visa interview, which is the visa stage and not the I-129F packet. The last item in the list, payment of fees, refers to the fees passage on the same page, which is quoted in the fees section.
You, the foreign-citizen fiancé(e), (and eligible children applying for K-2 visas) will be required to bring the following forms and documents to the visa interview:
Completed Form DS-160, Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application. You (and any eligible children applying for K-2 visas) must: (1) complete Form DS-160 and (2) print the DS-160 confirmation page to bring to your interview.
A passport valid for travel to the United States and with a validity date at least six months beyond your intended period of stay in the U.S. (unless country-specific agreements provide exemptions).
Birth certificate.
Divorce or death certificate(s ) of any previous spouse(s) for both you and the U.S. citizen sponsor
Police certificates from your present country of residence and all countries where you have lived for six months or more since age 16 (Police certificates are also required for accompanying children age 16 or older)
Medical examination (vaccinations are optional, see below)
Evidence of financial support ( Form I-134, Affidavit of Support, may be requested)
Two (2) 2x2 photographs. See the required photo format explained in Photograph Requirements
Evidence of relationship with your U.S. citizen fiancé(e)
Payment of fees, as explained below
Note: The consular officer may ask for additional information, such as photographs and other proof that the relationship with your U.S. citizen fiancé(e) is genuine. Applicants should take to the visa interview clear, legible photocopies of civil documents and translations, such as birth and divorce certificates. Original documents and translations will be returned.
The list says vaccinations are optional, see below. The State Department K-1 page says this about vaccinations:
K visa applicants are encouraged to get the vaccinations required under U.S. immigration law for immigrant visa applicants. Although such vaccinations are not required for K visa issuance, they will be required when adjusting status to that of legal permanent resident following your marriage.
[…]
After arrival: marriage, adjustment of status, children and work
8 CFR 214.2(k)(6)(ii) states the adjustment rule for a K-1 visa issued on or after November 10, 1986.
(ii) Nonimmigrant visa issued on or after November 10, 1986. Upon contracting a valid marriage to the petitioner within 90 days of his or her admission as a nonimmigrant pursuant to a valid K-1 visa issued on or after November 10, 1986, the K-1 beneficiary and his or her minor children may apply for adjustment of status to lawful permanent resident under section 245 of the Act. Upon approval of the application the director shall record their lawful admission for permanent residence in accordance with that section and subject to the conditions prescribed in section 216 of the Act.
If your fiancé(e) has a child who is under 21 and unmarried, the child may be eligible to come to the United States on a K-2 nonimmigrant visa. You must include the names of your fiancé(e)’s children on the Form I-129F if you wish to bring them to the United States. The children must continue to be unmarried and under 21 in order to be admitted to the United States as K-2 nonimmigrants. They may travel with your fiancé(e) or later, but they cannot travel to the U.S. before your fiancé(e).
If you and your fiancé(e) married within 90 days of your fiancé(e)’s admission into the U.S., your fiancé(e)’s children who were admitted as K-2 nonimmigrants may also apply for a Green Card by filing Form I-485 with USCIS. However, K-2 nonimmigrant children must remain unmarried in order to be eligible for a Green Card. K-2 nonimmigrant children should apply for a Green Card at the same time or after your fiancé(e).
The State Department K-1 page (archived copy of July 13, 2026) adds conditions on K-2 children: a separate-petition question and its answer, the age-18 stepchild condition for adjustment, and a one-year travel limit.
Does My U.S. Citizen Fiancé(e) Need to File Separate Petitions for My Children?
No. Your eligible children may apply for K-2 visas based on the approval of Form I-129F, Petition for Alien Fiancé(e), that your U.S. citizen fiancé(e) filed on your behalf, but your U.S. citizen fiancé(e) must list the children on the petition. Separate visa applications must be submitted for each K-2 visa applicant, and each applicant must pay the K visa application fee.
After your marriage, your children will need to file separately from you for adjustment of status. They cannot be included on your application for adjustment of status. More information about adjustment of status is available on USCIS’s website under Green Card (Permanent Residence).
Important Notice: Under U.S. immigration law, a child must be unmarried. In order to file for adjustment of status for your child following your marriage to your U.S. citizen spouse, the child’s stepchild relationship with your spouse must be created before the child reaches the age of 18.
Are My Children Required to Travel with Me?
Your children may travel with (accompany) you to the United States or travel later (follow-to-join). Like you, your children must travel within the validity of their K-2 visas. Separate petitions are not required if the children accompany or follow to join you within one year from the date of issuance of your K-1 visa. If they want to travel later than one year from the date your K-1 visa was issued, they will not be eligible to receive K-2 visas, and separate immigrant visa petitions will be required. If your child has a valid K-2 visa and you have already adjusted status to that of permanent resident, your child may still travel on the K-2 visa.
After being admitted to the U.S. on a K-1 nonimmigrant visa, your fiancé(e) may immediately apply for evidence of work authorization by filing Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization. In this case, your fiancé(e)’s work authorization is valid for only 90 days after his or her entry into the U.S.
Your fiancé(e) may also apply for work authorization at the same time he or she applies for a Green Card. In this case, your fiancé(e) can file Form I-765 together with the Form I-485. In this case, your fiancé(e)’s work authorization is valid for one year and may be extended in one-year increments.
K-1 and K-2 nonimmigrant status automatically expires after 90 days and cannot be extended. Generally, your fiancé(e) and his or her children must leave the United States at the end of the 90 days if you do not marry. If they do not depart, they will be in violation of U.S. immigration law. This may result in removal (deportation) and could affect their future eligibility for U.S. immigration benefits.
However, if you marry your fiancé(e) after the 90 day period, you may file a Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative. Go to the Bringing Spouses to Live in the United States as Permanent Residents page for more information about how to help your foreign spouse get a Green Card. Generally, your fiancé(e) may not apply for a Green Card on any other basis besides marriage to you.
Open cases
The USCIS K-1 page was last reviewed on March 23, 2018; when we checked on November 3, 2026, the I-129F page (May 29, 2026) and the instructions (edition 01/20/25) carried later dates. Where an older page and a later document overlap, both are shown with their dates and are not blended.
The State Department K-1 page (archived copy of July 13, 2026) printed no review date when we checked on November 3, 2026.
Whether a petition is approved, whether a requested waiver is granted and whether a visa is issued are decisions of USCIS and the State Department.
Frequently asked questions
What is a K-1 visa?
According to the State Department K-1 page (archived copy of July 13, 2026), the K-1 is a nonimmigrant visa for the foreign-citizen fiancé(e) of a U.S. citizen. It permits the fiancé(e) to travel to the United States and marry the U.S. citizen sponsor within 90 days of arrival, after which the fiancé(e) applies for adjustment of status to permanent resident with USCIS. The USCIS Visas for Fiancé(e)s of U.S. Citizens page (last reviewed March 23, 2018) says the first step is for the U.S. citizen to file Form I-129F, Petition for Alien Fiancé(e).
What do the K-1 filing and visa fees cost?
Form G-1055 (edition 10/26/26) lists $675 for Form I-129F, general filing, and $0 for K-3 status based on a Form I-130 the petitioner filed; 8 CFR 106.2(a)(5) gives the same two amounts. The State Department Fees for Visa Services page (archived copy of July 9, 2026) and 22 CFR 22.1 item 21(d) list a K visa application processing fee of $265 per person. The same fee page (archived copy of July 9, 2026) lists a nonimmigrant visa issuance fee as "Fee varies (Reciprocal)" and refers to the Visa Reciprocity Tables for the amount "if applicable", and 22 CFR 22.1 item 23 lists "RECIPROCAL."; neither states an amount. The State Department K-1 page (archived copy of July 13, 2026) says "costs vary from post to post" for the medical examination, and "Costs vary from country to country and case to case." for other costs such as translation, photocopying, civil documents and travel. Form G-1055 has a separate entry for Form I-485.
Must the couple have met in person, and what is the waiver?
The Instructions for Form I-129F (edition 01/20/25) say the petitioner and the fiancé(e) must have met in person within the two years immediately before the petition was filed, unless the petitioner establishes either that meeting would violate strict and long-established customs of the fiancé(e)'s foreign culture or social practice, and that any and all aspects of the traditional arrangements have been or will be met in accordance with the custom or practice, or that meeting would result in extreme hardship to the petitioner. Under 8 CFR 214.2(k)(2), the director may exempt the petitioner only in those two cases, as a matter of discretion, and, for the customs case, the petitioner "must also establish that any and all other aspects of the traditional arrangements have been or will be met in accordance with the custom or practice"; failure to establish the meeting or the waiver results in denial, without prejudice to filing another petition once the couple has met in person.
Must the couple marry within 90 days of the K-1 fiancé(e)'s admission?
The USCIS Visas for Fiancé(e)s of U.S. Citizens page (last reviewed March 23, 2018) says K-1 and K-2 nonimmigrant status automatically expires after 90 days and cannot be extended, and that generally the fiancé(e) and his or her children must leave the United States at the end of the 90 days if the couple does not marry. If the U.S. citizen marries the fiancé(e) after the 90 day period, the citizen may file a Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, and, generally, the fiancé(e) may not apply for a Green Card on any other basis besides marriage to the citizen. 8 CFR 214.2(k)(6)(ii) provides that, upon a valid marriage to the petitioner within 90 days of admission under a K-1 visa issued on or after November 10, 1986, the K-1 beneficiary and his or her minor children may apply for adjustment of status.
Who may file Form I-129F for a K-1 fiancé(e)?
The Instructions for Form I-129F (edition 01/20/25) say a U.S. citizen may file if the petitioner and the fiancé(e) are legally free to marry and intend to marry within 90 days of the fiancé(e)'s admission, and have met in person within the two years immediately before filing unless one of the two waiver grounds is established (strict and long-established customs, and that any and all aspects of the traditional arrangements have been or will be met in accordance with the custom or practice; or extreme hardship to the petitioner). The instructions also cover a petitioner who has filed or is filing Form I-130 for a spouse who is to enter as a K-3 nonimmigrant. The USCIS Visas for Fiancé(e)s of U.S. Citizens page (last reviewed March 23, 2018) says a spouse or fiancé(e) is not eligible for a fiancé(e) visa if the couple has already married, plans to marry outside the United States, or the fiancé(e) is already residing legally in the United States.
Do a fiancé(e)'s children need their own petition for a K-2 visa?
The USCIS Visas for Fiancé(e)s of U.S. Citizens page (last reviewed March 23, 2018) says a child who is under 21 and unmarried may be eligible for a K-2 visa, that the names of the fiancé(e)'s children must be included on Form I-129F, and that the children cannot travel to the U.S. before the fiancé(e). The State Department K-1 page (archived copy of July 13, 2026) says separate visa applications must be submitted for each K-2 applicant, and the K visa application fee applies to each applicant. It also says separate petitions are not required if the children accompany or follow to join within one year from the date of issuance of the K-1 visa, and that "If they want to travel later than one year from the date your K-1 visa was issued" the children will not be eligible to receive K-2 visas and separate immigrant visa petitions will be required. For adjustment of status, it says the child must be unmarried and the child's stepchild relationship with the spouse must be created before the child reaches the age of 18.
Do K-1 fiancé(e)s pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee?
No. The USCIS Immigrant Fee page (last reviewed April 8, 2024) and Form G-1055 (edition 10/26/26) both list K nonimmigrants among the groups that do not pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee; Form G-1055 shows $0.
Related pages
Sources
USCIS pages, 8 CFR 214.2, 22 CFR 41.81 and HCCH pages were read on November 3, 2026; Form G-1055, 8 CFR 106.2 and 22 CFR 22.1 were read on November 2, 2026. State Department pages on travel.state.gov are cited from Internet Archive copies; the capture date is given with each one, and the page itself may have been updated since.
- USCIS, Visas for Fiancé(e)s of U.S. Citizens (last reviewed March 23, 2018)
- USCIS, Form I-129F, Petition for Alien Fiancé(e) (last reviewed May 29, 2026; edition 01/20/25)
- USCIS, Instructions for Form I-129F (edition 01/20/25, PDF)
- USCIS, Form G-1055, Fee Schedule (edition 10/26/26)
- USCIS, USCIS Immigrant Fee (last reviewed April 8, 2024)
- USCIS, Form G-1055, Fee Schedule (PDF, edition 10/26/26)
- 8 CFR 106.2, USCIS fees (eCFR, up to date as of October 29, 2026)
- 8 CFR 214.2(k), spouses, fiancées and fiancés of U.S. citizens (eCFR, up to date as of October 29, 2026)
- 22 CFR 41.81, fiancé(e) or spouse of a U.S. citizen (eCFR, up to date as of October 29, 2026)
- 22 CFR 22.1, Schedule of Fees for Consular Services (eCFR, up to date as of October 29, 2026)
- travel.state.gov, Nonimmigrant Visa for a Fiancé(e) (K-1) (Internet Archive copy of July 13, 2026)
- travel.state.gov, Fees for Visa Services (Internet Archive copy of July 9, 2026)