I-129F Evidence Checklist
Everything USCIS asks for as initial evidence on the I-129F fiancé(e) petition, in one checkable list. Print it, carry it around while you gather documents, and make sure nothing's missing before you file. Free, no signup, no email required.
Sourced from the official USCIS Form I-129F "Checklist of Required Initial Evidence". Last checked against the live USCIS page: .
- Send copies, not originals, unless the form instructions specifically ask for the original. USCIS states this directly and it's an easy detail to miss.
- Any document in a language other than English needs a full English translation plus a signed certification from the translator confirming it's complete, accurate, and that they're competent to translate it.
- This checklist is informational, not the form itself; don't submit it with your petition. Always check the current edition date on the actual Form I-129F before filing.
Your ticks are saved in this browser, on this device only. Nothing is uploaded, so clearing your site data clears the list.
This checklist covers only the I-129F petition itself. Affidavit of Support (Form I-864) and medical exam results are real requirements, but they belong to later stages (the K-1 visa interview and adjustment of status), not the I-129F filing to USCIS, so they're deliberately left off this list.
Questions people ask about the I-129F petition
What counts as evidence that you met in person?
The requirement is that you and your fiance(e) met in person during the two-year period immediately before the petition was filed. USCIS says evidence of the meeting "may include, but is not limited to" a written statement from one or both of you describing the circumstances.
There is no fixed list in the instructions, so nothing is automatically sufficient and nothing is automatically ruled out.
Two narrow exemptions exist: where meeting in person would violate strict and long-established customs of your fiance(e)'s foreign culture or social practice, or where it would result in extreme hardship to the petitioner. Both have to be established rather than asserted.
Sourced from the Form I-129F Instructions, edition 01/20/25, checked .
What does “evidence of an approved I-129F” mean?
The approval arrives as a Form I-797, Notice of Action, sent to the petitioner. USCIS uses the phrase "Form I-797 Receipt or Approval Notice" in these same instructions when it asks for proof of a different filing, and that notice is the document people mean.
You do not send the approved petition onward yourself. After USCIS approves it, it goes to the National Visa Center, which assigns a case number and forwards it to the embassy or consulate where the beneficiary lives.
Sourced from the Form I-129F Instructions, edition 01/20/25 and the State Department's K-1 visa page, checked .
What if a document on this list does not exist?
USCIS publishes an order for this rather than leaving it open. If a primary document is not available, you submit a statement from the appropriate civil authority certifying that it is not available.
You then submit secondary evidence, which the instructions describe as church or school records, baptismal certificates, U.S. census records, or other evidence supporting the claim. If you can establish that secondary evidence is not available either, you may submit two or more sworn affidavits from people who are not parties to the petition, who were living at the time of the event, and who have direct personal knowledge of it.
The order is the point: each step depends on having established that the one before it is unavailable.
Sourced from the Form I-129F Instructions, edition 01/20/25, checked .
Will USCIS interview me or take my biometrics?
It can. The instructions say USCIS may require you to appear for an interview or provide biometrics, meaning fingerprints, photograph and/or signature, at any time, to verify identity, obtain additional information, and run background and security checks including FBI criminal history records.
"May" is doing real work in that sentence. It is not a standard step in every I-129F case, and USCIS sends an appointment notice if it decides one is needed.
Sourced from the Form I-129F Instructions, edition 01/20/25, checked .
How much does it cost to file?
The I-129F instructions do not state a figure. They point to Form G-1055, the USCIS fee schedule, which is where the current amount lives.
This page does not quote a number either, on purpose. Filing fees change by regulation, and a figure copied here would eventually be wrong with nothing on the page to show it. Check G-1055 on the day you file.
Sourced from the Form I-129F Instructions, edition 01/20/25. Current fees: Form G-1055, USCIS Fee Schedule. Checked .
This is a checklist, not legal advice, and BonaVault isn't a law firm. Checking every box here doesn't guarantee anything about your case. It's here so you can see, at a glance, what USCIS actually asks for and what you've already gathered.
I'm building BonaVault, a tool that does this kind of tracking automatically, across chats, photos, and documents, not just a checklist. It's in development, and I'm going through the K-1 process myself.
Want to know when it opens? One email, when it's ready.