How to Fill Out Form I-751 – Step-By-Step Instructions

Last updated: August 12, 2025.

By Asel Williams, Esq. · Columbia Law School · Licensed immigration attorney

Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, is an immigration form used by conditional green card holders to remove conditions on their residence.

Form I-751 is typically signed by both spouses:

• US citizen or permanent resident spouse who initially was a petitioner on Form I-130; and
• Conditional resident spouse

If you are unable to jointly file the petition due to divorce, abuse, death of spouse, or extreme hardship, you can file a waiver of joint filing.

Form I-751 must be filed within the 90-day period before the conditional green card’s expiration date.

If you have conditional resident children, they can be listed on the same Form I-751 if they obtained their conditional green cards on the same day as their parents or within 90 days hereafter.

Otherwise, conditional resident children must file a separate Form I-751 petition.

In this article, we will provide line-by-line instructions on completing Form I-751.

Let’s start with general Form I-751 instructions:

• Always use the most recent edition of Form I-751 available on the USCIS website
• Both spouses must sign and date the form. If filing without your spouse, the conditional resident must sign and date the form
• If a question does not apply to you, enter “N/A” or “Not applicable”
• You must submit all pages of the form
• Submit the correct filing fee
• Submit photocopies of the required documents
• Make a copy of the completed application for your records
• Application must be mailed to the correct Form I-751 filing address

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS ON FILLING OUT FORM I-751 PETITION TO REMOVE CONDITIONS ON RESIDENCE

Form I-751 is filled out by the conditional resident. If filing Form I-751 jointly with the US citizen or permanent resident spouse, both spouses must sign and date the form.

For USCIS Use Only: leave it blank.

To be completed by an attorney or Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA)-accredited representative: leave it blank if you are not being represented by an attorney or representative.

Part 1. Information About You, the Conditional Resident

1.a. Family Name (Last Name) – enter the conditional resident’s last name.

1.b. Given Name (First Name) – enter the conditional resident’s first name.

1.c. Middle Name – enter the conditional resident’s middle name (if any).

Other Names Used

2.a. – 3.c. – Provide all other names the conditional resident has ever used, including aliases, maiden name, and nicknames.

Other Information

4. Date of Birth (mm/dd/yyyy) – enter the conditional resident’s date of birth in the month/day/year format.
5. Country of Birth – enter the conditional resident’s country of birth.
6. Country of Citizenship or Nationality (provide all that apply) – enter the conditional resident’s country of citizenship. If the conditional resident holds more than one citizenship or nationality, enter them all. If you need more space, use the last page of this form “Part 11. Additional Information”.
7. Alien Registration Number (A-Number) (if any) – enter the conditional resident’s A-number. It is listed on the front of conditional green card under “USCIS #”.
8. U.S. Social Security Number (if any) – enter the conditional resident’s SSN. If none, leave it blank.
9. USCIS Online Account Number (if any) – if a conditional resident has ever created an USCIS Online Account Number, enter it here. If you have previously filed certain applications or petitions on a paper form, you may have received a USCIS Online Account Access Notice issuing a USCIS Online Account Number.  The USCIS Online Account Number (if any) can be found at the top of the notices for the previously filed petition or application.  The USCIS Online Account Number is NOT the same as an A-Number. If you don’t know or don’t have an USCIS online account number, leave this field blank.

Marital Status

10. Marital Status – enter the conditional resident’s current marital status. If you have filed for divorce but haven’t obtained the final divorce decree (divorce judgment), select “Married”.
11. Date of Marriage (mm/dd/yyyy) – enter the conditional resident’s date of marriage in the month/date/year format. If the conditional resident is single, divorced, or widowed, leave this blank or enter “N/A”.
12. Place of Marriage – enter the conditional resident’s place of marriage. This information can be found on the marriage certificate. If the conditional resident is single, divorced, or widowed, leave this blank or enter “N/A”.
13. If the marriage through which you gained conditional residence has ended, provide the date it ended (date of divorce or date of death) (mm/dd/yyyy) – if the conditional resident divorced the US citizen or permanent resident petitioner, enter the date of divorce as indicated on the divorce decree (divorce judgment). If not applicable to you, enter N/A or leave it blank. If widowed, enter the date of the spouse’s death.
14. Conditional Residence Expires On (mm/dd/yyyy) – enter the conditional green card expiration date. It can be found on the conditional green card front under “Card Expires”.

Mailing Address

In this section, provide the conditional resident’s US mailing address. Once Form I-751 is approved, the 10-year green card will be mailed to this address. Make sure to update your address with USCIS if you move.

15.a. In Care Of Name – If your mail is sent to another person, include an “In Care of Name” as part of the mailing address.

15.b. – 15.f. – Enter the conditional resident’s US mailing address.

16. Is your physical address different than your mailing address? – Answer “Yes” if the conditional green card holder currently resides at a different address. In this case, provide the conditional resident’s physical address in 17.a. – 17.f. questions. Answer “No” if the conditional green card holder resides at the mailing address.

Additional Information About You

18. Are you in removal, deportation, or rescission proceedings? – Answer “Yes” if you are currently involved in the following proceedings:

• “Removal” – deportation hearings at the immigration court
• “Deportation” – deportation hearings at the immigration court
• “Rescission” – hearing before an immigration judge where a conditional green card holder’s immigration status might be taken away because he/she was not entitled to become a lawful permanent resident in the first place.

Answer “No” if you are not in either of these categories.

19. Was a fee paid to anyone other than an attorney in connection with this petition? – The purpose of this question is to determine whether an immigration fraud is being committed. No fees can be paid to anyone to obtain immigration benefits through marriage. The only fee that can be paid is the attorney legal fees for the preparation and filing of this petition. Answer “No” if no fees were paid in connection with this application. If a fee has been paid to anyone other than the attorney in, this can result in a determination that the marriage was not entered in good faith and termination of conditional residence.
20. Have you ever been arrested, detained, charged, indicted, fined, or imprisoned for breaking or violating any law or ordinance (excluding traffic regulations), or committed any crime which you were not arrested in the United States or abroad? – Answer “No” if this question does not apply to you. Answer “Yes” if the conditional resident has ever been arrested, detained, charged, indicted, fined, or imprisoned for any violations (including traffic violations) or has committed any crime for which the conditional resident was not arrested in the US or any other country in the world. If you have answered “Yes” to this question, you must provide additional detailed written explanation about each incident and submit the following original documents with your Form I-751 application:

21. If you are married, is this a different marriage than the one through which you gained conditional resident status? – Answer “No” to this question if the conditional resident is currently married to the same spouse who sponsored them for the marriage-based green card. Answer “Yes” if the conditional resident is currently married to another individual (not the US citizen or permanent resident spouse who initially filed Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative). Important: conditional resident cannot remove conditions on residence through another US citizen or permanent resident spouse. If you divorced or separated from the US citizen or permanent resident spouse who sponsored you for permanent residency, you must apply for a waiver of I-751 joint filing.
22. Have you resided at any other address since you became a permanent resident? – Answer “Yes” if you have changed the physical address from the date you received a conditional green card. If answered “Yes”, you must provide the conditional resident’s full physical address history on the last page of the form. Provide: full physical address, resided from mm/dd/yyyy to mm/dd/yyyy. Physical addresses must be provided from the date the conditional green card was issued (“Resident Since” date on the green card front). Answer “No” if the conditional resident has not changed their physical address since obtaining the conditional green card.

23. Is your spouse or parent’s spouse currently serving with or employed by the U.S. Government and serving outside the U.S.? – Answer “Yes” if the US citizen or permanent resident spouse who filed Form I-130 is currently employed by the US government or US Armed Forces and stationed abroad. Answer “No” if this question does not apply to you.

Part 2. Biographic Information

Provide conditional resident’s biographic details in this section.

1. Ethnicity (Select only one box): Select “Hispanic or Latino” if the conditional resident is a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. Select “Not Hispanic or Latino” if this does not apply to you.
2. Race (Select all applicable boxes): conditional resident must select all applicable races:

• White – An individual having origins in Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa
• Asian – An individual having origins in the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam
• Black or African American – An individual having origins in the black racial groups of Africa
• American Indian or Alaska Native – An individual having origins in the North and South America (including Central America), and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment
• Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander – An individual having origins in Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands

3. Height – enter the conditional resident’s height in feet and inches.

4. Weight – enter the conditional resident’s weight in pounds.

5. Eye color (select only one box) – choose the color that describes the conditional resident’s eye color best.

6. Hair color (select only one box) – choose the hair color that describes the conditional resident’s hair color best.

Part 3. Basis for Petition

Joint filing

This section must be completed if the conditional resident is filing this petition jointly with the US citizen or permanent resident spouse who sponsored them for permanent residency. If you are filing this petition independently, without the US citizen or permanent resident sponsor, skip this section.

My conditional residence is based on my marriage or my parent’s marriage to a US citizen or lawful permanent resident, and I am filing this joint petition together with (Select only one box):

1.a. My spouse – select this box if Form I-751 is being filed by a conditional resident who obtained permanent residence through marriage.

1.b. My parent’s spouse because I am unable to be included in a joint petition filed by my parent and my parent’s spouse – select this box if Form I-751 is being filed by the conditional resident child who obtained permanent residency through their parent’s marriage. A separate Form I-751 must be filed by a conditional resident child only if the child obtained a green card more than 90 days after their parent.

Waiver or Individual Filing Request

This section must be completed by conditional residents who are unable to file Form I-751 jointly with their US citizen or permanent resident spouse due to divorce, annulment, death, extreme cruelty/abuse, or extreme hardship.

Conditional residents can select more than applicable grounds. For example, if you were subjected to extreme cruelty and abuse during the marriage which led to divorce, you can select both grounds (divorce and extreme cruelty).

My conditional residence is based on my marriage or my parent’s marriage to a US citizen or lawful permanent resident, I am unable to file a joint petition with my spouse or my parent’s spouse, because:

1.c. My spouse is deceased – select this box if your US citizen or permanent resident spouse has died. Submit a photocopy of the death certificate.

1.d. My marriage was entered in good faith, but the marriage was terminated through divorce or annulment – select this box if you have obtained a divorce or annulment decree. Note: if you haven’t finalized your divorce or annulment, and submit Form I-751 without a final divorce or annulment decree, USCIS will issue a Request for Evidence (RFE). You will have 87 calendar days to submit the divorce or annulment decree.

1.e. I entered the marriage in good faith, and, during the marriage, I was battered, or was the subject of extreme cruelty, by my US citizen or lawful permanent resident spouse – select this box if you were subject to domestic violence.

1.f. My parent entered the marriage in good faith, and, during the marriage, I was battered, or was subjected to extreme cruelty, by my parent’s US citizen or lawful permanent resident spouse or by my conditional resident parent – select this box if Form I-751 is being filed by a conditional resident child who was subjected to abuse by the parent’s spouse (sponsor) or by conditional parent.

1.g. The termination of my status and removal from the United States would result in an extreme hardship – select this box if your deportation from the US will result in extreme hardship. 

Note: it is recommended to select all applicable boxes. If a conditional resident will be placed in removal (deportation) proceedings before an immigration court, only the grounds listed on the initial Form I-751 will be taken into consideration. Additionally, selecting more than one ground might increase your chances of successful removal of conditions. Conditional resident applying for a waiver of joint filing must submit extensive documentation related to each selected ground. Learn more: Form I-751 Waiver of Joint Filing Requirement.

Part 4. Information About the U.S. Citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident Spouse. If Filing as a Child Separately, Information About the U.S. Citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident Stepparent Through Whom You Gained Your Conditional Residence.

This part collects information about the US citizen or permanent resident who sponsored the conditional resident for the green card. If filing as a conditional resident child separately, enter your stepparent’s information in this section.

Relationship

1.a. Spouse or Former Spouse – select this box if you are the conditional resident who obtained a green card through marriage. You must select this box and provide your spouse’s or ex-spouse’s information.

1.b. Parent’s Spouse or Former Spouse – select this box if you are the conditional resident child filing a separate Form I-751. Enter your stepparent’s or former stepparent’s information in this section.

Other Information

2.a. Family Name (Last Name) – enter the US citizen or permanent resident spouse’s (stepparent’s) last name.

2.b. Given Name (First Name) – enter the US citizen or permanent resident spouse’s (stepparent’s) first name.

2.c. Middle Name – enter the US citizen or permanent resident spouse’s (stepparent’s) middle name.

3. Date of Birth (mm/dd/yyyy) – enter the US citizen or permanent resident spouse’s (stepparent’s) date of birth in the month/day/year format.
4. U.S. Social Security Number (if any) – enter the US citizen or permanent resident spouse’s (stepparent’s) SSN.
5. A-number (if any) – enter US citizen or permanent resident spouse’s (stepparent’s) Alien Registration Number (A-number or USCIS #), if any. Individuals who were born in the US or were born abroad to US citizen parent(s), do not have A numbers. Leave blank, if the US citizen does not have an A-number.

Physical Address

6.a. – 6.h. – provide the US citizen or permanent resident spouse’s (stepparent’s) physical address.

Part 5. Information About Your Children

In this section, the conditional resident must list ALL their children, including:

• Under 21 years of age
• Over 21 years of age
• Married and unmarried children
• Children residing with conditional resident or living separately
• Children in the US and abroad
• Children removing conditions with the parent or those who are filing Form I-751 separately

If you need additional space to provide the full list of all children, use the last page of this form.

Child 1 – Child 5

Family Name (Last Name) – enter the child’s last name.

Given Name (First Name) – enter the child’s first name.

Middle Name – enter the child’s middle name (if any).

Date of Birth (mm/dd/yyyy) – enter the child’s date of birth in the month/day/year format.

A-Number (if any) – enter the child’s Alien Registration Number (USCIS #). If child is located abroad and has never applied for any immigration petitions, they don’t have A numbers. If the child has obtained a conditional green card, you can find the A number under “USCIS #”.

Is this child living with you? – Answer “Yes” if the child resides with the conditional resident parent. Answer “No” if the child lives with the conditional resident parent.

Is this child applying with you? – Answer “Yes” if the child has obtained their conditional green card at the same time as the conditional resident parent, or 90 days thereafter. Answer “No” if the child has never obtained a conditional green card or obtained it more than 90 days after the conditional resident parent’s green card was issued.

Physical Address

Enter each child’s current physical address (in the US or abroad).

Part 6. Accommodations for Individuals With Disabilities and/or Impairments

USCIS may offer several types of accommodations for individuals with special needs, such as:

• Providing a sign-language interpreter
• Permission to take a test orally if conditional resident is blind or has low vision
• USCIS may visit the conditional resident at home or at a hospital, if you are unable to travel to the USCIS field office for an interview

1. Are you requesting accommodation because of your disabilities and/or impairments? – Answer “Yes” if the conditional resident will need an accommodation for biometrics appointment or interview appointment. Answer “No” if this question does not apply to you.
2. Are you requesting an accommodation because of your spouse’s disabilities and/or impairments? – Answer “Yes” if the US citizen or permanent resident spouse will need accommodation for the interview. Answer “No” if this question does not apply to you.
3. Are you requesting an accommodation because of your included children’s disabilities and/or impairments? – Answer “Yes” if the conditional resident children who obtained their conditional green card at the same time as the conditional resident parent, or 90 days thereafter, need an accommodation for the interview or biometrics appointment. Answer “No” if this question does not apply to you.

If you answered “Yes” to questions 1-3 above, select the applicable boxes below and describe the type of accommodation you are requesting.

4.a. I am deaf or hard of hearing and request the following accommodation. (If you are requesting a sign-language interpreter, indicate for which language (for example, American Sign Language)

4.b. I am blind or have low vision and request the following accommodation

4.c. I have another type of disability and/or impairment. (Describe the nature of your disability and/or impairment and the accommodation you are requesting)

Part 7. Petitioner’s Statement, Contact Information, Acknowledgement of Appointment at USCIS Application Support Center, Certification, and Signature

Petitioner’s Statement

This section is completed by the conditional resident.

Question 1.b. – If you are not proficient enough in reading English, then a competent interpreter needs to read through the application with you for accuracy review prior to signing. The interpreter need not be a professional interpreter but should be someone that is able to properly interpret the application. In such a case, the box in Question 1.b should be checked and the language used to interpret the application to the applicant should be entered (for example, Spanish, French, etc.)

Question 2 – The box for Question 2 should be checked if anyone has prepared the application at your request. If a preparer was used to prepare the application, Part 10 must be completed too. Check the appropriate box to indicate whether the preparer is an attorney or accredited representative or not.

Petitioner’s Contact Information

Provide conditional resident’s contact information in this section.

Questions 3, 4, and 5 – Enter conditional resident’s daytime telephone number, cell phone number (if any), and email address (if any).

Acknowledgement of Appointment at USCIS Application Support Center

Enter the conditional resident’s full name in the box in this section after “I, _________________, understand that the purpose of a USCIS ASC appointment is for me to provide fingerprints, photograph, and/or signature and to re-affirm that all of the information in my petition is complete, true, and correct and was provided by me.”

Petitioner’s Signature

6.a. Petitioner’s Signature – Conditional resident must sign the form in this box.

6.b. Date of Signature (mm/dd/yyyy) – Conditional resident must date the form in this box.

Part 8. Spouse’s or Individual Listed in Part 4.’s Statement, Contact Information, Acknowledgement of Appointment USCIS Application Support Center, Certification, and Signature (if applicable)

This section must be completed only if the US citizen or permanent resident spouse who sponsored the conditional resident is also singing this form.

Spouse’s or Individual’s Statement

Question 1.b. – If the US citizen or permanent resident sponsor is not proficient enough in reading English, then a competent interpreter needs to read through the application with the sponsor for accuracy review prior to signing. The interpreter need not be a professional interpreter but should be someone that is able to properly interpret the application. In such a case, the box in Question 1.b should be checked and the language used to interpret the application to the applicant should be entered (for example, Spanish, French, etc.)

Question 2 – The box for Question 2 should be checked if anyone has prepared the application at your request. If a preparer was used to prepare the application, Part 10 must be completed too. Check the appropriate box to indicate whether the preparer is an attorney or accredited representative or not.

Spouse’s or Individual’s Contact Information

Provide US citizen or permanent resident spouse’s contact information in this section.

Questions 3, 4, and 5 – Enter conditional resident’s daytime telephone number, cell phone number (if any), and email address (if any).

Acknowledgement of Appointment at USCIS Application Support Center

Enter the US citizen or permanent resident spouse’s full name in the box after “I,_______________, 

understand that the purpose of a USCIS ASC appointment is for me to provide fingerprints, photograph, and/or signature and to re-affirm that all of the information in my petition is complete, true, and correct and was provided by me.”

Spouse’s or Individual’s Signature

6.a. Petitioner’s Signature – US citizen or permanent resident spouse must sign the form in this box.

6.b. Date of Signature (mm/dd/yyyy) – US citizen or permanent resident spouse must date the form in this box.

Part 9. Interpreter’s Contact Information, Certification, and Signature

If an interpreter was used to read you the application in your native language, then Part 9 must be completed with the information about the interpreter. 

The interpreter must sign and date to certify that they are:

• Fluent in English and the language the applicant used; 
• They have completely read the application to the applicant in that language;
• The applicant confirmed to understand the contents of the application; and 
• The applicant verified the accuracy of the application.

Part 9 is completed by entering the full legal name of the interpreter, the interpreter’s mailing address, daytime phone number, cell phone number (if any), email address (if any), and the language used to interpret the application to the applicant. The interpreter must then sign and date the application where indicated at Questions 6.a. and 6.b. on Page 9 of the application.

Part 10. Contact Information, Statement, Certification, and Signature of the Person Preparing this Petition, If Other Than the Petitioner

Part 10 is completed by entering the preparer’s full name, organization name (if applicable), mailing address, daytime telephone number, fax number (if any), and email address (if any). 

The box at Question 7.b should be checked if an attorney has prepared the application.

The preparer must sign and date the application where indicated as Questions 8.a. and 8.b. attesting to certifications about the preparation and accuracy of the application.

Part 11. Additional Information

This section can be used if there is not enough space in any other parts of the form to provide all requested information. 

Note: Even if no information is provided in Part 11, this page should still be included with the application when submitted to USCIS. 

If you need additional space, make copies of this page to use to provide all requested information. 

If you are using Part 11 to provide additional information, enter:

• Applicant’s name 
• Alien Registration Number (A-Number) (if any)
• Indicate the Page Number, Part Number, and Item Number to which the answer refers.

See Also:

Form I-751 Checklist of Supporting Documents (Remove Conditions on Residence)

Form I-751 – How to Remove Conditions on Your Green Card

Form I-751 Waiver of Joint Filing Requirement

Form I-751 Instructions