In this article you will find the marriage green card checklist of documents if the foreign spouse lives abroad.
Marriage Green Card Checklist
If the foreign spouse applying for a green resides abroad, the green card application process is known as “Consular Processing“.
- U.S. citizen or permanent resident spouse is called a “Petitioner”
- Foreign spouse seeking green card is called a “Beneficiary”
If a foreign spouse applying for a green card lives in the U.S., the application process will be called “Adjustment of Status“. You can find the checklist of required documents for Adjustment of Status when both spouses are in the U.S. here.
We created this guide to help you prepare all the required forms and documents to apply for a marriage based green card, if you’re the spouse of a U.S. citizen, or a lawful permanent resident, and you reside in a foreign country (not in the U.S.).
These are all the USCIS forms that you need to file:
- Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative (mandatory)
- Form I-130A, Supplemental Information for Spouse Beneficiary (mandatory)
- Form I-864, Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the INA (mandatory)
- Form DS-260, Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration Application (mandatory)
- Form DS-261, Online Choice of Address and Agent (optional)
You will need to submit the following documents with your forms:
- Marriage certificate
- Proof of sponsor’s US citizenship or lawful permanent residence
- Evidence of termination of any prior marriage(s)
- Proof of income
- Proof of assets (if income doesn’t meet the requirements)
- Official IRS transcripts or federal tax returns
- Beneficiary’s birth certificate
- Foreign passport
- Foreign photo ID
- Two identical color passport-style photographs (both spouses)
- Copy of visa(s)
- I-94 record(s)
- Immunization or vaccination records
- Evidence of marriage
- Criminal records (if any)
- Military records (if any)
Detailed description of each immigration form and supporting documents is provided below.
1. Form I-130, “Petition for Alien Relative” (mandatory)
The form’s purpose:
- 1st step of the marriage-based petition
- Used to establish a relationship between a U.S. citizen, or permanent resident and a foreign spouse, to sponsor them for a green card.
Who Needs to Sign it:
- Only a U.S. citizen, or a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) can file an I-130 petition.
- U.S. citizens can file this petition for their spouses
- A green card holder can file the same form for their spouses
Form I-130 documents checklist:
Provide photocopies or scanned copies only
| Document type | Examples of supporting documents | Who needs to provide it? |
| Evidence of U.S. Citizenship | One of the following:
| Sponsoring spouse if he/she is a U.S. citizen |
| Evidence of Lawful Permanent Residence |
| Sponsoring spouse if he/she is a lawful permanent resident |
| Marriage certificate and name change |
| Both spouses |
| Evidence of termination of any prior marriage(s), if any |
| Both spouses |
| Passport-style color photographs |
| Both spouses |
| Proof of good faith marriage |
| Both spouses |
2. Form I-130A, “Supplemental Information for Spouse Beneficiary” (mandatory)
The form’s purpose:
- If you’re filing Form I-130 for your spouse, Form I-130A MUST be submitted to USCIS too
- Beneficiary (foreign spouse) fills out and signs Form I-130A
- Both of these forms must be filed at the same time.
Who Needs to Sign it?
- Form I-130A is to be completed by the beneficiary
- If beneficiary is residing abroad, the Form I-130A needs to be filled out but USCIS accepts unsigned Forms I-130A.
Form I-130A documents checklist:
You do not need to provide any additional supporting documents with Form I-130A. Make sure you submit all required documents with Form I-130.
3. Form I-864, “Affidavit of Support” (mandatory)
The form’s purpose:
- To show that the petitioner has enough financial resources to sponsor an immigrant
Who Needs to Sign it?
- It must be signed by petitioner, who meet the following requirements:
- U.S. citizen(s), or green card holder(s), and
- should have an income of 125% over the poverty guidelines.
Form I-864 documents checklist:
Provide photocopies or scanned copies only
| Document type | Examples of supporting documents | Who needs to provide it? |
| Tax records |
| Petitioner |
Evidence of Joint Asset Value (only if petitioner doesn’t meet the income requirements) |
If you’re using a house as an asset:
If you are using a second vehicle:
| Financial sponsor(s) and/or spouse seeking green card. |
4. Form DS-260, Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration Application (mandatory)
The form’s purpose:
- This form is the 2nd step of the consular processing
- It is an online visa application, which is reviewed by the National Visa Center (NVC).
The National Visa Center is part of the United States Department of State, which processes all immigrant visa applications for beneficiaries living outside the United States and applying through their local U.S. embassy or consulate.
Who Needs to Sign it?
- Beneficiary must fill out this form
Form DS-260 documents checklist
Provide scanned copies only
| Document type | Examples of supporting documents | Who needs to provide it? |
| Birth certificate and passport |
| Beneficiary |
| Proof of lawful marriage |
| Beneficiary |
| Other Documents (if applicable) |
| Beneficiary |
5. Form DS-261, Online Choice of Address and Agent (optional)
The form’s purpose:
- Just like the Form DS-260, it’s an online form, which must be completed and submitted through the National Visa Center.
- The form’s purpose is informing the U.S. governmentt how to communicate with applicant during the immigrant visa application.
