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Certified Translation for a K-1 Fiancé(e) Visa
A K-1 visa lets the fiancé or fiancée of a US citizen travel to the United States to marry within 90 days of arrival. The citizen files Form I-129F with USCIS; once it is approved, the fiancé(e) applies for the visa at the US embassy or consulate where they live, and after the wedding files Form I-485 for the green card. Each step has its own documents and its own translation rule: USCIS asks for a complete English translation, with the translator's certification that it is complete and accurate and that they are competent to translate it (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)), and the consulate for certified translations of the documents that are not in English or in the official language of the country where the fiancé(e) applies.
USCIS, a consulate, USCIS
Form I-129F with USCIS; the visa at a US embassy or consulate; after the wedding, Form I-485.
Free to marry, and met in person
The records that ended every earlier marriage, and evidence that the couple met within the two years before filing.
Civil documents at the interview
Birth certificate, police certificates and the records of earlier marriages, with their translations.
At a glance
| K-1 | |
|---|---|
| Who files | The US citizen, on Form I-129F with USCIS; it cannot be filed at a US embassy or consulate. The fiancé(e) then completes Form DS-160 for the visa. The fiancé(e)'s unmarried children under 21, named on the I-129F, can apply for K-2 visas. |
| Who decides | USCIS decides the petition, the consular officer decides the visa, and a Customs and Border Protection officer decides admission at the port of entry. After the wedding, USCIS decides the green card. |
| What has to be shown | That both partners were legally free to marry when the petition was filed and have stayed so, every earlier marriage ended by divorce, death or annulment (State Department, USCIS); that they intend to marry within 90 days of the fiancé(e)'s admission; and that they met in person within the two years before the filing, unless USCIS waives it because meeting would cause extreme hardship to the US citizen or would break strict and long-established customs (8 CFR 214.2(k)). |
| Usually in another language | The divorce decrees, annulment orders and death certificates that ended earlier marriages; the fiancé(e)'s birth certificate and police certificates; evidence of the relationship, such as messages, letters and travel records. |
| Translation rule | At USCIS, every document with text in another language needs a complete English translation, with the translator's certification that it is complete and accurate and that they are competent to translate it (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)). At the consulate, documents not written in English or in the official language of the country from which the fiancé(e) applies need a certified translation, with a statement signed by the translator that it is accurate and that they are competent to translate (State Department). |
| Page count | Small for the civil documents: one or two pages for each certificate, a few for a divorce decree. Messages and letters add the most, and which ones to file is the couple's choice. |
Documents at each step
Which documents to file is your decision, or your attorney's; we translate what is chosen, completely, with every stamp, seal and handwritten note.
- Form I-129F, at USCIS: the final divorce decrees, annulment orders and death certificates that ended any earlier marriage of either partner, and the evidence of the meeting and of the relationship. See translations for Form I-129F.
- The visa interview: the fiancé(e)'s birth certificate, the records that ended the earlier marriages of both partners, police certificates from the countries the State Department and the consulate list, and evidence of the relationship. The fiancé(e) brings clear photocopies of the civil documents and of their translations; any originals and translations handed in are returned.
- After the wedding, Form I-485 at USCIS: the marriage certificate, the birth certificate, and certified police and court records of any arrest or charge. See translations for Form I-485 and the marriage green card.
- Two years later, if the green card is conditional: a couple married less than two years when the I-485 is approved gets a two-year green card, and removes the conditions with Form I-751 (translations for Form I-751).
Before you order
The right document comes before the translation: the State Department's Document Finder says, country by country, which civil document to obtain and from which authority. The proof that an earlier marriage ended is the final divorce decree, the death certificate or the annulment.
A document the consulate accepts without a translation, because it is in the official language of the country, still needs a certified English translation when it is filed with USCIS, for example the birth certificate filed with Form I-485 after the wedding (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)).
Official sources
Every requirement on this page was checked against these sources on November 5, 2026.
- Nonimmigrant Visa for a Fiancé(e) (K-1) (travel.state.gov)
- Visas for Fiancé(e)s of U.S. Citizens (uscis.gov)
- I-129F, Petition for Alien Fiancé(e) (uscis.gov)
- Form I-129F instructions, edition 01/20/25 (uscis.gov)
- 8 CFR 214.2(k), fiancé(e)s of US citizens (ecfr.gov)
- 22 CFR 41.81, fiancé(e) visas (ecfr.gov)
- 9 FAM 502.7, other IV and quasi-IV classifications (K visas at 502.7-3) (fam.state.gov)
- 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), translations (ecfr.gov)
Frequently asked questions
Do messages and letters in another language need translating?
Each one filed in another language does, in full. Which ones to file is your choice: pick the ones that show the relationship and have them translated completely, rather than translating hundreds of pages.
Does the consulate need translations of documents in its own language?
Not under the State Department's rule, which asks for certified translations of the documents that are not in English or in the official language of the country from which the fiancé(e) applies; the embassy's own instructions can add requirements. The same documents need an English translation if they are later filed with USCIS.
Can the translations filed with the I-129F be filed again with the I-485?
A certified translation of the same document can be filed again. A new or newer copy of a document needs its own translation.
Do the translations need to be notarized?
USCIS asks for the translator's certification (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)) and the State Department for a statement signed by the translator; neither asks for a notary. If another office asks for notarization, it is $34.90 per order.
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