I-129F Proof Letter of Intent to Marry
Remember that to be eligible to file the I-129F Petition for your fiance(e)’s K1 visa, you two must promise to marry each other in 90 days of arrival in the US. It’s one of the visa eligibility requirements.
To comply with that requirement, you include some kind of evidence or (statement) letter to prove your intent to marry your fiance(e). It’s a signed document where you promise to marry in the US after your K1 visa is approved.
In Part 8, the “Evidence for Petitions to classify a Fiance(e) as a K-1 nonimmigrant”, instructions list a variety of ways to comply. Most engaged couples will write a simple letter declaring how they both plan to marry each other to comply with the k1 visa requirement. While a letter works most of the time, it’s not the only evidence you can use to convince the USCIS.
Download this I-129F Letter of Intent to Marry
Here’s a sample I-129F Letter of Intent to Marry. This is an example of the format of how your letter should look and what it contains. Typically, you won’t need to get it notarized (unless the USCIS asks with an RFE for you to notarize it).
What to include in the I-129F Letter of Intent to Marry
The purpose of this document is for you to demonstrate to the USCIS that your plans to marry are legitimate. Since this letter will be signed by both you and your fiance(e), it’s a legal statement.
This can be a common piece of paper (probably 8.5×11) where you highlight your commitment to getting married. If you consider it useful, you can attach additional evidence to further justify your case. See the next section for examples.
What other evidence can you use?
The USCIS doesn’t specifically say to write a letter as evidence, even though that’s how most couples interpret it. You can even provide some other types of proof. Think about it, what else can you use to validate your future plans of marriage?
This list shows what else can be accompanied with your I-129F Petition to satisfy the USCIS’s requirement:
- NOT REQUIRED – But helpful to show the following (if you have them)
- 1. Marriage Venue receipts, agreements, pictures, plans, etc.
- 2. Marriage caterer agreement, receipt, agreement, etc.
- 3. DJ, Florist, wedding planner agreement, etc.
- 4. Honeymoon plans
- 5. Communication between each other of plans
In general, a written letter of Intent to marry is usually sufficient evidence. There are several others which you can come up with on your own. If it’s a documented proof of your future plans to get married, then it will probably work.
Does the letter of intent to marry require original signatures?
The official I-129F instructions simply say that the packet must include a signed letter from you two of your intent to marry. It doesn’t clearly say whether or not it must be an original “wet signature”.
If you don’t have an original, should you wait until you get it mailed from your foreign fiance? before submitting the petition. Short answer — NO.
The USCIS accepts forms with signatures which are photocopied, scanned, faxed, emailed, etc. You can easily have your fiance(e) print out and sign the document. Then scan it back to you. You will print out the electronic copy to attach to your I-129F petition.
It’s also advisable to try to get the original letter. The USCIS only requests an original letter if they feel it’s necessary. Otherwise, most won’t see an RFE about it. Just to be safe, have the original mailed to you, so you can respond quickly if you happen to get an RFE.
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Recent Comments from readers…
heloo im tunisian and my fiance is a yamani lives in the US .. were trying to apply the petion.. anyway my question is how he s gonna plan for the marriage and we are intending to marry as soon as i arrive to the US … and we still dont know when the visa will be approved i mean how he s gonna contact..pay and plan dates n we still dont know how much this procces will take ?
thank you for helping all apreciations .
Hello Rahmmah,
I agree with your frustration. It’s almost impossible to predict when you’ll be approved. On top of that the Officers sometimes want to see that you’ve fixed a date and planned a venue. The best you can do is try your best to plan a venue. If the officers want to see an actual date fixed, then you can take the next step and fix a date. Otherwise, it’s impractical to take further steps. Wouldn’t you agree?
-Prem
Hello Prem
Thank you sp much for that web sit it helps me a lot but I still need some help could you pleaaaaase help me my fiance is from USA and me from Morocco he asked me to write a tatement of my intention that I will marry him when I go to USA and I don t know how to writ that can you please help me
Hello Chaimaee,
You can download the template from above and insert your own names. Then print out the document and sign it. That’s it.
-Prem
Hi Prem, thank you for your help. I am the beneficiary and want to know if I need to sign the I-129 form or any other document, can you please help me? Blessings.
Hello Sofia,
Thanks for stopping by. For the most part, the only thing that a beneficiary does is to sign the letter of intent to marry. There might be other rare situations where you have to sign a document (for example, a translation if required for particular things). Other than that, the beneficiary isn’t required to sign anything else. Unless of course, the USCIS asks you for something which requires your signature later on.
-Prem
Hi Prem,
Do our letters of intent need to be notarized?
I the beneficiary am in the Uk and my fiance the petitioner is in the US. Any advice on how to get our individual letters notarized if required/ preferred?
Would appreciate your advice
Kind regards,
Anna
Hello Anna,
The Letter of Intent to Marry does not need to be notarized for your I-129F petition. You must simply sign and date it. That’s it. You should copy the exact template I’ve provided here and just insert your names. That will do it.
Cheers
-Prem
Does the letter of intent need to be one document signed by both parties, or can we each write and sign our own letters?
Hello MA,
You can each have a separate letter or sign one letter, it doesn’t matter. I suggest having both signatures on the same letter because it saves the headache of two separate identical letters.
-Prem
Hi Visa Tutor!
I know I have to put a date on the intent later. But I will be shipping the letter to the US and it might take atleast 5 days before it reaches the US, and we wont be submitting the i-129f package until a week later after the intent letter reaches the US.. What date should I be putting on the letter of intent? Does it matter?
Hello Ella,
It won’t affect your letter if it’s dated a few days before you send it by mail. There’s no policy/law on the actual date. However, I would say that if it’s within the last 3 months, then it’s acceptable to use.
-Prem
Hi Prem
What if my fiance and I don’t have any big wedding plans? We are just planning to marry at a courthouse with a few family members. What should I be writing in my intent of marry?
Hello Tatiana,
There’s no requirement for a wedding plan during your K-1 process. It’s great if you planned one but it’s not necessary. Getting married at a courthouse is more than enough to satisfy requirements. In fact, that’s exactly the path I and my fiance took. We married at the courthouse and had a reception party later on.
In your letter of intent to marry, you will simply say that you ‘intend to marry within 90 days of arrival in the US”. No need to explain further. However, at the k-1 interview they may ask the beneficiary if there are any plans. Just be honest and say if there are or not. Consular officers are well aware that the K-1 timeline is unpredictable and that’s why most people don’t set wedding plans.
-Prem
Hi Prem,
I’m really thankful for your website, it’s been incredibly helpful. My fiancé and I are hoping to send out the I-129F within the next week or two.
Just a quick question of a couple of things things that aren’t completely clear to me: If we didn’t meet through marriage broker, do we still need to send our criminal records?
Also, with the I-129F do we need to send medical check-up information?
I’m the non US citizen. Thank you for your help.
Best regards,
Gabriel
Hello Gabriel,
I’m glad my site is helpful to you.
Criminal history is required to be disclosed regardless if you met through an IMB or not.
There is no medical report required as part of your I-129F submission. That’s done later in the K-1 interview stage.
Good luck in your case.
Hi Prem,
So me and my fiance have not looked at wedding venues here in the US, but we have looked at a few in the Dominican Republic (where we also want to have a wedding ceremony for his family). Do you recommend we include that? It’s evidence of our on-going plans to marry, but not here in the US. So, I’m not sure if that’s relevant, helpful, or if it might mislead the USCIS to think we don’t plan on getting married in the US as well. I’m concerned that may hurt, rather than help.
Thanks!
Hi Vanessa,
As you know, you and your fiance must get married in the US within 90 days after arrival into US. You’re not allowed to get married outside the US. I definitely don’t suggest you include any proof of marriage plans outside the US. It will lead them to reject you.
You must get married in the US. But you do have the option to hold small ceremonies in your country. In fact, I wrote an entire article explaining the situation. Read it here:
https://www.visatutor.com/can-k-1-fiance-marry-coming-us/
-Prem
Hello Prem,
My fiance and I have not yet started to plan our wedding, but will be doing so in the months after we send our I-129F form. At this point, we would like to do something simple involving just our families, as he has relatives in the states as well. Do you recommend attaching a document describing an outline of our plans once my fiance’s visa is approved, or should we just send the letter?
Thanks,
Phoebe
Hi Phoebe,
That’s not necessary. You’re not under any obligation to plan your wedding to inform the USCIS of your plans. You can if you want, but it’s not required.
Although, it’s a good addition to your case and will help a bit in terms of proof of relationship.
You’re well eligible if you simply state the facts that you’re going to get married within the required 90 days after arrival into the US. Play it safe and just use the same outline that I’ve provided for the letter of intent to marry. Plain and simple!
-Prem
Hello,
My fiance is from the UK and I am a US citizen. We plan to marry this year in July. We looked into the documents and visa, but he does not intend to stay as we are planning to live in the UK. How can we handle his visit? Does he need the K1 Visa I129? He is only planning to stay two weeks he is back to get things settled for me and go back to work. What can we do to avoid issues?
Kindest regards,
Yvette Hernandez
Hi Yvette,
So, let me know if I understand your question correctly. Your fiance is in the UK and you plan to marry in July. You’re both going to permanently live in the UK after marriage? but you two want to get married in the US?
If so, then a tourist (or ESTA) can be used for marriage purposes granted that the foreigner doesn’t adjust status in the US. In other words, anyone in the world is allowed to get married in the US on a tourist visa. However, they’re not allowed to claim any legal residences afterwards and can’t adjust status for a Green Card. Do you follow?
It’s perfectly legal for your fiance to come to the US on a tourist visa, or ESTA, and marry you here. Then you two can leave the US to live permanently in the UK. Granted your fiance doesn’t overstay his Tourist or ESTA. In this case, he doesn’t need a special visa (fiance, spousal, etc.) to marry you here.
Hope all of this makes sense. Let me know if you have further questions
-Prem
Hello, me and fiancé applied for the K-1 visa. He just recently sent me the letter of intent with his original signature but did not date it. Is that going to be a problem regarding the date ? Or Can I date it ?
Hi Dalia,
I wouldn’t think twice about it. Just put in the date yourself. Get his verbal permission and I think you’ll be set. As long as the signature matches, you should be good to go.
-Prem
My fiancé lives in Colombia. I’m afraid it could take longer than expected for his letter of intent to arrive. Is it best to wait for the original copy or to use a scanned version sent through e-mail?
Hi Clara,
The USCIS typically accepts photocopy of the signed statement. However, I’ve noticed they sometimes don’t follow their own policy. You can decide for yourself
option (1) send in the photocopy of the signed LOI. Then hold on to the originals, in case the USCIS issues an RFE asking for the original; or
option (2) wait until your fiance sends you the original and send that in your I-129F.
What do you think?
-Prem
My fiancé is Dominican and speaks Spanish. For the letter of intent can i write up a letter in Spanish and then another in English and have him sign both? or what is the best way to do this? and if i am not able to get the original of his signature back right away – it is ok just to send the “copy” of the letter in the packet? but have the original for the interview?
Hello Darci,
That’s an interesting question. Here are a few ideas
Option (1) He doesn’t need to speak English in order to sign his name on the LOI. You can draft the statement in English and he can sign it. The language of a signature doesn’t affect your eligibility or paperwork!
Option (2) He can draft a statement in Spanish and then sign it. When he sends that to you, you can translate it. In your I-129F packet, you will submit both documents (the Spanish one and the translated one). It’ll be helpful if the translated has his signature.
You’re allowed to submit copies of a signed statement and it constitutes as an acceptable document. However, I’ve seen the USCIS not be consistent with that policy. Sometimes they send RFEs for copies and other times they accept photocopies signatures. So, my advice is to get the original but if you cannot, then you can send in a copy. Keep the originals as backup in case they request it.
Great question.
-Prem
How can I write letter of intent pls help I need to write it today
Hi,
You can download the template here and insert your own name.
-Prem
I noticed your letter above includes both signatures. I’m questioning it because other websites suggest 2 separate letters for each. I am not sure if that was the old ways and now we can combine 2 letters into 1? I just want to make sure i submit the correct way they are asking. Which one would you suggest based on the 2017 form? and I don’t see anywhere saying if they need a copy or the original letter?
Hi Joulie,
That’s a very good question.
You’re allowed to do it either way. Whether you want to sign it together on the same paper or do it separately on different sheets. It’s absolutely no problem and both ways are accepted by the USCIS. It depends on your preference. The reason I recommend it on one page is to save you the trouble of submitting two different ones. That’s really it.
In theory, the USCIS policy says that they accept copies of signed letter of intents. But, honestly many times they don’t live by their own policy. So, I suggest you submit the original so you don’t risk it. Also, keep a copy for yourself.
-Prem
Prem you said we do not need the receipt from the florist, DJ or caterer and that this letter will be sufficient or do i need some form of evidence that my fiance and I intend to marry with in the 90days of her arrival and if so would I be able to use evidence of our engagement party in her home country as evidence?
Hi Erik,
You do not need to include further proof of “intent to marry” other than the Letter. However, if you have proof/receipts from florists, DJ or caterers, then you may include it for additional support. Although the USCIS says “evidence”, in reality, they expect a letter of intent to marry. Anything else you submit will be additional support.
Hi Prem for the letter of intent it says latest USCIS address is this the USCIS for my local area or a specific one like in California or DC or one of those places?
Hello Erik,
First point: it’s not required to put the address in the LOI. Your letter is part of your petition anyway, so it’ll be sent together. Secondly, if you write the latest USCIS address, it may be the same address that you send your entire packet. I would say, for now, use the lockbox facility’s address in Texas. It really doesn’t have an impact on your paperwork…
-Prem
Thank you I asked cause the letter of intent example you have on your site says it needs a current address for the USCIS
You mentiones that the G325 A form is not required. Are you sure it isn’t required? I’ve seen alot of people use it. Please explain
The G-325A has been eliminated and removed from the requirements to file the I-129F. Instead, the questions are now incorporated into the newer version of the I-129F petition form. This new rule came into effect in June 2017.
What if you don’t plan to have the wedding ceremony right away and just plan to get married. Do you think we would be rejected?
Hi Ed,
That’s not a problem. The main purpose of the evidence of intent to marry is that you intend to get married right away (after arrival into the US). You don’t need to have anything set up or scheduled. It’s perfectly fine to inform the officer that you will get married “as soon as possible”. Also that you didn’t decide on a date because you weren’t sure when the k-1 process would finalize.
Greetings! I submitted my i129f case before the new required form. Do you know where I can find a copy of the old instructions?
I’m worried that I needed to write a letter of intent to marry. My fiance did but I only showed evidence of our upconing wedding receipts. I was very careful. I just want to make sure. Thank you.
Hey,
Yes, the letter of intent to marry was also a requirement in the older form I-129F. You can use the exact same format and question in the I-129F to answer this.
Use the format on this page to draft your letter.
Cheers
-Prem
Hello Prem,
Thank you so much for this site. I am in the process of filing the k1 visa for my fiance and it seems to be taking a toll on me Lol but your site has been helping so far.
I’m in the process of writing the letter of intent to marry and I am stuck as to how I will get my fiance’s signature because he is in his country and I am here in the US, do you think it is safe to write the letter, email it to him to sign and then he scans it back and I sign the document and submit it?
Also, about the G-325A, I know in the instructions it talks about filling out information for both beneficiary and petitioner, is it okay if I sign both the G-325A for the both of us or he would have to sign his too?
Hello Ayomide,
I’m glad you find the website useful. The K-1 takes a toll on everyone, so don’t feel distressed! Let’s see how I can help…
It’s necessary to have both fiances sign the “letter of intent to marry”. There’s no way around it. The requirement is that you have to submit a LOI by both parties, however, that doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be on the same piece of paper. You two can write separate LOI and submit them in the same I-129F package.
Read above about whether or not the signature has to be an original “wet signature” or a copy.
The G-325A HAS to be the original “wet signature”. No question about it. The G-325A is no longer required for the I-129F.
email me if you need further help pkumar@visatutor.com
-Prem