Marriage Green Card Document Checklist: Forms, Proof, and Sponsorship

A marriage-based green card filing is a document-heavy application, and the checklist for a marriage green card breaks into six groups: identity and status records for both spouses, proof that any earlier marriages ended, evidence that your marriage is genuine, financial sponsorship paperwork, a sealed medical exam, and the USCIS forms themselves. What you file depends on whether the foreign-born spouse is already in the United States (adjustment of status) or applying from abroad (consular processing), so confirm your path before you start gathering.¹

Identity and Status Documents for Both Spouses

Every filing starts with proof of who each spouse is and what immigration status the sponsor holds. Gather the following:

Certified copies of the birth certificates for both the petitioner (sponsoring spouse) and the beneficiary (foreign-born spouse).
A government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license, for the U.S. citizen or green card holder spouse.
A copy of the foreign-born spouse’s current, unexpired passport, including the biographical data page and any pages with U.S. visa or entry and exit stamps.
Proof of the petitioner’s status: a copy of their U.S. passport, birth certificate, naturalization certificate, or green card.
Your marriage certificate.

Proof That Every Prior Marriage Ended

If either spouse was married before, include certified proof that each earlier marriage legally ended: a final divorce decree, an annulment judgment, or a death certificate for the former spouse. USCIS will not recognize your current marriage if a prior one appears still to be in force, and this is a common stumbling point when a foreign divorce followed procedures different from a U.S. divorce.

Translations of Foreign-Language Documents

Any document not in English must be submitted with a complete, certified English translation. Federal regulation requires the translator to sign a statement certifying that the translation is accurate and complete and that they are competent to translate from the original language into English; the certification must carry the translator’s signature, printed name, and contact information.² A professional service is not required. A bilingual friend or relative can translate as long as they are not the applicant and they sign the required certification.

Evidence That Your Marriage Is Real

This is the section where couples most often underdocument, and it is often the difference between a smooth approval and a difficult interview. USCIS wants to see that the marriage was not entered into to evade immigration law.³ The stronger the evidence, the stronger the case.

Financial Evidence

Joint finances are among the strongest indicators of a shared life. Submit whatever you have:

Several months of joint bank account statements showing both names and regular use by both spouses.
Joint credit card statements with recent charges.
Joint tax returns, if you filed as “married filing jointly.”
Health, auto, or life insurance policies where one spouse is listed as the other’s beneficiary or dependent.

Shared Household Evidence

Proof that you live together carries significant weight. A residential lease with both names, a mortgage or deed showing joint ownership, or utility bills addressed to both spouses at the same address all work. If only one spouse’s name appears on the lease, supplement with mail or bills addressed to the other spouse at that same address.

Personal Evidence

Photographs and personal records fill in the story. Include photos from your wedding, holidays, trips, and everyday life. Travel records such as boarding passes, hotel receipts, and itineraries from trips together add concrete detail. Affidavits from friends or family members are also useful. Each affidavit should describe how the person knows both of you, how long they have observed the relationship, and specific examples of your life together, and it should be signed under penalty of perjury.

Financial Sponsorship Documents

The petitioning spouse must show they can financially support the immigrant spouse. That commitment is made on Form I-864, Affidavit of Support, which is a legally binding contract between the sponsor and the U.S. government.⁴ The obligation runs until the sponsored spouse becomes a U.S. citizen, earns 40 qualifying quarters of work, permanently leaves the country, or dies.

Income Threshold and What to Send

The sponsor’s income must reach at least 125 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines for their household size. Active-duty military members sponsoring a spouse or child qualify at 100 percent instead.⁵ For 2026, the 125 percent threshold for a household of two (the sponsor plus the immigrant spouse) is $27,050 in the 48 contiguous states, with higher figures for Alaska and Hawaii and higher thresholds as household size grows.⁶

To document income, include:

A copy of your most recent federal tax return (Form 1040) with all W-2s, 1099s, and schedules.
Pay stubs from the most recent six months.
An employment letter confirming position, salary, and start date, which helps if the tax return alone is borderline.

You can also submit returns from the two prior tax years if they show an upward trend or a consistent earnings history.

Joint Sponsors and Assets When Income Falls Short

If the petitioner’s income does not meet the threshold, a joint sponsor can file a separate Form I-864. A joint sponsor must be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, at least 18, domiciled in the United States, and independently able to meet the 125 percent income requirement for the combined household they take responsibility for. They do not have to be related to either spouse.⁵ Assets such as savings, stocks, and real estate can supplement income. The general rule is that countable assets must equal at least three times the gap between actual income and the required threshold, or five times that gap for the spouse of a U.S. citizen filing from abroad.

The Medical Examination

Every applicant must complete a medical exam.⁷ For adjustment of status, a USCIS-designated civil surgeon performs it. For consular processing, a panel physician at the U.S. embassy abroad handles it.

The civil surgeon reviews medical history, does a physical, checks vaccination records, and orders any needed lab tests. You must be current on vaccinations against mumps, measles, rubella, polio, tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, hepatitis B, and haemophilus influenzae type B, along with other vaccines recommended by the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices.⁸ Bring any vaccination records you already have so the civil surgeon only gives you what you are missing.

Results are recorded on Form I-693, which the civil surgeon must hand to you in a sealed envelope. Do not open it. USCIS will reject the form if the envelope has been tampered with.⁹ Under current policy, an I-693 signed by a civil surgeon is valid only while the associated application is pending; if that application is denied or withdrawn, the I-693 is no longer valid and any future filing needs a new exam.¹⁰ You can find designated civil surgeons through the USCIS website by zip code. Fees vary because USCIS does not set a standard price.

The USCIS Forms

Which forms you file depends on your path. Download every form directly from uscis.gov to make sure you have the current edition; an outdated version will get the package rejected.

Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, filed by the sponsoring spouse to establish the qualifying family relationship. It asks for names, addresses, and employment history for the past five years.¹¹
Form I-130A, Supplemental Information for Spouse Beneficiary, completed and signed by the foreign-born spouse.³
Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence, filed by the foreign-born spouse if adjusting status inside the United States. Spouses of U.S. citizens can file this concurrently with the I-130.¹²
Form I-864, Affidavit of Support, the sponsor’s binding financial commitment.⁴
Form I-693, Medical Examination, submitted in the sealed envelope.
Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, if the foreign-born spouse wants to work while the I-485 is pending. The eligibility category for adjustment applicants is (c)(9).¹³
Form I-131, Application for Travel Document, if the foreign-born spouse plans to leave the United States while the case is pending.¹⁴

For consular processing, the foreign-born spouse does not file I-485, I-765, or I-131. After USCIS approves the I-130, the National Visa Center collects the DS-260 immigrant visa application and a $325 immigrant visa processing fee.¹⁵

USCIS charges separate fees for the I-130, I-485, and other forms, and the total depends on which forms you file. Use the fee calculator on uscis.gov before you send anything. Pay the wrong amount and the whole package comes back.¹⁶

Requesting a Social Security Number on the I-485

The I-485 has a section that lets the foreign-born spouse request a Social Security number and card through USCIS, skipping a separate trip to SSA. If the green card is approved, SSA mails the card to the address on the application, typically within 14 days of receiving the green card.¹⁷ Complete every field. Missing information stops SSA from processing the request.

Interim Documents While You Wait

For adjustment of status filings, the wait between submitting the application and receiving the green card can run well over a year. Two interim documents cover that period.

Form I-765 produces an Employment Authorization Document, which allows the foreign-born spouse to work legally while the I-485 is pending.¹³ Many couples file it with the I-485. The foreign-born spouse cannot start work until USCIS actually approves the I-765 and issues the card.

Form I-131 requests advance parole for international travel. This is where people make expensive mistakes. If the foreign-born spouse leaves the United States without an approved advance parole document while the I-485 is pending, USCIS will generally treat the application as abandoned, and the entire process starts over.¹⁸ File the I-131 alongside the I-485 if there is any chance of international travel before the green card is approved. Even with advance parole in hand, travel during the case carries risks, including missing a request for evidence or an interview notice.

What Happens After You File

Once the package is accepted, USCIS sends a Form I-797C, Notice of Action, with a unique receipt number for checking case status online.¹⁹ Next comes a biometrics appointment, where the foreign-born spouse provides fingerprints and a photograph for background checks.

For marriage-based cases, USCIS then schedules an in-person interview at a local field office, and both spouses are generally required to attend.²⁰ Bring originals of every document you submitted as a copy, and bring any new evidence of the relationship that has accumulated since filing: updated joint bank statements, new photos, and recent joint bills.

Plan for a Conditional Green Card if Your Marriage Is Under Two Years

If your marriage is less than two years old on the day USCIS approves the green card, the foreign-born spouse receives a conditional green card valid for two years rather than ten.²¹ This is a blanket rule, not a comment on the couple.

To convert it to permanent status, the couple jointly files Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, in the 90-day window immediately before the conditional card expires.²² Filing too early can lead to rejection. Missing the window is far worse: the foreign-born spouse loses permanent resident status and becomes removable.²³ If the couple has divorced or the foreign-born spouse experienced abuse, they can request a waiver of the joint filing requirement and file Form I-751 individually before the conditional card expires. The I-751 requires its own evidence that the marriage was entered in good faith, so keep the same kinds of documents (joint accounts, shared lease and bills, photos, travel records) accumulating after the green card is approved.

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Adjustment of Status
2
eCFR. 8 CFR 103.2 – Submission and Adjudication of Benefit Requests
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative
4
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-864, Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the INA
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the INA
6
HHS ASPE. 2026 Poverty Guidelines
7
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Vaccination Requirements
9
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record
10
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Changes Validity Period for Any Form I-693
11
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-130, Petition for Alien Relative
12
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Concurrent Filing of Form I-485
13
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-765 Instructions
14
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-131, Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records
15
U.S. Department of State. Fees for Visa Services
16
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Filing Fees
17
Social Security Administration. Apply For Your Social Security Number While Applying For Your Work Permit and/or Lawful Permanent Residency
18
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. While Your Green Card Application Is Pending with USCIS
19
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-797C, Notice of Action
20
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 7 Part A Chapter 5 – Interview Guidelines
21
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Removing Conditions on Permanent Residence Based on Marriage
22
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence
23
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Conditional Permanent Residence