I-130 Checklist: Package Assembly and Required Documents

A complete Form I-130 package has four things: the signed petition, the correct fee, proof of the petitioner's U.S. citizenship or permanent residence, and proof of the family relationship. Spouse petitions add three more: Form I-130A, passport-style photos, and evidence that the marriage is genuine. USCIS publishes its own "Checklist of Required Initial Evidence" on the Form I-130 page and a shorter one at the end of the form instructions (edition 04/01/24). This guide combines both, adds the agency's package-assembly rules for paper filings, and breaks the documents down by relationship.

USCIS notes that its checklist "does not replace statutory, regulatory, and form instruction requirements," and the same goes for this page. It is general information, not legal advice. Download the form and instructions from uscis.gov/i-130.

The Master I-130 Checklist

Proof of the Petitioner's Status

If you are a U.S. citizen, send a copy of one of these

• Your U.S. birth certificate issued by a civil registrar, vital statistics office or other civil authority.
• Your naturalization certificate or certificate of citizenship.
• Form FS-240, Consular Report of Birth Abroad.
• Your unexpired U.S. passport.
• An original statement from a U.S. consular officer verifying that you are a citizen with a valid passport.

If you are a lawful permanent resident

• A copy of the front and back of your Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551).
• If the card has not arrived yet: copies of your passport biographic page and the page showing admission as a permanent resident, or other evidence of resident status issued by USCIS.

Documents by Relationship

I-130 Documents Checklist for a Spouse

Spouse petitions get the most scrutiny because USCIS must decide whether the marriage is real. The instructions separate what you must send from what you should send.

Required

1. Form I-130, signed by the petitioner.
2. Form I-130A, completed by the spouse beneficiary.
3. Copy of the civil marriage certificate.
4. Copies of divorce decrees, annulments or death certificates for all earlier marriages.
5. Two identical color passport-style photos of the petitioner, and two of the spouse if they are in the United States.
6. Proof of the petitioner's status.
7. The fee.

Photo specifications

• 2 by 2 inches, in color, full face, frontal view, white to off-white background.
• Printed on thin paper with a glossy finish, unmounted and unretouched.
• Head height 1 to 1 3/8 inches from top of hair to bottom of chin; eye height between 1 1/8 and 1 3/8 inches from the bottom of the photo.
• Head bare unless covered for religious reasons.
• Taken within 30 days of filing.
• Name and A-Number, if any, printed lightly on the back in pencil or felt pen.

Bona fide marriage evidence

The instructions say you "should submit one or more" of the following. More is better, and documents created by third parties over time carry more weight than anything the couple produced for the petition.

Couples who have never lived in the same country cannot produce a joint lease, and USCIS knows that. The catch-all category exists for them: flight itineraries and passport stamps from visits, call and message logs, money transfers, and photographs with family at different times all help show an ongoing relationship.

A higher standard, "clear and convincing evidence" of good faith, applies in two cases named in the instructions: you married while your spouse was in removal proceedings, or you are a permanent resident who got your own status through a prior marriage and are filing within five years of becoming a resident.

USCIS also lists what not to send as relationship evidence: graphic photos of childbirth or intimate relations, items with electronic chips or batteries such as musical greeting cards, CDs, DVDs, thumb drives or other non-paper items, and biological samples for DNA.

I-130 Checklist for Parents

• Petitioner must be a U.S. citizen aged 21 or older; include proof of citizenship.
• For a mother: your birth certificate naming her.
• For a father: your birth certificate naming both parents and your parents' marriage certificate, plus proof that any earlier marriages ended.
• For a stepparent: the marriage certificate showing the marriage occurred before you turned 18, and your birth certificate.
• Name-change documents if a parent's current name differs from the one on your birth certificate.
• A separate I-130 and fee for each parent. No I-130A and no photos are required.

I-130 Checklist for a Stepchild

• The stepchild's birth certificate.
• Your marriage certificate to the child's natural parent, dated before the child's 18th birthday.
• Proof that prior marriages of you and the natural parent ended.
• A copy of the receipt notice for the I-130 you filed for your spouse, which USCIS asks citizens to include when filing for each child.

When a Document Does Not Exist

If a required civil record is unavailable, the instructions call for a statement from the appropriate civil authority certifying that it is not available, plus secondary evidence:

• Religious record: a document under the seal of the religious organization showing a baptism or comparable rite within two months of birth, with the date and place of birth and the parents' names.
• School record: a letter from the school, preferably the first one attended, showing the admission date, the child's date and place of birth and the parents' names.
• Census record: state or federal census records showing name, place and date of birth or age.
• Written statements: if none of those exist, two or more statements from people with personal knowledge of the event, each including the writer's full name, address, date and place of birth, how they know, and a declaration under penalty of perjury.
• DNA testing for parent-child relationships only, voluntarily, when other evidence is inconclusive, and only from a laboratory accredited by the AABB.

The State Department's Reciprocity and Civil Documents pages list which records each country issues and which are considered unavailable.

Translations and Copies

• Every foreign-language document needs a full English translation. The translator signs a certification that the translation is complete and accurate and that they are competent to translate, with printed name, signature, date and contact information. USCIS does not require a notary or a professional agency.
• Send legible photocopies. USCIS warns that originals sent without being requested may be destroyed.
• USCIS may ask for an original at any time and returns requested originals when it no longer needs them.

I-130 Package Assembly for Paper Filing

USCIS's Tips for Filing Forms by Mail page recommends this order, top to bottom:

1. Payment form: Form G-1450 (card) or Form G-1650 (ACH), or Form G-1651 with a paper payment if you qualify for the exemption.
2. Form G-1145, if you want a text or email when the lockbox accepts the package.
3. Form G-28, if a lawyer or accredited representative is appearing.
4. Form I-130.
5. Form I-130A, for spouse petitions.
6. Supporting documents, in a logical order: petitioner's status, relationship documents, name-change records, marriage evidence, translations stapled behind each original-language copy.

The agency's formatting rules:

• Single-sided, standard 8½ by 11 inch pages.
• Black ink if handwritten; if typed, USCIS suggests Courier New, size 10, bold.
• No highlighter, correction fluid or correction tape. If you make a mistake, start a clean page.
• No binders, folders that cannot be easily taken apart, heavy-duty staples, photo albums or scrapbooks.
• Write your name at the top of pages holding photos, or on the back of loose photos. A common practice is to put the passport photos in a small envelope or clear bag attached to the form so they are not lost.
• You may number the supporting pages ("page 1 of 11").
• Do not print an online-account form and mail it; USCIS rejects those.
• Use the full address including the "Attn: I-130" line. Filing locations changed on October 7, 2026; the current Phoenix and Chicago addresses are in the Form I-130 guide.

A cover letter is optional. USCIS does not require one, but its mail tips mention marking the envelope and cover letter with the form number and type of submission, and a one-page list of contents helps the person who opens the envelope. Keep a complete copy of everything you send, and the courier tracking number.

Filing several petitions together

Related petitions, such as a spouse and that spouse's children, can share an envelope. Separate each case clearly, give each its own payment form, and write names and dates of birth identically across forms. USCIS warns that with a single combined payment, a defect in one petition forces it to reject all of them.

Checklist for Online Filing

• Create or sign in to a USCIS online account in the petitioner's name.
• Scan documents in color where it matters, upright, one document per file, with clear file names.
• Upload the completed Form I-130A for a spouse.
• Upload translations in the same file as the document they translate.
• Pay $625 through Pay.gov and download the receipt notice.
• Keep the paper originals; USCIS can ask to see them.

If You Are Filing the I-130 With an I-485

For an immediate relative already in the United States who is eligible to adjust status, the petition can travel with the green card application. The combined package commonly includes Form I-485 (edition 09/18/26) with its fee, Form I-864 with the sponsor's tax and income evidence, Form I-693 in the civil surgeon's sealed envelope, the applicant's birth certificate, passport and proof of lawful entry, and optionally Forms I-765 and I-131. That package goes to the address on USCIS's lockbox chart for family-based forms, not the standalone I-130 address. See what happens after I-130 is approved for how the two routes differ.

Final Pre-Filing Check

• Did you answer each question on Form I-130?
• Did you sign and date the petition?
• Is the fee correct for each petition?
• Did you include proof of your citizenship or permanent residence?
• Did you include the relationship documents for this specific relative?
• For a spouse: two photos of each of you as required, and the Form I-130A?
• Did you mark exactly one of Items 61 and 62 in Part 4?
• Is every foreign document translated and certified?
• Is every page from the 04/01/24 edition?

A complete first filing is the one thing fully in your control when it comes to timing; a request for evidence can add months. Current waits are in I-130 processing time, and what the online status messages mean is in I-130 case status.