Fiance(e)s of United States citizens can apply for a special visa which will permit them to travel to the United States for the purpose of marrying and residing permanently in America. Applying for a fiance(e) visa takes place in two steps lasting several months. U.S. Forces Japan personnel can obtain fiance(e) petition forms from their base personnel or legal offices. Other U.S. citizens get fiance(e) petition forms by mail from us.

The first step is for the U.S. citizen sponsor to file a Fiance(e) petition (I-129F) with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in the United States. You and your fiance(e) must be free to marry. The sponsor must attach to the I-129F evidence of U.S. citizenship, that they have met each other and that any marriages are terminated, as well as the birth certificates of the fiance(e) and the fiance(e)'s children. Only the USCIS office having jurisdiction over the petitioner's current or last place you lived in the United States can approve a fiance(e) petition. The filing fee for a fiance(e) petition is $110, payable in dollars to USCIS by a money order drawn on an American bank.

The second step of the fiance(e) visa process only starts when the Embassy receives the approved fiance(e) petition through the National Visa Center (NVC) in the U.S. Only then can we send the applicant instructions for the fiance(e) visa. Among the documents the foreign fiance(e) must gather and retain are police clearances from countries where he or she lived for more than six months after reaching the age of sixteen, an affidavit and evidence of financial support from the U.S. sponsor and a medical examination. When all the documents are ready, you can mail to us or come to the Embassy for interview. Please send us DS-1076 to make an appointment. There are varying fees for the police clearances and medical examination. Application fee for a fiance(e) visa is $100 payable only in yen.

A fiance(e) must enter the United States within six months and after entry must marry within three months. Following their marriage the U.S. sponsor and fiance(e) must report to the nearest USCIS office to obtain legal resident status for the fiance(e). If the fiance(e) does not get legal resident status in time, the entire process must be repeated.