{
  "slug": "fiance-visa-cost",
  "title": "K-1 Fiancé Visa Cost Calculator",
  "heading": "K-1 Fiancé Visa Cost Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/fiance-visa-cost",
  "summary": "Total the I-129F petition, consular fee, medical exam, and adjustment of status costs.",
  "description": "The K-1 fiancé visa path has costs at two separate stages. First, the I-129F petition costs $675 filed with USCIS while the couple is still abroad and unmarried. After approval, the fiancé pays the DS-160 nonimmigrant visa application fee ($265) plus their own medical exam ($200-$500 depending on country). Once the fiancé enters the US and marries within the required 90 days, adjusting status to a green card requires a separate I-485 application (currently $1,440 combined with biometrics), plus another medical exam since the K-1 medical typically expires. This calculator adds petition, visa, two medical exams, and adjustment of status into one lifetime total, since couples are often surprised the K-1 fee isn't the end of the spending, it's roughly the halfway point.",
  "formula": "Total = I-129F fee + DS-160 fee + medical exam (abroad) + I-485 fee + medical exam (US) + misc.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=fiance-visa-cost",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "petitionFee",
      "label": "I-129F petition fee",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 675,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "visaFee",
      "label": "DS-160 visa application fee",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 265,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "medicalAbroad",
      "label": "Medical exam abroad",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 250,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "i485Fee",
      "label": "I-485 adjustment of status fee",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 1440,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "medicalUS",
      "label": "Medical exam in US (for I-485)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 350,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "misc",
      "label": "Wedding, travel, translations, misc",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 1000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "total",
      "label": "Total lifetime cost",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "beforeArrival",
      "label": "Cost before fiancé arrives",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "afterMarriage",
      "label": "Cost after marriage (green card stage)",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "I-129F petition fee: 675 $",
      "DS-160 visa application fee: 265 $",
      "Medical exam abroad: 250 $",
      "I-485 adjustment of status fee: 1440 $",
      "Medical exam in US (for I-485): 350 $",
      "Wedding, travel, translations, misc: 1000 $"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Total lifetime cost: $3,980",
      "Cost before fiancé arrives: $1,190",
      "Cost after marriage (green card stage): $2,790"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter i-129f petition fee ($).",
      "Enter ds-160 visa application fee ($).",
      "Enter medical exam abroad ($).",
      "Enter i-485 adjustment of status fee ($).",
      "Enter medical exam in us (for i-485) ($).",
      "Enter wedding, travel, translations, misc ($).",
      "Read your total lifetime cost on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "petitionFee": 405,
        "visaFee": 160,
        "medicalAbroad": 150,
        "i485Fee": 860,
        "medicalUS": 210,
        "misc": 600
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "petitionFee": 675,
        "visaFee": 265,
        "medicalAbroad": 250,
        "i485Fee": 1440,
        "medicalUS": 350,
        "misc": 1000
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "petitionFee": 1080,
        "visaFee": 425,
        "medicalAbroad": 400,
        "i485Fee": 2300,
        "medicalUS": 560,
        "misc": 1600
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "Do we have to get a green card after the K-1?",
      "a": "Not legally required, but if the fiancé doesn't adjust status, they must leave the US when their 90-day K-1 status expires. Almost everyone who uses a K-1 visa continues to adjustment of status because that's the entire point of the category."
    },
    {
      "q": "What happens if we don't marry within 90 days?",
      "a": "The fiancé falls out of status and must leave the country; there's no extension available for the 90-day window. If the relationship ends, the fiancé has no path to stay based on that petition and typically must depart."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is K-1 faster than a spousal visa (CR-1/IR-1)?",
      "a": "Sometimes, but the two-stage cost and two medical exams often make K-1 similarly priced or more expensive than marrying abroad first and filing a spousal petition directly, which needs only one adjustment process. K-1 makes sense mainly when you want the wedding to happen in the US."
    },
    {
      "q": "Can children come on a K-1 too?",
      "a": "Yes, via the K-2 visa for unmarried children under 21, each requiring their own $75 K-2 application processing and eventually their own I-485 if they adjust status, adding a proportional amount to the total above per child."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/green-card-sponsorship-cost",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/visa-application-cost",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/citizenship-income-requirement"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — K-1 Fiancé Visa Cost Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/fiance-visa-cost)"
}