Family affidavits for I-130 and I-751

Affidavit from a parent or family member for a marriage green card

Last updated 2026-10-01

Parents, siblings and other relatives can write marriage affidavits for I-130 or I-751. Because family members are naturally supportive, their letters carry the most weight when they are concrete: dates of visits, family events, and things the parent personally saw. A parent who lives abroad should sign with the wording for declarations made outside the United States.

Can family members write marriage affidavits?

Yes. The I-130 and I-751 instructions ask for affidavits from people with personal knowledge of the marriage; they do not exclude relatives, and the I-751 instructions specifically ask writers to state their relationship to you or your spouse. Family letters are common and useful — particularly because parents often see the couple at holidays, during visits, and through major life events.

The catch: an officer expects a parent to support their child. A parent’s letter earns its weight through specifics. “My son and his wife love each other very much” adds little; “In December 2024 they hosted our whole family for eight days in their two-bedroom apartment” adds a lot.

What a parent’s affidavit should include

• Full name, full address, date and place of birth, and relationship (for example, “mother of the beneficiary”).
• When and how they first met their child’s spouse.
• Visits, holidays and calls with dates — in either direction.
• Family events the couple attended together: weddings, funerals, births, religious holidays.
• How the spouse has become part of the family.
• Only what they saw or heard directly; second-hand information clearly labeled.
• The correct truthfulness statement for where they sign, a handwritten signature and a date.

Signing abroad: under 28 U.S.C. § 1746, a declaration signed outside the United States uses the words “under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America.” The sample below uses that wording.

Sample affidavit from a mother living abroad

Fictional names and details. The beneficiary’s mother writes in English with her daughter’s help translating. If a parent writes in another language, submit the original with a complete, certified English translation.

What makes a family letter persuasive

• Dated visits in both directions, with how long the parent stayed and what they saw while there.
• Cultural and family integration — learning greetings, attending family events, meeting relatives.
• Restraint. The parent does not claim to know the couple’s finances or argue that USCIS should approve.
• Correct signature wording for a declaration signed outside the U.S.

Mixing family and non-family writers

One family letter alongside one or two from friends, neighbors or coworkers usually reads better than several letters from relatives. If most people who know you well are family, choose the ones who have spent the most time with you as a couple, and make sure each letter describes different events. See the friend affidavit sample for a contrasting voice.