Marrying across the Atlantic? The K-1 fiancé visa, handled start to finish.
You're an American. Your fiancé(e) is Czech. The K-1 visa is how you start your married life in the United States — and the process is paperwork-heavy, slow, and unforgiving of mistakes. I'm a US immigration attorney based in Prague, and I handle the whole thing for a flat $2,250. The first conversation is free.
Book your free 15-minute consult
Tell me where you are in the process — I'll reply within one business day with honest next steps and times for a video call. Free, confidential, no obligation.
- Free 15-min video call
- Flat fee, in writing
- Answer within 1 business day
- One flat fee — $2,250, in writing, no hourly billing
- US attorney based in Prague — your time zone, your embassy
- Interview happens at the US Embassy in Prague
Admitted: U.S. Supreme Court · 8th Circuit · Arkansas · New Mexico
Is the K-1 right for you?
The K-1 is for engaged couples where one partner is a US citizen — it lets your fiancé(e) enter the US to marry you within 90 days, then apply for a green card without leaving. Here's who I help:
US citizen + Czech or Slovak fiancé(e)
The classic case. You're engaged, you've met in person within the last two years, and you want to build your life in the States. The K-1 is usually the fastest honest path.
Americans living in Czechia
You met here, you live here — and now you're moving back together. I handle the special wrinkles expat petitioners face, especially proving US income or lining up a joint sponsor for the support requirement.
Long-distance couples
One of you in the US, one in Czechia. I keep the petition moving, prep you both for the Prague interview by video, and make sure the evidence of your relationship is airtight.
Already married?
Then the K-1 is the wrong tool — you need a CR-1 spouse visa instead. I handle those too, and I'll tell you honestly in the free consult which route is faster and cheaper for your situation.
How the K-1 process actually works
Five stages, roughly 12–18 months end to end at current government processing speeds (verified July 2026 — times change; we track them so you don't have to).
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1
We file the I-129F petition
The formal petition proving your relationship is real: forms, evidence of meeting in person, statements of intent to marry. Filed with USCIS. This is where most DIY cases go wrong — and where we make yours bulletproof.
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2
USCIS review
Currently around 7–12 months. If USCIS asks questions (an RFE), one response is included in the flat fee. You'll get status updates — you'll never wonder where your case is.
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3
NVC → US Embassy in Prague
After approval, the case routes through the National Visa Center to the US Embassy at Tržiště 15, Prague. Your fiancé(e) completes the DS-160, does the medical exam with an embassy-accredited doctor here in Czechia, and we prepare the full consular package.
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4
The Prague interview
We do a full interview-prep session by video before the big day. Most well-prepared K-1 interviews at the Prague embassy are short and uneventful — that's the goal.
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5
US entry, wedding, green card
Visa in the passport → your fiancé(e) enters the US → you marry within 90 days → they apply for the green card (adjustment of status) without leaving the country. I offer that as a separate $2,000 package when you're ready.
Transparent pricing. One flat fee.
You'll never see an hourly bill. The fee is in writing before you pay anything.
Attorney fee — $2,250 flat
- Full case strategy + eligibility review
- Complete I-129F petition, prepared and filed
- Relationship-evidence package built with you
- One RFE response included, if USCIS asks questions
- NVC stage handled
- DS-160 + full Prague consular package
- Interview-prep session by video
Government & third-party fees (paid directly, not to me)
- I-129F filing fee: $675 paper / $625 online (USCIS, July 2026)
- DS-160 K-visa application fee: $265 (US Dept. of State, July 2026)
- Medical exam with a Prague-accredited physician: typically $200–400
- Document translations & certified copies: varies by case
After the wedding: green card package — $2,000
Adjustment of status (I-485, work permit, travel permit, support affidavit) once you're married and settled in the US. A separate engagement, when you're ready — no pressure, no bundling.
Payment plans available. Government fees are set by the US government and change periodically — amounts above verified July 2026.
A US lawyer who actually lives here.
I'm Asa King — a US attorney licensed in Arkansas and New Mexico, admitted before the US Supreme Court and the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. I practice US federal immigration law, which a US attorney may practice from anywhere in the world — and I do it from Prague.
That matters for you: I'm in your time zone, I know the Prague embassy process, and your fiancé(e) can meet with me by video in the evening without waking up a lawyer in Chicago. Every case is handled personally — no case mills, no handoffs.
Asa King practices exclusively US federal immigration law through his US office. He is not a Czech advokát, is not a member of the Czech Bar Association (ČAK), and does not advise on Czech law. All consultations are by video.
Admitted: U.S. Supreme Court · 8th Circuit · Arkansas · New Mexico
K-1 questions, straight answers
How long does the K-1 visa take for a Czech fiancé(e) right now?
Roughly 12–18 months end to end as of July 2026: about 7–12 months for USCIS to approve the I-129F petition, 1–2 months at the National Visa Center, then scheduling, the medical exam, and the interview at the US Embassy in Prague. A clean, complete petition is the single biggest thing you can do to avoid adding months — requests for evidence (RFEs) are the most common cause of delay.
What does the whole K-1 process cost, all-in?
With me: $2,250 flat attorney fee, plus government and third-party fees you pay directly — the $675 I-129F filing fee ($625 if filed online), the $265 DS-160 visa application fee, a medical exam with a Prague-accredited doctor (typically $200–400), and any document translations. Realistic all-in total: roughly $3,500–4,000. All government amounts verified July 2026; they change periodically.
I'm an American living in Prague — does my Czech income count for the financial requirement?
This is the classic expat-petitioner trap. For the green-card stage you must show income of at least 125% of the US poverty guideline — and foreign income generally does NOT count unless it will continue from the same source after you move to the US. Remote US-source income usually works; a Czech employer's salary usually doesn't. The fix is often a joint sponsor (a US-based family member or friend who meets the requirement). This is exactly the kind of thing we solve in the free consult before it becomes a problem.
Where does the visa interview happen?
At the US Embassy in Prague — Tržiště 15, Malá Strana. Czech applicants do not travel to another country for the K-1 interview. The medical exam is also done in Czechia, with a physician accredited by the embassy. We prepare the full consular package and do an interview-prep session by video beforehand.
Does my Czech fiancé(e) need a police certificate?
Yes — an extract from the Czech criminal register (výpis z evidence Rejstříku trestů), which takes minutes to obtain at any CzechPOINT counter (post offices, city halls) for a small fee. If your fiancé(e) has lived in other countries for more than a year since age 16, police certificates from those countries are typically needed too. We build the exact document checklist for your case.
What does 'marry within 90 days' actually mean?
The K-1 requires you to legally marry within 90 days of your fiancé(e) entering the US. It doesn't have to be the big wedding — a simple courthouse marriage satisfies the requirement, and many couples do the celebration later. The 90 days cannot be extended, and the K-1 can't be used to marry someone else. If you don't marry, your fiancé(e) must leave the US.
Can my fiancé(e) work or travel after arriving on the K-1?
Not immediately. Work requires an employment authorization document (EAD), and leaving the US before the green card process is underway generally requires advance parole — otherwise the case is abandoned. Both are applied for with the adjustment of status after the wedding, and both typically take several months. Plan for a stretch where your new spouse can't work or easily travel — we'll map the realistic timeline in your consult.
We haven't seen each other in a while — is that a problem?
The law requires that you've met in person at least once within the two years before filing the I-129F. Photos together, boarding passes, passport stamps, and hotel bookings are the classic evidence. If your last in-person meeting is approaching the two-year mark, file sooner rather than later — or plan a documented visit first.
Would it be better to just get married in Czechia and do a spouse visa instead?
Sometimes, honestly, yes. The CR-1 spouse visa takes longer before entry but your spouse lands in the US with a green card already in hand — no work-permit gap, no second government fee round. The K-1 gets you together in the US sooner but with the adjustment-of-status stage still ahead. Which is better depends on where you want to be during the wait and your budget. I'll give you a straight comparison in the free consult — I have no stake in which one you pick.
What happens after the wedding — the green card?
Within the 90-day window you marry, then file the adjustment-of-status package: the I-485 green card application, plus typically the I-765 work permit, I-131 travel permit, and I-864 affidavit of support. That's my separate $2,000 flat-fee package. The first green card is conditional (2 years) if the marriage is under two years old at approval; we remove conditions with the I-751 later.
Can my fiancé(e)'s children come too?
Yes — unmarried children under 21 can get K-2 visas as derivatives on the same petition, enter with (or after) the K-1 parent, and adjust status alongside them. Tell me about the kids in the consult; it changes some of the paperwork but is very routine.