Edition 01/20/25Verified May 2026Not a law firm · Not legal advice

Form I-485 · Part 5, Items 1-8

I-485 Information About Your Parents (Part 5, Items 1-8)

What Part 5, Items 1-8 collects about your own parents, and how to handle deceased parents, unknown birth dates, and incomplete foreign records.

Quick answer

On Form I-485 Part 5, you list your own two parents: each parent's legal name, their name at birth (if different), date of birth, and country of birth. "You" here is the immigrant spouse, so these are the immigrant spouse's parents, not the U.S. sponsor's. If a date or detail is genuinely unknown, you enter your best record and note "Unknown" rather than leaving the section empty.

Summary

Form I-485 Part 5 collects basic identity facts about the applicant's parents. On a marriage case the applicant is the immigrant spouse (the person applying for the green card), so Part 5 is about that spouse's mother and father, not the U.S. citizen or green card holder who filed the I-130. Each of the two parents has four fields: legal name (Items 1 and 5), name at birth if it was different, often the case for a mother whose family name changed at marriage (Items 2 and 6), date of birth (Items 3 and 7), and country of birth (Items 4 and 8). The petitioner is the U.S. sponsor; the beneficiary and the applicant are the immigrant spouse. This section is about that spouse's parents.

Whose parents	The applicant's own parents. On a marriage case the applicant is the immigrant spouse, so these are the immigrant spouse's mother and father, not the U.S. sponsor's parents.
What each parent needs	Legal name, name at birth (if different than the legal name), date of birth (mm/dd/yyyy), and country of birth.
Name at birth	The maiden or birth name, used when a parent's current legal name differs from the name they were given at birth. Common for a mother whose family name changed at marriage.
Deceased parent	Still listed. Enter the parent's name and birth details as they were. The form does not ask whether a parent is living.
Unknown details	Enter your best available record. If a date or country is genuinely unknown, write "Unknown" instead of leaving it blank.

Who this page is for

This page covers the standard case: an immigrant spouse listing their own two parents on Form I-485. If your parentage is contested, your birth record is disputed, or you were adopted and need to decide which parents to list, those situations turn on facts this page does not cover, and people in them often consult a licensed immigration attorney.

What Part 5 looks like on the form

Part 5 (Information About Your Parents) gives each of your two parents the same four fields. Items 1-4 are Parent 1; Items 5-8 are Parent 2.

Form I-485, Part 5 (Information About Your Parents) : Items 1 through 8 covering each parent's legal name, name at birth, date of birth, and country of birth, as they appear on edition 01/20/25 — Form I-485, Part 5, Items 1-8. Edition 01/20/25. Source: USCIS.

Verbatim · Part 5 field labels (Form I-485, edition 01/20/25, pages 9-10)
Information About Your Parent 1
1. Parent 1's Legal Name : Family Name (Last Name) · Given Name (First Name) · Middle Name (if applicable)
2. Parent 1's Name at Birth (if different than above) : Family Name · Given Name · Middle Name
3. Date of Birth (mm/dd/yyyy)
4. Country of Birth
Information About Your Parent 2
5. Parent 2's Legal Name : Family Name (Last Name) · Given Name (First Name) · Middle Name (if applicable)
6. Parent 2's Name at Birth (if different than above) : Family Name · Given Name · Middle Name
7. Date of Birth (mm/dd/yyyy)
8. Country of Birth

The I-485 Instructions do not separately walk through Part 5 item by item; the labels printed on the form itself are the controlling guidance. Always complete the current edition from uscis.gov/i-485; USCIS rejects outdated editions.

The four fields each parent needs

Parent 1 uses Items 1-4 and Parent 2 uses Items 5-8, but the four fields are identical for both.

Items	Field	What to enter
1 / 5	Legal Name	The parent's full current legal name: family name, given name, and middle name if they have one.
2 / 6	Name at Birth (if different than above)	The maiden or birth name, only when it differs from the legal name. Leave blank if it is the same.
3 / 7	Date of Birth	mm/dd/yyyy. If the exact day is unknown, see the data-entry section below for handling partial dates.
4 / 8	Country of Birth	The country where the parent was born, using the country's current name where the form expects it.

How to fill it in

Four steps that cover both parents.

Confirm whose parents this is

On a marriage-based I-485 the applicant is the immigrant spouse, so Part 5 is about that spouse's mother and father. The U.S. sponsor's parents do not go here. The U.S. sponsor listed their own parents earlier, on the I-130 petition.

Enter each parent's legal name (Items 1 and 5)

Put the family name, given name, and middle name in the labeled boxes. Match the spelling the parent uses on their own official records where you can, so names stay consistent across the packet.

Add a name at birth only if it differs (Items 2 and 6)

If a parent's current legal name is the same as their birth name, leave Items 2 and 6 blank. Use them when a name changed, most often a mother whose family name changed at marriage, so the birth or maiden name is recorded.

Enter date of birth and country of birth (Items 3, 4, 7, 8)

Use mm/dd/yyyy for the date. For country of birth, name the country as it is known today. If part of a date is unknown, enter what you have and read the partial-records section below before guessing.

Deceased parents, unknown dates, and incomplete records

Many immigrant-spouse applicants have parents born decades ago in places where birth records were informal, were lost, or were never issued. The form still expects an entry for each field, so the goal is an honest best record rather than a blank or an invented one. For a deceased parent, you list the name and birth details exactly as they were; the form does not ask whether a parent is living, and there is no separate "deceased" box. For an unknown exact date of birth, enter your best supported approximation and be ready to explain it; if a date is truly unknown, write "Unknown" rather than leaving the field empty. For a name at birth you cannot confirm, leave Items 2 or 6 blank rather than guessing at a maiden name. Consistency matters: spell each parent's name the same way wherever it appears in your packet, and if your own birth certificate lists a parent's name differently from how you write it here, keep them aligned or be prepared to explain the difference.

Not sure how to enter a parent with incomplete records?

Our software asks plain questions about your parents and fills Part 5 the right way, keeping names consistent with your birth certificate and the rest of your I-485 packet.

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What USCIS does with your parents' information

Part 5 helps USCIS confirm the applicant's identity and lineage. Your parents' names and birth details cross-check against the documents you submit, most often your own birth certificate, which usually names both parents. A parent's name at birth links a mother's maiden name to her later married name, which is how an officer ties your birth record to the rest of your file. Country of birth and date of birth round out the identity picture. None of this is a test of whether your parents are eligible for anything; the section is biographical background about you, gathered through the people you descend from.

Common mistakes

These are the ones that show up most often on this section.

1
Listing the U.S. sponsor's parents
Part 5 asks for the applicant's parents. On a marriage case the applicant is the immigrant spouse, so these are the immigrant spouse's parents. The U.S. sponsor's parents belong on the I-130, not here.
2
Leaving a deceased parent off
A parent who has died is still listed. Enter the name and birth details as they were. There is no box to mark a parent as deceased, and skipping a parent leaves the section incomplete.
3
Inventing a date when the real one is unknown
If you do not know a parent's exact date of birth, do not guess at a precise day to fill the box. Enter your best supported record, and where a detail is genuinely unknown, write "Unknown" so the entry is honest.
4
Filling in name at birth when it is the same
Items 2 and 6 are only for a name at birth that differs from the legal name. If a parent's birth name and current legal name match, leave these blank instead of repeating the legal name.
5
Spelling a parent's name inconsistently
If a parent's name appears one way on your birth certificate and another way here, an officer has to reconcile the two. Keep the spelling consistent across your packet, or be ready to explain the difference.

Related guides

Form and pathway context

Frequently asked questions

Whose parents does I-485 Part 5 ask about on a marriage case?

Your own parents, as the applicant. On a marriage-based case the applicant is the immigrant spouse, so Part 5 covers that spouse's mother and father. The U.S. citizen or green card holder who sponsored you listed their own parents on the I-130, not here.

What is the "name at birth" field for?

It records a parent's maiden or birth name when it differs from their current legal name. The most common case is a mother whose family name changed at marriage. If a parent's birth name and legal name are the same, leave Items 2 and 6 blank.

One of my parents has died. Do I still list them?

Yes. Enter the name and birth details as they were. Form I-485 does not ask whether a parent is living and has no box to mark a parent as deceased, so a deceased parent is listed the same way as a living one.

I do not know my parent's exact date of birth. What do I enter?

Enter your best supported record. If part of the date is uncertain, use what your documents show. If the date is genuinely unknown, write "Unknown" rather than guessing at a precise day or leaving the field empty, and keep any supporting record in case USCIS asks.

My parent's name is spelled differently on my birth certificate. Which spelling do I use?

Keep the spelling consistent across your packet wherever you can. If your birth certificate and this form differ, an officer has to reconcile them, so either align the spellings or be ready to explain the difference if asked.

Key takeaways

✓
Part 5 asks for the applicant's parents. On a marriage case the applicant is the immigrant spouse, so these are that spouse's parents, not the U.S. sponsor's.
✓
Each parent has four fields: legal name, name at birth (if different), date of birth, and country of birth.
✓
Name at birth is the maiden or birth name; use it only when it differs from the legal name, often for a mother whose name changed at marriage.
✓
Deceased parents are still listed; the form does not ask whether a parent is living.
✓
For unknown details, enter your best record or write "Unknown" rather than inventing a date, and keep names consistent across the packet.

This page is for educational purposes only and is not legal advice. Green Card Genius is self-help immigration software, not a law firm, and does not provide legal representation. Immigration law and USCIS policy change frequently. For advice on a specific case, consult a licensed immigration attorney. Form I-485, edition 01/20/25. Last verified May 2026.

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