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

Form I-485 · Part 6, Item 3

I-485 How Many Times Have You Been Married (Part 6, Item 3) in 2026

Q: Does the I-485 number of marriages have to match Form I-130?

Yes. The Form I-130 your sponsoring spouse files asks the same marital-history question. The count on your I-485 and the I-130 should be identical so USCIS sees one consistent marital history across the packet.

A count of every legal marriage you have ever entered, including the one you are in now. The form prints the counting rule right inside the question.

Quick answer

Count every legal marriage you have ever entered, including the one you are in now. Add your current marriage (1) to each prior marriage. Annulled marriages count, and if you divorced and later remarried the same person that counts as 2. For most spouses sponsored by a U.S. citizen or green card holder with no prior marriages, the answer is 1.

Summary

Form I-485 Part 6, Item 3 asks how many times you, the immigrant applying for the green card, have been married. The form spells out the counting rule on its face: include your current marriage, marriages abroad, annulled marriages, and marriages to the same person. So you count your current marriage plus every prior legal marriage, with no exceptions for an annulment or for marrying the same person twice. If you are the applicant (the immigrant spouse filing Form I-485) and this is your first and only marriage, enter 1. The number here must match what you report on Form I-130 (the petition your sponsoring spouse files), so the two forms tell USCIS the same marital history.

What it asks	The total number of times you have ever been legally married, including your current marriage. It is a count, not a yes/no.
Most marriage-based cases	1, when your current marriage is your only marriage. First-time spouses sponsored by a U.S. citizen or green card holder enter 1.
Include the current marriage	Yes. The current marriage is one of the times you have been married, so it is always part of the count.
Annulled marriages	Counted. A marriage that was later annulled still counts as a time you were married for this item.
Remarrying the same person	Counts separately. Divorced and then remarried the same spouse = 2, because each marriage is a separate time.
Must match	The same count goes on Form I-130. Keep the I-485 and I-130 numbers identical.

Who this page is for

This page covers the count itself: how to add up the number of times you have been married. The count is a factual number. It does not cover whether a prior marriage legally ended. If a prior marriage ended in a way that is unclear (a foreign divorce, a religious-only divorce, or an annulment), whether it validly ended the marriage can affect your case. Confirm that with a licensed immigration attorney before you file. The supporting divorce, death, or annulment documents are handled separately in your evidence, not on this page.

What Item 3 looks like on the form

Item 3 sits in Part 6 (Information About Your Marital History), right after your current marital status (Item 1). The counting rule is printed inside the question itself.

Form I-485, Part 6 (Information About Your Marital History) : Items 1 through 3, including the number of times married, as they appear on edition 01/20/25 — Form I-485, Part 6, Items 1-3. Edition 01/20/25. Source: USCIS.

Verbatim · Part 6, Item 3 (Form I-485, edition 01/20/25, page 10)
“How many times have you been married (including your current marriage, marriages abroad, annulled marriages, and marriages to the same person)?”

Verbatim · Part 6, Item 1 current marital status (Form I-485, edition 01/20/25, page 10)
“What is your current marital status? Single, Never Married / Married / Divorced / Widowed / Marriage Annulled / Legally Separated”

The four things in the parentheses are the whole rule: include your current marriage, marriages abroad, annulled marriages, and marriages to the same person. The I-485 Instructions do not add a separate walk-through for this item, so the counting language printed on the form is the controlling guidance.

Verbatim · numeric answers (I-485 Instructions, edition 01/20/25, page 5)
“If your answer to a question which requires a numeric response is zero or none ... type or print "None," unless otherwise directed.”

Always complete the current edition downloaded from uscis.gov/i-485; USCIS rejects outdated editions.

How to count the number of times you have been married

Four steps, straight from the rule printed in the question.

Start with your current marriage

Your current marriage is one of the times you have been married, so it is always part of the total. If you are married now and have never been married before, that is 1.

Add every prior legal marriage

Add 1 for each earlier marriage that was legally entered, whether it happened in the United States or abroad. A first prior marriage plus your current marriage is 2.

Count annulled marriages too

The form says to include annulled marriages. A marriage that was later annulled still counts as a time you were married for this item. Do not drop it from the total.

Count a remarriage to the same person as a separate marriage

If you married someone, divorced, and then married that same person again, that is two marriages, not one. The form counts each ceremony as its own marriage even when the spouse is the same.

Stop here if how a prior marriage ended is unclear

Counting the marriage is straightforward: a prior marriage that ended is still counted. What is not a counting question is whether that marriage legally ended. If a prior marriage ended through a foreign divorce, a religious-only divorce, or an annulment, whether it validly ended can affect whether your current marriage is recognized. That turns on facts and law specific to your case, and this page does not analyze it.

Do not guess at the legal effect of how a prior marriage ended. A licensed immigration attorney can review your situation before you file.

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Worked examples

The current marriage is always part of the total. These show how the rule plays out.

Your situation	Number to enter
Married now, never married before	1 (your current marriage)
One prior marriage that ended, now married to your current spouse	2 (prior marriage + current marriage)
A prior marriage that was annulled, now married to your current spouse	2 (the annulled marriage still counts + current marriage)
Married your current spouse, divorced, then remarried the same person	2 (each marriage to the same person counts separately)
Two prior marriages that ended, now married to your current spouse	3 (two prior marriages + current marriage)

Keeping your marital history consistent across the packet matters.

Our software asks plain questions about your marriages and fills the count the same way on Form I-485 and Form I-130, so USCIS sees one consistent history.

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What USCIS does with the number of marriages

USCIS uses the count to know how many marriages to expect documentation for and to cross-check it against the rest of your file. The number here sets up the marriage records the agency will look for, such as divorce decrees, death certificates, or annulment orders for every marriage that ended before your current one. It is also compared against Form I-130, your immigration history, and your interview answers. A count that does not match the supporting records or the I-130 is a common reason USCIS issues a Request for Evidence (an RFE, a notice asking for more documents) or raises questions at the interview, so the figure has to be accurate and consistent across the packet.

Common mistakes

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

1
Leaving out the current marriage
The most frequent error is counting only prior marriages and forgetting the one you are in now. The form is explicit: include your current marriage. A first-and-only marriage is 1, not 0.
2
Dropping an annulled marriage
People assume an annulment means the marriage never legally happened, so they leave it out. For this item the form tells you to count annulled marriages. Include it in the total.
3
Counting a remarriage to the same spouse as one
If you divorced and then remarried the same person, that is two marriages here, not one. The form counts each marriage separately even when the spouse is the same.
4
A count that does not match the I-130
Your sponsoring spouse's Form I-130 asks the same marital-history question. If the I-485 says 2 and the I-130 implies 1, USCIS sees a discrepancy. Use the identical count on both forms.

Related guides

Form and pathway context

Frequently asked questions

Do I count my current marriage in the number?

Yes. Form I-485 Part 6, Item 3 specifically says to include your current marriage. If your current marriage is your only marriage, the answer is 1.

I have never been married. What do I put?

If you are filing and have never been married, your current marital status in Item 1 is "Single, Never Married" and there is no marriage to count. The general I-485 instructions say to enter "None" for a numeric answer that is zero unless directed otherwise.

Does an annulled marriage count?

Yes. The question text tells you to include annulled marriages. A marriage that was later annulled still counts as one of the times you were married for this item. This page explains the count only. Whether a particular annulment was legally valid, and what that means for your case, is a question for a licensed immigration attorney.

I married the same person twice. Is that one marriage or two?

Two. The form says to count marriages to the same person. If you married, divorced, and then remarried the same spouse, each marriage is a separate time, so the count includes both.

Does the number have to match my Form I-130?

Yes. The I-130 your sponsoring spouse files asks the same marital-history question. The count on your I-485 and the I-130 should be identical so USCIS sees one consistent marital history across the packet.

My prior marriage ended with a foreign divorce. Does that change the count?

Not the count itself: a prior marriage that ended is still counted. But whether a foreign divorce, a religious-only divorce, or an annulment legally ended the marriage can affect your eligibility, and that is outside what this page covers. If how your prior marriage ended is unclear, confirm it with a licensed immigration attorney before you file.

Key takeaways

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Item 3 is a count of every legal marriage you have ever entered, including your current one.
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Always include your current marriage: a first-and-only marriage is 1, not 0.
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Annulled marriages count, and a remarriage to the same person counts as a separate marriage.
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Use the identical count on Form I-485 and Form I-130 so your marital history is consistent.
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The count is factual, but whether a foreign divorce, annulment, or religious-only ceremony legally ended a prior marriage is a question for an attorney.

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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