How do I pay the I-130 fee in Sweden?

[mansux 9]

Hi! I hope someone can help us. My husband is American, I'm Swedish. We got married in Texas in 2010 and my husband has been living with me in Sweden since 2011. He wants to move back home so we have filled out the I-130 form but how on earth do we pay the fee? I've talked to three banks and none if them has money orders. They say they can do an international bank draft but I need the following information: Company name and address, Bic/iban/swift and a nine digit routing or fedwire number. We could ask my mother in law in Texas to help us with the money order but I would like to pay from it from over here if possible so we can send everything at once as soon as possible. How did you pay the fee? Thank you bunches!!

[p1nkmamba 18]

If it is like the I-129F it needs to be a personal check or cashier's check. You will probably need your MIL's help.

Edited July 23, 2015 by p1nkmamba

[GYnot 8]

The easiest and probably fastest, but not least expensive, is to use Western Union. They should probably be able to help you in one of two ways. They might be able to generate a money order. Or if not, you can use them to wire the money to your US relative and ask them to get you a money order which can then be sent to you in Sweden and included in your package.

[arken 4,197]

Really!!! Did they misunderstand the bank draft? they might have thought of electronic transfer (which is also a bank draft) that's why they asked for swift or routing number. Don't they know the bank draft is also a check with money already on it. In our country we give cash to the bank at the counter and the bank gives the international bank draft in US $ payable to our choice of the name of the US institutions. did you ask they don't take cash to give you the bank draft??? Otherwise have your mother in law make a money order and mail that to you.

Edited July 23, 2015 by arken

[mansux 9]

I talked to western union and they couldn't help me with the money order. I talked to three different banks an I guess everyone misunderstood me because all of them wanted the bic/iban and so on... I have emailed both the US embassy in Stockholm and the USCIS office in London and hopefully they can help. My mother in law is calling the USCIS customer service in the US tomorrow to see if she can find out something. If not she is helping us with the money order ?

[themoldy1 1]

Text from the I-130 instructions:

"The check or money order must be drawn on a bank or other financial institution located in the United States and must be payable in U.S. currency..."

I think the safest bet is for your mother-in-law to mail you a personal check payable to Homeland Security (see the I-130 instructions for the exact name requirement), then you send that in with your I-130 application.

I just paid the Green Card fee (the final payment in this whole process?!?) and via the USCIS ELIS system, and was able to pay by (Swedish-registered) credit card. But for all bank transfers they were very clear funds had to be drawn on a US bank.

Good luck.

[mallafri76 1,012]

Yeah, checks are not used in Sweden so if you want one, you have to REALLY explain exactly what it is you need because Swedish banks assume that the whole world runs electronically nowadays. I had the same issue when I needed one for my British police cert. The bank lady asked me like five times if I was sure it was a check I wanted and not just a bank transfer. I was like "no, it really is a check". Either way, for the I-130 fee, the check or banker's draft needs to be drawn from a US bank so your best bet is probably for your mother-in-law to do it for you. Once you're at NVC, you can pay the fees through bank transfer. Not sure if that too have to be from an American bank or if you can use the Swedish bank account then?!

But hey, come on over to us in the Scandinavian thread:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/185-scandinavians/page-163

[themoldy1 1]

Once you're at NVC, you can pay the fees through bank transfer. Not sure if that too have to be from an American bank or if you can use the Swedish bank account then?!

The fee for the visa ($365) is paid at the Embassy as part of the interview, so you can use a Swedish credit card. The fee for the Green Card ($165) is paid online through ELIS - I did this last night and used the same Swedish credit card which seemed to go through fine.

[Brewlin 52]

I had my MIL pay the fees by sending a personal check to them, never included checks in any packet. Good luck!

Edited July 23, 2015 by Brewlin

[Ryan H 3,812]

Hi! I hope someone can help us. My husband is American, I'm Swedish. We got married in Texas in 2010 and my husband has been living with me in Sweden since 2011. He wants to move back home so we have filled out the I-130 form but how on earth do we pay the fee? I've talked to three banks and none if them has money orders. They say they can do an international bank draft but I need the following information: Company name and address, Bic/iban/swift and a nine digit routing or fedwire number. We could ask my mother in law in Texas to help us with the money order but I would like to pay from it from over here if possible so we can send everything at once as soon as possible. How did you pay the fee? Thank you bunches!!

Probably better to just have your MIL assist you with that. She can be reimbursed by you later.

If it is like the I-129F it needs to be a personal check or cashier's check. You will probably need your MIL's help.

For the OP's case, the I-130 needs to be filed, not the I-129F.

[mansux 9]

Thank you everyone for your help!! I talked to the bank again and tomorrow I will be getting an international bank draft, it's a check I can send with the rest of the paperwork. It will be addressed to U.S. department of homeland security and the fee is $420. The embassy in Stockholm does not help out with the fees. Unless I could have done this my mother in law would have sent us a money order from the US