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Visiting a Partner or Fiancé(e) on a B-2 Visa: What Is Allowed
"Can I visit my partner on a tourist visa?" is one of the most common questions from couples in two countries, and the answers online range from "never mention the relationship" to "it's fine". The Foreign Affairs Manual is more specific than either, and it names these situations directly.
Everything below is from 9 FAM 402.2-4(B), 402.2-2 and 402.2-4(B)(5), read on 22 September 2026. What decides every case is still 214(b): you must show a residence abroad you intend to return to. Not legal advice.
The dividing line: do you intend to go back?
For a U.S. citizen's fiancé(e), the manual draws the line at intent to stay:
An applicant proceeding to the United States to marry a U.S. citizen petitioner within 90 days of admission is classifiable as a K-1 nonimmigrant… The fiancé(e) of a U.S. citizen or LPR may, however, be classified as a B-2 visitor if you are satisfied that the fiancé(e) intends to return to a residence abroad soon after the marriage.
So marrying on a B-2 is not in itself prohibited. Marrying in order to stay is the K-1's purpose, or the immigrant route — not a visitor visa's.
Four more reasons the manual names
A B-2 visa may also be issued to an applicant coming to the United States:
- Simply to meet the family of their fiancé(e);
- To become engaged;
- To plan the wedding; or
- To renew a relationship with the prospective spouse.
These are listed as legitimate B-2 purposes. A relationship with someone in the United States is not by itself a reason to refuse; the question remains whether you will leave.
Marrying someone who is in the U.S. on a work or student visa
If your partner holds F, H, J, L, M, O, P or Q status, the manual says you may get a B-2 to go and marry them, provided you have a residence abroad you intend to return to.
If you then do not intend to leave, the manual says you would apply to DHS "soon after the marriage" to change to the derivative status — H-4, F-2, L-2 and so on. But it sets a limit:
Issuance of a B-2 visa is not appropriate if the fiancé(e) intends to remain permanently… even if they would seek to do so by filing an adjustment of status application.
Staying until the end of the partner's temporary status is the scenario the manual contemplates; settling permanently is not.
A spouse married by proxy to a nonimmigrant in the United States is treated the same way: a B-2 to join them, then a change to derivative status after the marriage is consummated.
Unmarried partners of workers and students can stay for years
This is the least-known provision, and the most useful for couples who are not married:
The B-2 classification is appropriate for applicants who are members of the household of another noncitizen in long-term nonimmigrant status, but who are not eligible for derivative status… Such applicants include… cohabitating partners or elderly parents of temporary workers, students…
An unmarried partner cannot get an H-4 or F-2, because those are for spouses and children. The B-2 fills that gap. The manual also covers household members of a U.S. citizen who normally lives abroad and is returning temporarily, and a parent accompanying a minor F-1 student.
The length is not the problem the six-month default suggests:
…the temporariness requirement would be met in a case where the cohabitating partner will accompany, and depart with, the "principal" applicant on a two-year work assignment or a four-year degree program.
For stays longer than six months, the manual tells officers to advise applicants to ask DHS for a one-year stay at the port of entry, then apply to USCIS for extensions of up to six months at a time, for as long as the principal's status lasts. It also suggests annotating the visa with the purpose and length of stay — see what a visa annotation means.
Spouses who could get H-4 or F-2 but cannot easily apply
The same paragraph allows a B-2 for a spouse or child who qualifies for a derivative visa — H-4, L-2, F-2 — "but for whom it may be inconvenient or impossible to apply" for it, provided they keep a residence abroad and otherwise qualify for a B visa. A or G derivatives are excluded.
What does not help
If you doubt an applicant's intent to return abroad, the applicant cannot satisfy your doubts by offering to leave a child, spouse, or other dependent abroad.
And a B-2 visitor cannot work. The manual says the arrangements for paying for the visit must be adequate to prevent unlawful employment — which is where who is paying for the trip comes in.
Be accurate about the relationship
If the relationship is the reason for the trip, it is the purpose of travel. The advice to leave it out collides with the rules on misrepresentation, which is a permanent ground where the officer finds the elements met. Given that the manual lists meeting a fiancé(e)'s family, getting engaged and planning a wedding as legitimate B-2 purposes, concealing them risks a far worse outcome than disclosing them.
Frequently asked questions
Can I visit my boyfriend or girlfriend in the U.S. on a tourist visa?
Yes, if you qualify for a B-2 in the ordinary way — above all, a residence abroad you intend to return to. The manual lists renewing a relationship with a prospective spouse, meeting their family and becoming engaged as permissible purposes.
Can I get married on a B-2 visa?
The manual says a U.S. citizen's or LPR's fiancé(e) may be classified B-2 if they intend to return to a residence abroad soon after the marriage. If the plan is to marry and stay, the K-1 or an immigrant visa is the intended route.
My partner is on an H-1B and we are not married. Can I live with them?
The manual names cohabiting partners of temporary workers and students as appropriate B-2 applicants, and says a stay tied to a two-year assignment or four-year degree can meet the temporariness requirement. You would ask for a one-year stay on entry and extend with USCIS.
My fiancé(e) is on an F-1. Can I come on a B-2 to marry them?
Yes — the manual allows a B-2 to marry someone in F, H, J, L, M, O, P or Q status, if you have a residence abroad you intend to return to. If you then want to remain for the rest of their temporary status, you apply to DHS to change to the derivative status soon after the marriage. A B-2 is not appropriate if you intend to remain permanently.
Should I hide the relationship at the interview?
The manual treats these purposes as legitimate for a B-2, and misrepresentation is a permanent ground of ineligibility. Being accurate about why you are travelling is the safer course.