kay2
New Member

Does "married filing jointly" require a certification to foreigners?

Hi, I got H1B visa in 2016 and my wife got H4 as my spouse. 

She still stays outside of the U.S. but I heard that I can still file a "married filing jointly". Is this correct? She has no income in the country.

In this case, do I need to submit a marriage certification to IRS or should I report the married status somewhere before I file the tax return form?