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The following sections will help you learn more about replacing your Green Card.
Lawful Permanent Residents
If you are a lawful permanent resident, you must replace your Green Card if:
Conditional Permanent Residents
If you are a conditional permanent resident, you must replace your Green Card if:
If you are a lawful permanent resident or conditional permanent resident and need to replace your Green Card based on the reasons in the When to Replace Your Green Card section, you may begin the application process for a replacement Green Card by filing Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card, online or by mail. When you file online, you can:
If we approve your application, we will mail you a new Green Card.
If you are applying to renew your Green Card, your Form I-90 receipt notice will say the following and can be used with your expired Green Card as evidence of your lawful permanent resident status:
This notice provides evidence of your lawful permanent resident status for 12 months from the expiration date on your Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card, (also known as a Green Card). You remain authorized to work and travel. This notice, presented with your expired Permanent Resident Card, is evidence of your status and work authorization.
If USCIS already accepted your application to renew your Green Card and you have not yet been issued a biometrics appointment notice, USCIS will mail you a new receipt notice to use with your expired Green Card as temporary evidence of your lawful permanent resident status. If USCIS has issued you a biometrics appointment notice, you will not receive an amended receipt notice, but you will receive an extension sticker at your biometrics appointment.
If you are outside the United States and your Green Card will expire within six months (but you will return within one year of your departure from the United States and before the card expires), you should file Form I-90 as soon as you return to the United States.
If you are a conditional permanent resident and your Green Card is expiring, you must submit Form I-751, Petition to Remove the Conditions on Residence, to apply to remove the conditions on your permanent resident status. For more information, see our Conditional Permanent Residence webpage.
You may check your case status online. Please wait 72 hours after you filed your Form I-90 to check your case status. If you have immigration-related questions, you may call the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283. (For people who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability: TTY 800-767-1833.) You should be prepared to provide the USCIS representative with specific information about your application, such as your name, date of birth, receipt number, and Alien Registration Number (A-Number).
If we deny your application, we will send you a letter explaining why. You cannot appeal a denial. However, you may submit a motion to reopen or a motion to reconsider to the same office that made the unfavorable decision. Doing this allows you to ask the office to reexamine or reconsider its decision.
For more information, see our Appeals and Motions webpage.
If you need advice, see our Finding Legal Services webpage. You may also visit the DOJ Recognition and Accreditation page for a list of organizations that may be able to help you prepare your application.
If you have a previous version of the alien registration card (for example, USCIS Form AR-3, Form AR-103 or Form I-151), you must replace it with a current Green Card.
Section 264 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) states, “Every alien in the United States . . . shall be issued a certificate of alien registration or an alien registration receipt card in such form and manner and at such time as shall be prescribed under regulations . . .”
It also says, “Every alien, eighteen years of age and over, shall at all times carry with him and have in his personal possession any certificate of alien registration or alien registration receipt card issued to him . . .. Any alien who fails to comply with [these provisions] shall be guilty of a misdemeanor…”
The specific requirements and procedures for applying to replace a Green Card are contained in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 8 CFR section 264.5.
