When Your Green Card Must Be Replaced in United States ?

The sections below will guide you through the procedure of replacing your Green Card.

When should you get a new Green Card?

legal Residents in Good Standing

When you are a legal permanent resident, you must replace your Green Card if: 

• It has expired or will expire in the next six months.
• It was lost, stolen, disfigured, or destroyed.
• You were a traveller and are now taking up actual residence in the United States.
• You acquired your card before you were 14 and have attained your 14th birthday (unless your card expires before your 16th birthday)
• You have been a permanent resident of the United States for a long time and are now commuters.
• Your status has been converted to permanent residence status automatically (this includes specialized agricultural worker applications changing to permanent resident status)
• You have an older form of the immigrant registration card (for example, USCIS Form AR-3, Form AR-103, or Form I-151) that must be replaced with a current Green Card to confirm your immigration status.
• The information on your card is wrong.
• Since you last obtained your card, you have legally altered your name or other biographic information; or
• You did not receive the last card that we sent you.

Permanent Residents on a Conditional Basis

You must consider replacing your Green Card if you are a conditional permanent resident and:

• Your prior card was misplaced, stolen, disfigured, or destroyed
• Your card has inaccurate information
• You have changed your name legally or other biographic information on the card since you last received it
• You never received the last card we gave to you.

How can you get a new Green Card?

Suppose you are a legal permanent resident or a conditional permanent resident who wants to replace your Green Card for one of the reasons listed in the When to Replace Your Green Card section. In that case, you can start the process by filling out Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card, online or by mail. When you file your tax return via online platform, you can do the following:

• Use a computer, phone, or tablet to apply
• Check to see if we have received your application
• Receive case updates over the internet
• Get in touch with us directly.

Once your application is approved, we will send you a new Green Card.

If you are requesting to renew your Green Card, your Form I-90 receipt notification will state the following, which you can provide with your expiring Green Card as proof of your legal status:

For 12 months after the expiration date on your Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card, this notice serves as a proof of your legal permanent residency status (also known as a Green Card). You can continue to work and travel. This notice, along with your expiring Permanent Resident Card, serves as proof of your legal status and legal authorization to work.

Suppose USCIS has already accepted your application for your Green Card renewal but has not yet mailed you a biometrics appointment notice. In that case, you will be mailed a new receipt notice to use with your expiring Green Card as temporary proof of your legal permanent resident status. You will not receive an amended receipt notification if USCIS has given you a biometrics appointment notice; nevertheless, you will get an extended sticker at your biometrics appointment.

When you are outside the United States, and your Green Card is about to expire in the coming six months (but you plan to return within one year of leaving the country and before the card expires), you should complete Form I-90 as soon as possible.

Suppose your Green Card is about to expire and you are a conditional permanent resident. In that case, you must file Form I-751, Petition to Remove the Conditions on Residence, to request that the conditions on your permanent resident status be removed. Visit our conditional endless residence website for additional details.

What is the best way to check the status of your application?

You can check the status of your case online. Would you please wait 72 hours after filing your Form I-90 to verify the status of your case? You can contact the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283 if you have any immigration-related questions. (TTY 800-767-1833 for those who are deaf, hearing impaired, or have a speech disability.) You should be ready to submit particular information regarding your application to the USCIS official, such as your name, birth date, receipt number, and Alien Registration Number (A-Number).

What Can You Do If Your Application Is Rejected?

If your application is denied, you will receive a letter stating why. Denial cannot be overturned. You can, however, file a motion to reopen or reconsider the case with the same office that made the unfavorable decision. This permits you to request that the office review or reexamine its decision.

A motion to reopen must include the following:

• Include suitable proof; and 
• State the new facts you would submit if your case were reopened.
• A motion to reconsider must establish that: 
• We applied immigration law or policy erroneously when refusing your application
• Our decision was based on evidence in your file that was inaccurate.

Visit our Appeals and Motions page for additional information.

Getting Help

If you require legal assistance, please visit our Finding Legal Services page. For a list of organizations that may assist you with your application, go to the DOJ Recognition and Accreditation page.

Versions of Green Cards That Aren’t Valid Anymore

You must replace any earlier versions of the alien registration card (for example, USCIS Form AR-3, Form AR-103, or Form I-151) with a current Green Card.

What does the law say?

“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 determined under regulations…” according to Section 264 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

“Every alien, eighteen years of age or older, should at all times carry about him and have in his possession any certificate of alien registration or alien registration receipt card granted to him…” it continues. Any immigrant who violates [these requirements] will be charged with a misdemeanor…”

The full rules and processes for replacing a Green Card can be found in 8 CFR section 264.5 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).