To renew an expired green card, file Form I-90 with USCIS. Filing automatically extends your expired card’s validity for 36 months while you wait, and most applications take roughly 8 to 14 months from filing to card delivery. Your permanent resident status itself does not expire when the card does — the card is only evidence of the status — but you need to replace it to work, travel, and prove your right to be in the country without friction.
When You Have to File
Federal regulations require you to apply for a replacement card in several situations: your card will expire within six months, has already expired, was lost or stolen, was physically damaged, or your legal name or biographical information has changed.1eCFR. 8 CFR 264.5 – Application for a Replacement Permanent Resident Card You also have to file if you received your card before turning 14 and it won’t expire before your 16th birthday, or if you were automatically converted from conditional to permanent status.
The six-month window matters. Filing early gives you time to gather documents, complete biometrics, and get the automatic extension in place before the card actually expires. Once the card is expired and nothing is pending, every task that requires proof of status gets harder.
What Form I-90 Asks For
Form I-90 collects basic personal information: your Alien Registration Number (the “A-Number” printed on your current or expired card), your full legal name as it appears on government records, your date and place of birth, and your current mailing address.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Form I-90 – Instructions for Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card Make sure your mailing address is current — that’s where your new card will be sent.
The main supporting document is the expired card itself. If it was lost or stolen, you’ll need another government-issued photo ID, such as a passport or driver’s license. For a stolen card, filing a police report is a smart step. USCIS doesn’t explicitly require one, but a report with a case number strengthens your application.
Download the form directly from the USCIS website, or file online through your USCIS account. Older versions floating around third-party sites may be outdated and can get your application rejected.
How to Submit
You can file online through a USCIS account or mail a paper application to the designated USCIS Lockbox for your state of residence.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card (Green Card) Online filing is faster and gives you an immediate receipt number to track your case. If you mail your packet, use a trackable shipping method and send it to the address listed in the I-90 instructions for your state.
Once USCIS receives the application, they issue a Form I-797C, Notice of Action, as your receipt.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-797 Types and Functions Keep this notice. It’s your proof of a pending renewal and it plays a central role in employment verification and as temporary evidence of status.
Fees and Fee Waivers
USCIS revised its fee schedule in April 2024 and eliminated the separate biometrics fee that used to be added on top of the filing fee. The current Form I-90 fee is listed on the USCIS Fee Schedule (Form G-1055), which you should check before filing because amounts are periodically adjusted.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055, Fee Schedule
If you can’t afford the fee, you can request a full waiver by submitting Form I-912 together with your I-90. USCIS grants waivers in three situations: you or a qualifying household member currently receives a means-tested public benefit; your household income is at or below 150 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines; or you can show extreme financial hardship beyond mere inconvenience.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 1, Part B, Chapter 4 – Fee Waivers and Fee Exemptions The waiver request has to be submitted at the same time as the I-90. USCIS won’t accept it after the fact.7USCIS. I-912, Request for Fee Waiver
The 36-Month Automatic Extension
This is the piece to understand before anything else. As of September 2024, filing Form I-90 automatically extends your expired card’s validity for 36 months from the expiration date printed on the card. The previous extension was 24 months.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Extends Green Card Validity Extension to 36 Months for Green Card Renewals
To use the extension, carry your expired green card together with the I-797C receipt notice. The two documents together function as valid proof of your permanent resident status for employment verification, domestic identification, and certain travel situations. The receipt notice alone is not enough. You need both.
Biometrics Appointment
After your application is accepted, USCIS schedules a biometrics appointment at a local Application Support Center. You’ll provide fingerprints, a photograph, and a digital signature.9U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Preparing for Your Biometric Services Appointment The data is used for background checks and to produce the security features on the new card. The appointment notice comes by mail with a specific date, time, and location.
Do not miss this appointment. USCIS may treat a no-show as abandonment and deny the case, and you won’t get your filing fee back. If you genuinely can’t attend on the scheduled date, request a reschedule through your USCIS online account before the appointment date and show good cause. Mailed reschedule requests aren’t accepted. If you have trouble with the online system, call the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283.
How Long It Takes
After biometrics, your case goes into final review before the physical card is produced and mailed. Processing times shift with USCIS workload, but as of early 2026, most I-90 applications take roughly 8 to 14 months from filing to card delivery. Straightforward renewals of 10-year cards tend to fall at the longer end, around 11 months. Replacements for lost cards and initial issuances often process somewhat faster. You can check the current estimate for your specific USCIS office on the agency’s processing times page.
The 36-month extension exists precisely because of these wait times. As long as the I-90 is pending, the expired card plus receipt notice keeps you covered.
Working With an Expired Card
Employers use Form I-9 to verify identity and work authorization, and this is where an expired card causes the most friction. A valid green card is a “List A” document, meaning it proves both identity and work eligibility on its own. Once it’s expired, it no longer does that by itself.
If you’ve filed your I-90 and received the I-797C, you can present the expired card together with the receipt notice as evidence that your card’s validity has been extended for 36 months.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Extends Green Card Validity Extension to 36 Months for Green Card Renewals If your card was lost or stolen and you filed I-90 as a replacement, the receipt notice alone is valid for 90 days, during which you’ll need to present the replacement document or provide alternative identification from the acceptable documents list.10U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Receipts An employer who refuses valid extension documentation may be violating anti-discrimination rules, but sorting that out in the moment is difficult, which is another reason to file early.
If the Extension Runs Out: The ADIT Stamp
If both your green card and extension notice have expired while your I-90 is still pending, or you need proof of status urgently for travel or employment, you can request a temporary ADIT stamp (Alien Documentation, Identification, and Telecommunication). Call the USCIS Contact Center to start the process. An officer verifies your identity and either schedules an in-person appointment at a field office or arranges to mail you a Form I-94 containing the ADIT stamp, a DHS seal, and your photo.11U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Announces Additional Mail Delivery Process for Receiving ADIT Stamp
The stamp’s validity is at USCIS’s discretion but cannot exceed one year. An in-person visit is still required if your need is urgent, if USCIS doesn’t have a usable photo of you on file, or if your identity can’t be confirmed over the phone. The ADIT stamp is a stopgap. It buys time, not a shortcut around the renewal itself.
If Your Card Expires While You’re Abroad
You can’t file Form I-90 from overseas, but you still need documentation to board a flight home. The tool for this is Form I-131A, Application for Carrier Documentation. Contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate, pay the filing fee through the USCIS online payment system, and schedule an appointment.12U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-131A, Application for Carrier Documentation
If the consular officer confirms you’re still a lawful permanent resident, they may issue carrier documentation, typically a foil in your passport or a boarding letter. This lets an airline board you without penalty, but it does not guarantee admission. Customs and Border Protection makes the final admissibility determination at the port of entry.13U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Application for Carrier Documentation Once you’re back in the United States, you still need to file Form I-90 for the actual replacement card.
Conditional Residents Use a Different Form
If you got your green card through marriage or an investment visa, your first card is a two-year conditional card, not the standard ten-year card. Conditional residents cannot use Form I-90 to renew. USCIS is explicit: do not file Form I-90 if you are a conditional resident.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card (Green Card)
Instead, you file one of two forms within the 90 days before your conditional card expires:
- Form I-751, for conditions based on marriage to a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
- Form I-829, for conditions based on investment in a U.S. business.
Filing either form on time extends your card’s validity for 48 months beyond the printed expiration date.14U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-751 and I-829 48 Month Extension Miss the filing window without getting conditions removed and you lose your permanent resident status entirely, becoming removable from the United States.15U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Conditional Permanent Residence The stakes are much higher than a straightforward renewal.
Naturalization Is Another Option
An expired green card does not stop you from applying for U.S. citizenship. If you meet the eligibility requirements — typically five years of permanent residence, or three years if married to a U.S. citizen — you can file Form N-400 with an expired card. Some residents in this position skip the I-90 renewal and go straight to naturalization, since a successful citizenship case makes the green card irrelevant. The tradeoff is that N-400 processing takes many months, and you’ll have limited proof of status in the meantime unless you also have an I-90 pending with its automatic extension in place.