To file Form I-131 for advance parole, submit the completed application to USCIS with the correct fee, two passport-style photos, and proof of the pending or approved benefit that makes you eligible, then wait for the document to be issued before you leave the United States. Advance parole is the travel permission people inside the country use when they need to go abroad and return while a benefit application is still pending — most often a Form I-485 adjustment of status, but also DACA, Deferred Enforced Departure, and several other categories. Leaving before the document arrives is treated as abandoning the application.
Who Advance Parole Is For
You select advance parole in Part 1, Item 5 of Form I-131. The most common use is for people with a pending I-485: if you leave the country without advance parole while your adjustment is pending, USCIS will deny the I-485 unless you hold a narrow nonimmigrant status like H-1B or L-1 that permits travel.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Travel Documents You can file the I-131 together with your I-485 or later while the I-485 is pending.
DACA recipients with an approved Form I-821D can request advance parole, but only for educational, employment, or humanitarian reasons — semester-abroad programs and academic research, overseas assignments and conferences, medical treatment, funerals, or visits to a seriously ill relative. Travel purely for vacation does not qualify. If you have an outstanding order of removal, leaving even with advance parole is treated as execution of that removal order, and DACA will not shield you.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Form I-131 Instructions
A boundary worth noting: Form I-131 also produces reentry permits (for green card holders taking long trips), refugee travel documents (for refugees and asylees), and TPS travel authorization. Those are different documents with different rules; this article is about advance parole.
The Filing Fee
For most advance parole categories, the fee is $630 if you file by paper and $580 if you file online where online filing is available. Applicants with approved T or U visas pay nothing.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055 Fee Schedule
Pay by personal check, cashier’s check, or money order made out to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. If you want to pay by credit or debit card with a paper filing, complete Form G-1450 (Authorization for Credit Card Transactions) and place it on top of the application.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Pay With a Credit Card by Mail An incorrect amount causes the whole application to be returned without processing.
Online or Mail
Whether you can file online depends on the underlying benefit.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-131, Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records Online filing at my.uscis.gov is available for:
- Advance parole with a pending I-485 only if your I-485 receipt number begins with “IOE”
- Advance parole based on a pending initial Form I-821 (TPS)
- Deferred Enforced Departure
- Approved DACA (I-821D)
- Approved U visa (I-918)
Paper filing is required for advance parole tied to a pending I-485 whose receipt number does not start with “IOE,” advance parole based on a pending Form I-589 asylum application, and several other categories.
The paper mailing address depends on your category. DACA advance parole goes to the USCIS Phoenix Lockbox at P.O. Box 20700, Phoenix, AZ 85036-0700 for USPS, or 2108 E. Elliot Rd., Tempe, AZ 85284-1806 for FedEx, UPS, or DHL. Other categories route to different lockboxes.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-131 These addresses change, so confirm the exact address for your situation on the USCIS direct filing addresses page right before you mail. The wrong lockbox costs weeks.
Filling Out the Form
Download the current edition of Form I-131 (01/20/25) directly from uscis.gov. Older editions get rejected.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Form I-131 The form has thirteen parts, but for advance parole you only complete the parts that apply to you.
Part 1 is where you select “advance parole document” at Item 5. Part 2 collects your name, address, A-Number, date of birth, citizenship, and I-94 details. Part 3 asks for biographic information — height, weight, eye and hair color. Part 4 covers processing details, including whether you’ve been in immigration proceedings or previously received a travel document.
Part 7 is the advance parole section. It asks for your planned departure date, the countries you’ll visit, the number of trips, and the purpose of your travel. Skip Parts 5 and 6 (those are for reentry permit and refugee travel document applicants), and skip Parts 8 and 9 unless you’re requesting initial parole, parole in place, or re-parole.
Everyone completes Parts 10 through 13: your signature, plus interpreter, preparer, and additional-information sections as applicable. Sign Part 10 by hand if filing on paper.
Photos and Supporting Documents
Advance parole applications require two identical color passport-style photos. Each photo must be 2 by 2 inches on thin, glossy paper with a white to off-white background, and your head (top of hair to bottom of chin) must measure 1 to 1⅜ inches. Write your name and A-Number on the back of each photo in pencil or felt pen.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Form I-131 Instructions Photos that miss the specs get rejected, and rework adds weeks.
You also need proof of your current status: a copy of your Form I-94, your Form I-797 receipt notice for the pending or approved underlying benefit, or the biographic page of your passport, depending on your category. Check the form instructions for the exact list that applies to your situation.
After You File
Once USCIS accepts the application, you’ll get a Form I-797 Notice of Action with a receipt number. Track the case at egov.uscis.gov/casestatus. A rejection notice means the application was not accepted (usually a fee or signature problem), and you’ll need to refile.
Applicants between 14 and 79 requesting re-parole or parole in place may be scheduled for biometrics at a USCIS Application Support Center for fingerprints, a photograph, and a signature. Missing the appointment without rescheduling can result in denial.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Form I-131 Instructions
Processing times vary by category and service center. Check current estimates at egov.uscis.gov/processing-times by selecting Form I-131 and your category. One rule specific to advance parole: if you leave the country before the document is issued, USCIS treats the application as abandoned.8eCFR. 8 CFR Part 223 – Reentry Permits, Refugee Travel Documents, and Advance Parole Do not book non-refundable travel until you have the document in hand.
Emergency Advance Parole
If you need to travel within the next 15 days and cannot wait for standard processing, you may be able to obtain an emergency advance parole document at a USCIS field office. Qualifying situations include the death or serious illness of a family member, an urgent need for medical treatment abroad, or a critical professional or academic obligation when you filed on time but the case is still pending.9U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Emergency Travel
Call USCIS at 800-375-5283 or use your online account to schedule the field office appointment. Bring a completed Form I-131, the filing fee, two passport photos, your unexpired passport, proof of lawful status (such as a receipt notice for the underlying pending application), and documentation of the emergency: a death certificate, a doctor’s letter, or medical records, for example. If approved, the document can be issued the same day.
Unlawful Presence and Why Timing Matters
If you’ve built up more than 180 days of unlawful presence in the United States and then depart, you can trigger a three-year bar on returning; a year or more of unlawful presence triggers a ten-year bar.10U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Unlawful Presence and Inadmissibility
Under the Board of Immigration Appeals decision in Matter of Arrabally and Yerrabelly, leaving the United States on an advance parole document is not a “departure” that triggers these bars. USCIS updated its guidance in September 2024 to confirm it applies that ruling to both the three-year and ten-year bars. For anyone with a pending I-485 and past unlawful presence, getting advance parole before traveling can be the difference between coming home and being locked out.10U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Unlawful Presence and Inadmissibility
One caveat. The State Department does not fully accept this interpretation. If you travel on advance parole and then apply for a visa at a U.S. consulate rather than returning on the parole document, the consulate may still apply the three-year or ten-year bar. The safer path is to return on your advance parole document and finish adjustment inside the United States.
Validity and Coming Back
Advance parole documents were traditionally valid for one year. USCIS now has authority to issue them with validity periods of up to five years, and the actual length depends on USCIS discretion and the nature of your underlying benefit.
When you return to a U.S. port of entry, present the advance parole document to Customs and Border Protection along with your other status documentation. Parole is not admission, and the CBP officer still makes the final call, so keep the document and any supporting paperwork accessible rather than packed in checked luggage.