To renew a Green Card with Form I-90, file the application with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services up to six months before your current card expires, pay the fee shown on the USCIS fee calculator, attend your biometrics appointment, and use the receipt notice, which extends your expired card for 36 months, as proof of status while you wait.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Extends Green Card Validity Extension to 36 Months for Green Card Renewals Online filing is faster and gives you instant confirmation; paper filing is required only in narrow situations, most often a fee waiver request.
When to File
Standard Green Cards are valid for 10 years. File Form I-90 once your card has expired or will expire within six months.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-90 – Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card You can also use Form I-90 to replace a card that was lost, stolen, damaged, or destroyed, to update a legal name change, or to correct a card that arrived with a USCIS error.3eCFR. 8 CFR 264.5 – Application for a Replacement Permanent Resident Card
One boundary worth flagging up front. Conditional residents holding a two-year Green Card from marriage or investment cannot use Form I-90 to renew. Marriage-based conditional residents file Form I-751; investor conditional residents file Form I-829.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-90 – Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card A conditional resident may still use Form I-90 if the card was lost or damaged, but not to renew the two-year card itself.
What Your Expired Card Actually Costs You
Your permanent resident status does not expire when the card does. The card is proof of the status; losing the proof does not lose the status. What you do lose is convenience, and sometimes more than that. Federal law requires every noncitizen age 18 or older to carry proof of registration at all times, and failing to do so is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine or up to 30 days in jail.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Replace Your Green Card Prosecutions are rare. The daily friction is not.
Employers see it first. When you start a new job, the Form I-9 process asks for proof of work authorization, and an expired Green Card by itself may not satisfy it. An expired card paired with a Form I-797 receipt notice showing the 36-month extension is acceptable proof of both status and work authorization.6E-Verify. Form I-9 Verification of Lawful Permanent Residents That is why filing early matters: the receipt notice is what carries you through the wait.
What to Gather Before You Start
Form I-90 asks for your Alien Registration Number (A-Number), date of admission as a permanent resident, and the category under which you were admitted, plus your mailing address, residence history, and employment.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-90 – Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card Pull all of that together first so you can finish the form in one sitting.
Supporting evidence depends on why you are filing. For a straightforward renewal, you need a copy of the front and back of your current Green Card. For a lost or stolen card, submit a copy of a government-issued photo ID such as a passport or driver’s license; a police report helps but is not required. For a name change, include the legal document authorizing it, such as a marriage certificate or court order.3eCFR. 8 CFR 264.5 – Application for a Replacement Permanent Resident Card If your current card must be surrendered, keep a photocopy for your records before sending it in.
Fees, Waivers, and When You Owe Nothing
USCIS charges a filing fee for Form I-90. Check the current amount on the USCIS fee calculator at uscis.gov/feecalculator before you file, because amounts change and the wrong payment gets your application rejected.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Calculate Your Fees
You owe no fee at all when the replacement is because of a USCIS error on the card or a delivery failure caused by USCIS or the U.S. Postal Service.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Immigration Documents and How to Correct, Update, or Replace Them No fee waiver request is required for those situations.
If you cannot afford the fee for a standard renewal or replacement, file Form I-912 with your I-90. USCIS looks at whether you receive a means-tested public benefit, whether household income is at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, or whether you face financial hardship.9U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Poverty Guidelines Include documentation, such as an agency letter showing the benefit type, recipient name, and current status.10U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Request for Fee Waiver Fee waiver requests must be filed on paper, not online.
Filing Online vs. Filing by Mail
Online filing through a USCIS online account is the faster route. You get instant filing confirmation, you upload documents electronically, and you can check case status anytime. Online applicants pay through Pay.gov.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-90 – Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card
Paper filing is required in a few situations, most commonly when you request a fee waiver. Mail the signed form, photocopied supporting documents, and payment to the USCIS Lockbox address in the form instructions.
Watch the payment method. USCIS no longer accepts personal checks, money orders, or cashier’s checks for paper-filed forms unless you qualify for a specific exemption. When filing by mail, pay by credit, debit, or prepaid card using Form G-1450, or directly from a U.S. bank account using Form G-1650.11U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Filing Fees The paper-check exemption is narrow, covering applicants without access to banking services or electronic payment and a few other limited cases; if you qualify, include Form G-1651 with your payment. Either way you file, keep a full copy of everything you submit.
After You File
The Receipt Notice and 36-Month Extension
Once USCIS accepts your application, you receive a Form I-797 receipt notice, usually within a few weeks. For renewals, that notice automatically extends your expired Green Card for 36 months from the printed expiration date.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Extends Green Card Validity Extension to 36 Months for Green Card Renewals The notice says so on its face and authorizes you to keep working and traveling. Carry the receipt notice with your expired card whenever you need to prove status.
If you no longer have your Green Card and need proof of status during the wait, request an ADIT stamp at a local USCIS field office. Schedule the appointment through your USCIS online account or by calling the Contact Center at 800-375-5283.12U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. myUSCIS – Schedule an Appointment A USCIS officer places the stamp in your unexpired passport as temporary evidence of lawful permanent residence.
Biometrics
USCIS schedules a biometrics appointment at a nearby Application Support Center for fingerprints, a photograph, and a digital signature. You receive a Form I-797C with the date, time, and location.13U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Preparing for Your Biometric Services Appointment Bring the notice and a valid photo ID. The appointment itself is short.
If you cannot make the scheduled date, reschedule through your USCIS online account before the original appointment and show good cause. Missing the appointment without rescheduling can lead USCIS to treat your application as abandoned and deny it.13U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Preparing for Your Biometric Services Appointment If the online system gives you trouble, call 800-375-5283.
How Long It Takes
Processing times vary and can run from several months to well over a year depending on your local office and application volume. Check estimated times and track your own case through the USCIS Case Status Online tool. The 36-month automatic extension was designed to cover applicants through these longer waits.
If You Move While the Application Is Pending
Federal law requires noncitizens to report an address change to USCIS within 10 days of moving.14U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. AR-11 – Alien’s Change of Address Card The simplest way is through your USCIS online account, which meets the legal requirement and updates your pending case at once. You can also file a paper Form AR-11 by mail. If you skip this step, your biometrics notice or your new Green Card can end up at the wrong address, and USCIS will not resend documents because you forgot to update your address.
If USCIS Denies Your Application
USCIS can deny a Form I-90 for incomplete information, insufficient evidence, or failure to attend biometrics. To challenge a denial, file Form I-290B, Notice of Appeal or Motion, with the office that issued the decision. You generally have 30 days from the date of the decision to file, or 33 days if it was mailed to you.15U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-290B – Notice of Appeal or Motion A late appeal will be rejected unless USCIS treats it as a qualifying motion to reopen or reconsider, and a late motion to reopen is excused only if the delay was reasonable and beyond your control. Each denied application needs its own Form I-290B.