How Much Does It Cost to Renew My Green Card?

Renewing a standard ten-year green card costs $415 if you file online or $465 if you file by mail, paid to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) when you submit Form I-90. That price includes biometrics, and in a few situations the green card renewal cost drops to zero.¹

The USCIS Filing Fee

Form I-90 is the application for replacing a permanent resident card, whether yours has expired, is expiring within six months, was lost or stolen, was damaged, or has incorrect information on it.¹ The price depends only on how you file:²

$415 online
$465 by mail

Both figures include the biometrics services fee for fingerprinting and photographs. USCIS folded that charge into the main filing fee on April 1, 2024, so there is no separate biometrics bill on top. The fee is non-refundable, even if USCIS denies the application.

When You Pay Nothing

Federal regulations exempt three situations from the filing fee entirely:³

USCIS produced and mailed a card you never received.
The card contains an error made by DHS, such as a misspelled name or wrong date of birth. Errors from your own original application do not qualify.
You turned 14 and your existing card will not expire before you turn 16.

These exemptions do not depend on income, and you don’t file a separate waiver request. You file Form I-90 and mark the reason for the application.

Fee Waivers if You Can’t Afford It

If paying the fee would be a real hardship, you can ask USCIS to waive it by submitting Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver, with your I-90. USCIS looks at three grounds:⁴

You, your spouse, or a dependent child or parent currently receives a means-tested benefit such as Medicaid, SSI, SNAP, TANF, or Section 8. Proof of enrollment is usually enough.⁵
Your household income is at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, documented with tax returns or pay stubs.⁵
You are experiencing extreme financial hardship, such as unexpected medical costs or job loss, even if income is above the poverty threshold. Attach documentation of the hardship.⁴

You can mail Form I-912 with a paper application or upload it through your USCIS online account. A written letter with the same supporting evidence works in place of the form.⁴

Other Costs to Budget For

The government fee is the largest line item, but a few smaller expenses show up around it.

Passport-style photos. A paper filing requires two photos that meet USCIS size and background standards. Pharmacy and big-box retailer prints run roughly $7 to $17 for a set. If you file online, you can upload a digital photo and skip this cost.

Certified translations. Any supporting document not in English needs a certified English translation. Professional services typically charge $20 to $25 per page for common vital records. Longer or more complex documents cost more.

Attorney fees. A straightforward renewal doesn’t require a lawyer, and many people file on their own. If your case involves a criminal record, long absences from the country, or prior immigration problems, an attorney’s help can be worth it. Costs range from a few hundred dollars for a filing review to several thousand for complex or contested matters.

Mailing. Paper filers should budget a few dollars for certified mail or another trackable shipping option, so there is proof USCIS received the package.

How USCIS Accepts Payment

USCIS overhauled its payment system in late 2025, and the change surprises people. Paper filers can no longer pay with personal checks, business checks, money orders, or cashier’s checks in most cases. You pay by credit or debit card using Form G-1450, or by ACH bank transfer using Form G-1650, placing the completed payment form on top of your application package.⁶

Online filers pay electronically at the end of the submission process. Make sure the payment method has sufficient funds. If a credit card is declined, USCIS rejects the entire application and does not retry the charge.⁷

A narrow group of applicants still qualifies to pay by check or money order. The USCIS fee payment page identifies who those exemptions cover.⁷

Two-Year Conditional Cards Are Different

If you got your green card through marriage and have been a permanent resident for less than two years, your card carries a two-year expiration rather than ten. You do not use Form I-90. You file Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, during the 90-day window before the card expires. Immigrant investors with conditional status file Form I-829. Both forms carry their own fees, separate from the I-90 amount, so check the current USCIS fee schedule before you send anything.⁸

The distinction matters financially. Filing the wrong form wastes the fee and delays the case. If your card shows a category code like CR1 or a two-year expiration date, you almost certainly need Form I-751 or I-829, not I-90.

If Your Card Expires While You’re Abroad

An expired ten-year green card in your possession is usually enough to board a flight home and re-enter the country, as long as you’ve been outside the United States for less than a year.⁹ If the card was lost or stolen abroad, though, the costs climb. You’ll need a boarding foil from a U.S. embassy or consulate, which requires filing Form I-131A and paying a $575 fee before your appointment, plus presenting a valid passport and, if the card was stolen, a police report.¹⁰

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Replace Your Green Card
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055 Fee Schedule
3
eCFR. USCIS Fee Schedule
4
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Additional Information on Filing a Fee Waiver
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-912, Instructions for Request for Fee Waiver
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS to Modernize Fee Payments with Electronic Funds
7
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Filing Fees
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Conditional Permanent Residence
9
U.S. Embassy in The Bahamas. Returning Resident – Lost, Stolen, or Expired Green Card
10
U.S. Embassy in Poland. Boarding Foils