Form EOIR-27 is how a licensed attorney or fully accredited representative enters an appearance before the Board of Immigration Appeals, and to file it correctly you register with the EOIR eRegistry, complete the form with the respondent’s exact A-Number and both signatures, upload it through ECAS, and serve DHS. A separate EOIR-27 is required for every individual case before the Board, and the Board directs all orders, briefing schedules, and decisions to the practitioner listed on it.1Executive Office for Immigration Review. Enter an Appearance (File an EOIR-27 or EOIR-28)
Register With EOIR eRegistry First
You cannot file an EOIR-27 without an EOIR identification number, and getting one takes a step most first-time filers overlook. Registration starts online, but it requires in-person validation at any Immigration Court during regular business hours. No appointment is needed. Bring a government-issued photo ID that shows your date of birth — passport, driver’s license, or military ID — and tell the court staff you are there to complete eRegistration.2Executive Office for Immigration Review. eRegistration Validation Process
Once validated, you get your EOIR ID number. That number belongs on every EOIR-27 you file, because the Board uses it to tie your appearance to its case management system.2Executive Office for Immigration Review. eRegistration Validation Process If you know a BIA appeal is coming, do not wait — get registered before the 30-day appeal clock starts running.
Make Sure You Need the EOIR-27, Not the EOIR-28
The two forms cover two different tribunals. EOIR-27 (yellow) enters an appearance before the Board of Immigration Appeals. EOIR-28 (green) enters an appearance before an immigration judge in Immigration Court. Filing the wrong one gets the appearance rejected.3Executive Office for Immigration Review. EOIR Policy Manual – 3.2 Obtaining Blank Forms
Appearances do not travel between tribunals. An EOIR-28 filed at the Immigration Court does not carry over to the BIA when the case is appealed — you have to file a new EOIR-27. And if the Board later remands the case, you need an EOIR-28 at that point.
Completing the Form
Download the current version of the form from the EOIR website. It is short, but precision matters, because the Board rejects submissions with incomplete or mismatched information. Each section calls for the following:
- Practitioner information: your full legal name, EOIR identification number, office address, phone number, and email. Attorneys give their state bar number and issuing jurisdiction. Accredited representatives list the recognized organization they work for.
- Respondent information: the respondent’s full legal name exactly as it appears on charging documents, plus the Alien Registration Number — the letter “A” followed by seven, eight, or nine digits. A wrong A-Number is one of the most common causes of rejection.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. A-Number/Alien Registration Number/Alien Number
- Type of proceeding: check the box that matches the matter — an appeal, a motion to reopen, a motion to reconsider, or another BIA matter. This defines the scope of your representation.
- Eligibility attestation: check the box confirming you are an attorney or accredited representative and are not under any order of suspension or disbarment from practice before EOIR.
- Respondent’s signature: the respondent (or a parent or legal guardian, where applicable) must sign to consent to the representation.
- Practitioner’s signature: sign and date. An unsigned form is rejected outright.
Signature Standards
EOIR accepts three signature types: traditional ink signatures, digital signatures using a system that provides personal key infrastructure at the time of signing, and electronic signatures made with a device like a stylus and touchpad. No specific software is required. The signature must clearly display your name or reproduce your handwritten signature, and you should include a printed version of your name below or next to the signature if it is not already legible.5U.S. Department of Justice – Executive Office for Immigration Review. Policy Memorandum 20-11 – Filings and Signatures Scanned, faxed, or photocopied versions of signed documents are also accepted.
Filing Through ECAS
Electronic filing through the EOIR Courts and Appeals System has been mandatory since February 2022.6Executive Office for Immigration Review. EOIR Courts and Appeals System (ECAS) – Online Filing Registered practitioners upload the completed EOIR-27 through the ECAS portal, which timestamps the filing immediately and adds it to the electronic record of proceedings.7Executive Office for Immigration Review. ECAS – Attorneys and Accredited Representatives Paper filing is no longer a default; a practitioner who cannot use ECAS needs a specific exemption.
There is no filing fee for the EOIR-27 itself. If you are filing it alongside a Notice of Appeal or a motion, that filing carries its own fee — currently $1,030 for most appeals.8Executive Office for Immigration Review. Types of Appeals, Motions, and Required Fees The EOIR-27 is simply the vehicle that tells the Board who is handling the case.
Serving DHS
Filing with the Board is half the requirement. You must also serve a copy of the completed, signed EOIR-27 on the opposing party. In most BIA cases, that means the DHS Chief Counsel or a specific Assistant Chief Counsel assigned to the case.9Executive Office for Immigration Review. EOIR Policy Manual – 2.2 Service
When both parties use ECAS in the same case, the system handles service automatically. If the opposing party is not on ECAS, you serve manually — by mail, overnight delivery, or hand delivery — and file proof of service with the Board. That proof must include the name of the party served, their full address, the date and method of service, a description of the documents served, and the name and signature of the person who served them.9Executive Office for Immigration Review. EOIR Policy Manual – 2.2 Service
One detail catches practitioners off guard. The certificate of service printed on the EOIR-27 covers only that form. If you are filing the appearance with a brief, motion, or other documents, prepare a separate proof of service covering those items. The Board rejects filings that arrive without adequate proof of service on the opposing party.
Timing With the Notice of Appeal
File the EOIR-27 as early as possible, ideally at the same time you file the Notice of Appeal (Form EOIR-26) or the motion that initiates the case. The Notice of Appeal must reach the BIA Clerk’s Office within 30 calendar days of the immigration judge’s oral decision or the mailing of a written decision.10Executive Office for Immigration Review. EOIR Policy Manual – 3.5 Appeal Deadlines The Board does not follow the mailbox rule. What counts is the date the Clerk’s Office receives the filing, not the date you sent it.
If a fee waiver request submitted with the appeal is denied, the BIA provides a 15-day cure period to re-file with the fee or a new waiver request, and the appeal deadline is tolled during that window. Outside that narrow situation, a late appeal requires a written motion asking the Board to accept it, supported by evidence that extraordinary circumstances prevented timely filing.
Deficiencies That Trigger Rejection
The Board will reject a deficient EOIR-27 and notify you of the problem, but correcting and re-filing costs time your client may not have. The most frequent causes:
- Missing practitioner signature.
- Missing respondent signature (or parent/legal guardian signature, where applicable).
- Wrong or missing A-Number. A single transposed digit prevents the Board from matching the appearance to the correct case file.
- Incomplete office address. If the Board has nowhere to send orders, it rejects the filing.
- No service on DHS, or missing proof of service.
If the deficiency is not corrected, you are not recognized as the representative of record, and the respondent is effectively unrepresented before the Board on that matter.
Changing or Updating Representation
When a respondent switches practitioners during an active BIA case, the new practitioner files a new EOIR-27 with the Board and serves DHS. The Board automatically recognizes the new practitioner as the representative of record, and the prior practitioner does not need to file a separate motion to withdraw.11United States Department of Justice. EOIR Policy Manual – 5.4 Changes in Representation Until the new form is filed, the original practitioner remains the representative of record and remains accountable for the case.
If you only need to update a mailing address or contact information, file a new EOIR-27 reflecting the changes and serve a copy on the opposing party.