How to File Form I-131: Evidence, Fees, and Filing Steps

To file Form I-131, choose the correct travel document for your immigration status, assemble the matching evidence, pay the right fee using an accepted method, and submit the package to the specific USCIS address or online portal for that category — while you are physically present in the United States. Learning how to file Form I-131 correctly matters because the same form covers three different documents (re-entry permit, refugee travel document, and advance parole), and picking the wrong one or mailing to the wrong lockbox can get your application rejected before anyone reviews it. For most categories, the paper filing fee is $630.¹

Step 1: Pick the Right Document Category

Form I-131 is not one application. It is a single form that produces different documents depending on the box you check, and each box has its own eligibility rules, evidence requirements, and filing address. Match your situation before you write anything else.

A re-entry permit is for lawful permanent residents who expect to be outside the United States for more than one year but less than two years. It replaces your green card as your entry document during the trip and prevents Customs and Border Protection from treating your absence as abandonment of permanent residence.²

A refugee travel document is for people with refugee or asylee status who need to travel internationally. Refugees and asylees who are not yet permanent residents must have either a refugee travel document or an advance parole document to re-enter after any trip abroad. Permanent residents who obtained their green card through refugee or asylee status can apply for one as well.³

An advance parole document is for people inside the United States who need to travel while a case is pending. The most common trigger is a pending Form I-485 adjustment of status: leave without advance parole, and USCIS will deny the I-485 unless you fit a narrow exception for certain visa holders. Advance parole is also available to people with Temporary Protected Status, Deferred Enforced Departure, approved DACA, and several other categories.⁴⁵

You must be physically in the United States when you file for a re-entry permit or refugee travel document. There is no exception, and no way to apply from abroad.⁶

Step 2: Gather the Right Evidence

Every applicant, regardless of category, should have three basics ready: a copy of a government-issued photo ID (passport, green card front and back, or similar), two identical 2 × 2 inch passport-style color photos taken within the last six months against a plain white or off-white background with the head measuring between 1 inch and 1⅜ inches from chin to crown, and proof of the immigration status you claim on the form (green card, I-94, approval notice, or visa stamp).

Beyond that, the specific evidence tracks the document you are requesting.

Re-Entry Permit

Include copies of the front and back of your permanent resident card (Form I-551). If USCIS has not yet issued your physical card, submit a copy of the passport page showing your immigrant visa and admission stamp.⁶

Refugee Travel Document

Provide evidence of your refugee or asylee status: usually the I-94, an asylum approval letter, or the immigration judge’s order granting asylum. Green card holders who adjusted from refugee or asylee status should include the green card plus documentation of the underlying basis.⁶

Advance Parole

The core document is your Form I-797 receipt or approval notice for the underlying case — the I-485, I-589, I-821, or whatever gives you eligibility. Without it, USCIS has no way to confirm you have a qualifying application. If you are requesting advance parole on humanitarian grounds, add evidence of the reason for travel: medical records, a death certificate, funeral arrangements, or an employer letter about an urgent professional commitment. Any non-English document needs a certified translation.⁷

A short cover letter listing what you are filing, which document you are requesting, and what evidence is enclosed is not required, but it helps an officer work through your package. Useful especially if your evidence is thick or your situation unusual.

Step 3: Calculate the Fee and Prepare Payment

Fees depend on the document type and, in some cases, your age. Current amounts on the USCIS fee schedule (edition 03/23/26):¹

Re-entry permit: $630 (paper only).
Refugee travel document, refugee status: $0.
Refugee travel document, asylee under 16: $135.
Refugee travel document, asylee 16 or older: $165.
Advance parole, most categories: $630 by paper, $580 online.
Advance parole for T or U visa holders: $0.

USCIS no longer accepts personal checks, business checks, money orders, or cashier’s checks for paper filings unless a specific exemption applies. To pay by mail, use a credit, debit, or prepaid card through Form G-1450 (Authorization for Credit Card Transactions), or pay from a U.S. bank account through Form G-1650 (Authorization for ACH Transactions). Include the completed payment form in the package.⁸

Fee waivers on Form I-131 are limited. You can request one using Form I-912 only if you are applying for humanitarian parole and can demonstrate inability to pay. Re-entry permits and standard advance parole are not eligible.⁹

Step 4: Submit Online or by Mail

Filing Online

Several I-131 categories can be filed through a USCIS online account, including advance parole based on a pending I-485, TPS travel authorization, Deferred Enforced Departure, and DACA-based advance parole.¹⁰ Online filing saves $50 for most categories ($580 instead of $630).

One warning: you cannot change or correct the application type after filing online. Picking the wrong category just to unlock online filing can get your application denied with the fee kept.

Filing by Mail

Paper filings go to a specific lockbox that depends on the category. Some of the most common:¹¹

Refugee travel document: USCIS Refugee and International Operations, Attn: RTD, 999 North Capitol St. NE, Mail Stop 2292, Washington, DC 20529-2295 (USPS and courier use the same address).
TPS travel authorization or advance parole with a pending I-821: by USPS to USCIS, Attn: I-131 TPS, P.O. Box 660167, Dallas, TX 75266-0867; by FedEx, UPS, or DHL to USCIS, Attn: I-131 TPS, 2501 S. State Hwy. 121 Business, Ste. 400, Lewisville, TX 75067.
DACA advance parole: by USPS to USCIS, Attn: DACA, P.O. Box 20700, Phoenix, AZ 85036-0700; by courier to USCIS, Attn: DACA (Box 20700), 2108 E. Elliot Rd., Tempe, AZ 85284-1806.

There are separate addresses for Deferred Enforced Departure, HRIFA dependents, military veteran parole programs, and other specific categories. Check the USCIS direct filing addresses page for Form I-131 before you seal the envelope. Sending your package to the wrong lockbox is one of the most common rejections and one of the easiest to avoid.

Step 5: What Happens After You File

Once USCIS accepts your application, you receive a Form I-797C, Notice of Action, with a 13-character receipt number. Keep it. That number is your proof of filing and your key to case tracking.¹² If several weeks pass with no receipt, something likely went wrong — an incorrect fee, a missing signature, or a wrong filing address can all trigger a silent rejection.

Applicants between 14 and 79 filing for a re-entry permit, refugee travel document, re-parole, or parole in place will usually get a biometrics appointment notice. The appointment happens at an Application Support Center and involves fingerprinting and a photograph. Missing it without rescheduling can lead to a denial.⁶

Check case status anytime at egov.uscis.gov/casestatus using the receipt number.¹³ Processing times vary by document type, service center, and workload. Do not book international travel around an estimate. Wait for the physical document.

If You Need to Travel Sooner Than Normal Processing Allows

Two paths exist for urgent situations: an expedite request on a pending I-131, or an in-person emergency advance parole appointment at a USCIS field office.

USCIS decides expedite requests case by case and at its sole discretion. Reasons that can qualify include a death or serious illness in the family, urgent medical treatment abroad, a critical professional obligation, or severe financial loss. Vacation does not qualify. The evidence needs to match the reason: a death certificate, a doctor’s letter, an employer letter, or similar.⁷ USCIS also considers expediting when current processing times make it clear the document will not arrive before a planned departure — but if the urgency exists because you waited months to file, that weighs against you.

For true emergencies where even expedited mail is too slow, request an in-person appointment at a USCIS field office for emergency advance parole. Schedule through my.uscis.gov/appointment, or call the USCIS Contact Center if the online tool does not list what you need.¹⁴ Bring everything: the completed I-131, evidence of the emergency, proof of your underlying status, photos, and payment. The field officer has discretion to issue or deny on the spot, and may direct you to file by mail instead if the situation does not meet the threshold.

Common Reasons Applications Get Rejected or Denied

Problems fall into two groups. Technical errors cause rejection before anyone reviews the case. Substantive issues cause denial after review.

Technical rejections tend to come from:

An unsigned application or an invalid signature.
A wrong, missing, or unaccepted form of payment (such as a personal check).
Mailing to the wrong filing address for your category.
An incomplete form or failing to select a specific program or process where required.⁶

Substantive denials tend to come from:

Filing a duplicate application for the same document type while an earlier one is still pending.
Missing biometrics without rescheduling.
Being in removal or deportation proceedings, where USCIS generally will not approve advance parole.
A material misrepresentation, which also invalidates any travel document already issued and can affect other benefits.⁶

Before You Leave: Two Boundaries Worth Knowing

Approval is not the finish line. A couple of things trip people up even after the document arrives.

An advance parole document authorizes you to seek re-entry. It does not guarantee admission. CBP officers at the port of entry retain discretion to deny re-entry even when your document is valid. Uncommon for clean records and straightforward cases, but not zero.

If you accrued unlawful presence in the United States before obtaining your current status, leaving the country can trigger the three-year or ten-year inadmissibility bars: more than 180 days but less than one year of unlawful presence followed by a voluntary departure triggers three years; one year or more triggers ten.¹⁵ Under Matter of Arrabally and Yerrabelly, departing on an advance parole document is generally not treated as a departure that triggers those bars, but the protection has limits and does not cover the permanent inadmissibility ground that applies when someone with more than a year of total unlawful presence later re-enters or attempts to re-enter without admission or parole.¹⁶ If any of that applies to you, talk to an immigration attorney before booking travel.

And one operational limit: you cannot apply for a re-entry permit or refugee travel document from outside the United States. If your document expires while you are abroad, there is no way to file for a new one from overseas.¹⁷ Plan your return well before expiration.

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055 Fee Schedule
2
USAGov. Travel Documents for Foreign Citizens Returning to the U.S.
3
eCFR. 8 CFR Part 223 – Reentry Permits, Refugee Travel Documents, and Advance Parole Documents
4
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Travel Documents
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-131, Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Form I-131
7
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Expedite Requests
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions
9
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-912, Request for Fee Waiver
10
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Forms Available to File Online
11
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-131
12
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-797C, Notice of Action
13
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Case Processing Times
14
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. My Appointment
15
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1182 – Inadmissible Aliens
16
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Unlawful Presence and Inadmissibility
17
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Legal Permanent Resident (LPR) Frequently Asked Questions