To renew your EAD card, file Form I-765 with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services within the 180 days before your current card expires, pay the correct fee, and include the supporting documents USCIS requires for your eligibility category. Filing early matters more than it used to: as of October 30, 2025, USCIS no longer automatically extends work authorization while a renewal is pending, so a slow case can mean an actual gap in your ability to work.
When to File
USCIS recommends filing no more than 180 days before your EAD expires and no fewer than 90 days before.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-765, Application for Employment Authorization File earlier than 180 days out and USCIS may reject the package and return it unopened. File later than 90 days out and you may run out of time before adjudication.
Your ability to renew depends on still qualifying under an eligibility category. Common ones include pending asylum (c)(8), pending adjustment of status (c)(9), cancellation of removal (c)(10), and Temporary Protected Status. If the status underlying your current EAD has changed or lapsed, straight renewal may not work, and a different category or professional advice may be needed before you file.
The End of Automatic Extensions
This is the change most likely to catch renewers off guard. For any Form I-765 renewal filed on or after October 30, 2025, USCIS no longer automatically extends the validity of an expiring EAD while the case is pending.2Federal Register. Removal of the Automatic Extension of Employment Authorization Documents Under the prior rule, a timely renewal in an eligible category kept work authorization alive for up to 540 days after the card’s expiration.
The current regulation is blunt: your EAD expires on the date printed on it, and filing a renewal does not extend it.3eCFR. 8 CFR 274a.13 – Application for Employment Authorization If USCIS has not approved the renewal by that date, you cannot legally work until the new card arrives. There is no grace period and no document combination that keeps you working. Temporary Protected Status holders are the narrow exception, and even then only when a separate Federal Register notice tied to their specific TPS designation grants an extension.
If you filed your renewal before October 30, 2025 and it is still pending, the old up-to-540-day automatic extension still covers you, and your expired card plus your Form I-797C receipt notice in a matching category is what proves continued work eligibility.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. 5.1 Automatic Extensions Based on a Timely Filed Application to Renew Employment Authorization and/or Employment Authorization Document Before Oct. 30, 2025
The practical takeaway: file at the 180-day mark, not at 60 or 30 days out. If your card expires in six months, start now.
Completing Form I-765
Download the current version of Form I-765 from uscis.gov. Using an outdated version is one of the fastest ways to get a package rejected before anyone reviews it.
The form asks for your personal information, mailing address, and eligibility category code. Common renewal codes include (c)(8) for pending asylum, (c)(9) for pending adjustment of status, and (c)(10) for cancellation of removal.5eCFR. 8 CFR 274a.12 – Classes of Aliens Authorized to Accept Employment The wrong code triggers delays or denials.
You will also need your Alien Registration Number (A-Number), which appears on your current EAD, prior immigration documents, or approval notices. It may be seven, eight, or nine digits.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. A-Number/Alien Registration Number/Alien Number If yours is shorter than nine digits, add a zero after the “A” to bring it to nine before entering it.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Immigrant Fee Payment: Tips on Finding Your A-Number and DOS Case ID
Answer every question. Write “N/A” where a question does not apply and “None” where the answer is zero. Blank fields are one of the most common reasons USCIS returns packages unprocessed. On paper submissions, every signature must be handwritten in black ink. Any mismatch between the form and your supporting documents can produce a Request for Evidence that pauses the case for weeks.
Documents to Include
- Clear copies of the front and back of your current EAD.
- A copy of a government-issued photo ID, such as your passport.
- A copy of your I-94 arrival/departure record.
- Passport-style photographs as described in the current I-765 instructions. USCIS announced in late 2025 that self-submitted photos are no longer accepted for immigration documents, and only photos taken by USCIS or authorized entities will be used going forward, so check the current instructions on uscis.gov before printing photos.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization9U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. New Photo Policy Helps Prevent Immigration Fraud Through Enhanced Identity Verification
Filing Fees
The base filing fee for Form I-765 in 2026 is $520 for paper and $470 for online submissions.10Federal Register. USCIS Immigration Fees Required by HR-1 Reconciliation Bill These base fees rose under the 2025 reconciliation bill and are subject to annual inflation adjustments.
Some categories carry mandatory surcharges on top of the base fee:
- Asylum applicants renewing under (c)(8) pay an additional $275, for a total of $795 paper or $745 online. This surcharge is not eligible for a fee waiver.10Federal Register. USCIS Immigration Fees Required by HR-1 Reconciliation Bill
- TPS-based EAD renewals add $280.
- Parole-based EAD renewals add $280.11U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Announces FY 2026 Inflation Increase for Certain Immigration Related Fees
None of these surcharges is waivable, even when the base fee is. If you cannot afford the base fee, you can request a waiver by submitting Form I-912 with your application. Household income generally must be at or below 150 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines to qualify, though USCIS may consider special circumstances for applicants slightly above that threshold.12U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver
Paper or Online
You can mail Form I-765 to a USCIS Lockbox or file it through your USCIS online account. The correct Lockbox address depends on your eligibility category and where you live, so verify the filing address on uscis.gov before mailing anything.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-765, Application for Employment Authorization Online filing gives you an immediate receipt and generally shortens the initial intake by several days. Not every category can file online, and USCIS periodically expands the list, so check the I-765 page before assuming yours qualifies.
If you are filing I-765 alongside another application, such as a pending Form I-485, you may be able to file both concurrently. Applicants who file I-765 and Form I-131 together with a pending I-485 may receive a single combination card serving as both EAD and advance parole document.
What Happens After You File
Once USCIS accepts your application, it mails Form I-797C, a Notice of Action, with a receipt number you can use to track your case online.13U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-797C, Notice of Action Keep this notice. It matters at multiple points during the process.
Some applicants receive a second notice scheduling a biometrics appointment at a local Application Support Center for fingerprints, photograph, and signature capture. Under the new photo policy, the photograph taken at that appointment may be the one printed on your new EAD.9U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. New Photo Policy Helps Prevent Immigration Fraud Through Enhanced Identity Verification
Processing times run from several months to more than a year depending on the service center’s workload and your category. Once approved, the physical card is mailed to the address on your application, which is why keeping that address current matters.
If You Need It Faster
If a processing delay threatens your ability to work or creates a real emergency, you can ask USCIS to expedite your case. Expedite requests are evaluated case by case, and you generally must show severe financial loss under normal processing times, an urgent humanitarian situation, or other compelling circumstances. Wanting to start working sooner is not enough. You need documentation to back up the claim, such as an employer letter, medical records, or financial statements.
Requests can be made through the USCIS Contact Center, the Emma virtual assistant, or secure messaging in your online account if you filed electronically.14U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Expedite Requests Have your receipt number ready, and upload supporting evidence to your online account if you use secure messaging.
Premium processing on Form I-907 is available for a narrow group of I-765 applicants: F-1 students seeking Optional Practical Training and those requesting STEM OPT extensions. The premium fee for Form I-765 is $1,780 as of March 2026.15Federal Register. 16U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 1, Part E, Chapter 6 – Evidence Failing to respond in time produces a denial on the existing record. RFEs are commonly triggered by mismatched eligibility codes, missing identity documents, and inconsistencies between the form and supporting documents.
If your renewal is denied outright, you can file Form I-290B (Notice of Appeal or Motion) to ask USCIS to reconsider. The deadline is 30 calendar days from the date of the decision, or 33 days if it was mailed to you.17U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Form I-290B, Notice of Appeal or Motion A motion to reopen requires new facts supported by documentary evidence. A motion to reconsider argues the original decision misapplied the law or policy to the record. You can file both together, and USCIS evaluates each separately. All supporting evidence must accompany the filing. Missing the deadline usually means the denial stands, though USCIS may excuse a late filing if the delay was reasonable and beyond your control.
Keep USCIS Updated on Your Address
Federal law requires any non-citizen in the United States for more than 30 days to report a change of address within 10 days of moving.18Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1305 – Notices of Change of Address With a pending EAD renewal, this is not a formality. USCIS mails receipt notices, biometrics appointments, and the new card itself to the address on file. Update your address through the USCIS Enterprise Change of Address self-service tool or by filing Form AR-11 online, and use your residential address rather than a workplace.
A Word on Traveling While Your Renewal Is Pending
International travel while a renewal is pending can create problems well beyond the EAD itself. If you have a pending Form I-485, leaving the country without advance parole generally causes USCIS to treat the I-485 as abandoned, with limited exceptions for certain H, L, K, and V nonimmigrant classifications.19U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Form I-131, Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records Even with advance parole, re-entering on a parole document ends your prior nonimmigrant status, and if your old EAD has expired and the new one has not arrived, you return without work authorization. Avoid international travel during a pending renewal unless you have no choice, and talk to an immigration attorney before making plans.