How to Renew Your Green Card: Form I-90, Fees, and Processing

To renew your green card, file Form I-90 with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services within the six months before your card’s expiration date.¹ The fee is $415 online or $465 by mail, with no separate biometrics charge.² Once USCIS accepts the application, you receive a receipt notice that automatically extends your existing card for 36 months while you wait for the new one.³ Processing currently takes roughly 8 to 14 months.

Check Your Card Before You File Anything

Look at the expiration date printed on the front of your card. A ten-year expiration means you hold a standard permanent resident card and the I-90 renewal process below applies to you. A two-year expiration means you are a conditional resident, typically because you got your green card through a recent marriage. Conditional residents do not renew. They file Form I-751 to remove the conditions within the 90 days before the card expires, and I-751 has its own deadlines, evidence requirements, and petition structure. Filing I-90 by mistake wastes the fee and leaves your status unresolved.

When to File Form I-90

USCIS says to file when your card has expired or will expire within the next six months.¹ Filing early matters because an expired card without a pending application creates real friction at work, at the border, and in everyday moments where you need to prove your status.

Late filing is allowed. USCIS does not reject an application because the card has already expired, but during the gap employers can question your work authorization and airlines may hesitate to board you. Federal law also requires every permanent resident age 18 and older to carry their registration card at all times; failing to do so is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $100 or up to 30 days in jail.⁴ The penalty is rarely enforced on its own, but an expired card with no receipt notice invites scrutiny you can avoid.

If you are outside the United States when the six-month window opens and plan to return before the card actually expires, USCIS advises filing as soon as you are back on U.S. soil.¹

What You Need to File

Form I-90 is available on the USCIS website as a downloadable PDF and through the online filing system.⁵ You will need:

Your Alien Registration Number (A-Number), the seven-, eight-, or nine-digit number printed on the front of your current card.⁶
A legible photocopy of the front and back of your current card. Paper filers include these with the application.
Your full legal name, date of birth, current address, and marital status. If your name has changed since the last card was issued, be ready to provide a marriage certificate, court order, or other supporting document.

If your card was lost, stolen, or destroyed, include another form of government-issued identification such as a passport or driver’s license in place of the card copy. For a stolen card, file a police report before you submit your application. The report creates a record that helps if someone else tries to use your card.

Filing Online or by Mail

You can submit Form I-90 through the USCIS online portal or by mailing a paper application to a designated lockbox facility. Online filing costs $415; paper filing costs $465.² Neither has a separate biometrics fee.

Online Filing

Filing online requires a free USCIS online account. The same dashboard tracks case status, delivers notifications, shows estimated completion dates, and lets you respond to any requests for evidence. Fees are paid electronically during filing. One limit: you cannot file I-90 online if you are requesting a fee waiver.⁵

Paper Filing

Mail paper applications to the USCIS lockbox address listed in the I-90 instructions, not to a local field office. As of early 2026, USCIS no longer accepts personal checks, business checks, money orders, or cashier’s checks for paper-filed forms. You must pay by credit, debit, or prepaid card using Form G-1450, or by direct payment from a U.S. bank account using Form G-1650.⁷ Cards issued by foreign banks cannot be processed.

Fee Waivers

If you cannot afford the fee, USCIS allows fee waivers for Form I-90. Submit Form I-912 with your application; it must arrive together with the I-90, not afterward.⁸

The most straightforward way to qualify is to show that you or a household member currently receives a means-tested government benefit such as Medicaid, SNAP, or SSI. You provide a letter or notice from the granting agency showing the recipient’s name, the type of benefit, and that the benefit is currently active.⁸ You can also qualify based on household income at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. Fee waiver applicants must file on paper. The online system does not support the request.

After You File: Receipt Notice, Extension, and Biometrics

Once USCIS processes your payment and accepts the application, you receive a Form I-797C receipt notice.⁹ That notice automatically extends the validity of your existing green card for 36 months from the card’s original expiration date.³ Carry the receipt notice with your expired card. The two together prove your continued status for employment, travel, and identification.

USCIS will then schedule a biometrics appointment at a local Application Support Center. Staff will take your fingerprints, a digital photograph, and a signature to run background checks and produce the security features on your new card. The appointment notice specifies date, time, and location. Missing it without rescheduling can stall your case.

Processing Times and Checking Status

As of early 2026, most I-90 applications take roughly 8 to 14 months. Straightforward ten-year renewals tend to land around 11 months for 80% of applicants. Replacements for lost or damaged cards process somewhat faster, closer to 8 or 9 months. These timelines shift with USCIS workload and any additional background checks.

Check case status any time using the receipt number from your I-797C notice. Online filers see real-time updates in the account dashboard. Paper filers can enter the receipt number in the USCIS case status tool to see whether the case is pending, whether the card is being produced, or whether USCIS needs more from you.

For a genuine emergency such as severe financial loss, a humanitarian crisis, or a documented urgent need, USCIS can expedite processing at its discretion.¹⁰ You must explain the urgency and provide evidence. Frustration with the wait alone does not qualify.

Traveling While Your Renewal Is Pending

If your card expires while your I-90 is pending, you can still reenter the United States by presenting the expired card together with your I-797C receipt notice. The 36-month extension shown on that receipt makes the combination valid at the border.

If your card is lost, stolen, or destroyed while you are abroad, you may need to file Form I-131A at a U.S. embassy or consulate to obtain carrier documentation, a travel letter that allows an airline to board you back to the United States without penalty.¹¹ Permanent residents who stay outside the country for more than one year without a reentry permit risk being treated as having abandoned their status.

Criminal History Turns Renewal Into a Risk

Filing Form I-90 triggers a mandatory fingerprint check against FBI databases. If that check reveals a criminal history that makes you deportable, USCIS can refer your case for removal proceedings. You could lose your green card entirely instead of receiving a new one.

Federal law lists specific categories of offenses that make a permanent resident deportable:¹²

Aggravated felonies. A conviction at any time after admission makes you deportable.
Crimes of moral turpitude. A conviction within five years of admission carrying a potential sentence of one year or more is grounds for removal. Two or more such convictions at any time also qualify.
Drug offenses. Nearly any drug conviction triggers deportability, with a narrow exception for a single offense involving personal possession of 30 grams or less of marijuana.
Firearms offenses. Any conviction related to purchasing, possessing, or carrying a firearm in violation of law.
Domestic violence convictions, sex offenses, and certain fraud-related crimes.

Whether a particular conviction fits one of these categories is not always obvious from court records, and often turns on how immigration courts interpret the specific statute involved. If you have any criminal history, talk to an immigration attorney before filing. A renewal that draws USCIS attention to a deportable offense is far worse than an expired card.

If USCIS Denies Your Application

A denied I-90 does not by itself end your permanent resident status. Your status and the renewal application are legally separate. But if USCIS discovers something during the background check that makes you removable, the agency may issue a Notice to Appear, which starts removal proceedings in immigration court.

For denials based on correctable problems such as missing documents, incorrect information, or fee issues, you can file a new Form I-90. For denials you believe were legally wrong, you can file Form I-290B, a motion to reopen or reconsider, within 30 days of the decision. Your denial letter will say whether your case is eligible for appeal to the Administrative Appeals Office. In any of these situations, involve an immigration attorney quickly.

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Replace Your Green Card
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055, Fee Schedule
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Extends Green Card Validity Extension to 36 Months for Green Card Renewals
4
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 U.S.C. 1304 – Forms for Registration and Fingerprinting
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card (Green Card)
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. A-Number/Alien Registration Number/Alien Number
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Authorization for Credit Card Transactions
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-912, Request for Fee Waiver
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-797C, Notice of Action
10
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 5 – Expedite Requests
11
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. International Travel as a Permanent Resident
12
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 U.S.C. 1227 – Deportable Aliens