To renew your green card, file Form I-90 (Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card) with USCIS up to six months before the expiration date on the front of your card. The fee is $415 online or $465 by mail, and both amounts include biometrics. Processing currently runs around nine months, but once USCIS accepts your application the receipt notice automatically extends your card’s validity for 36 months, so you keep proof of status while you wait for the new one to arrive.
When to File
USCIS accepts Form I-90 as early as 180 days before your card’s expiration date. Filing inside that window is the cleanest path: you get the 36-month extension on your receipt notice and avoid any documentation gap.
Late filing carries no penalty. If your card already expired, you can still submit Form I-90 and receive the same 36-month extension, measured from the original expiration date on the card. An expired card does not, by itself, end your permanent resident status. Your status continues unless you abandoned residency or had it formally revoked. But carrying an expired card creates real friction: airlines overseas may refuse to board you, border officers may send you to secondary inspection, and employers may not accept the card for work verification.
If you are outside the United States when your card is about to expire, USCIS advises filing Form I-90 as soon as you return, provided you come back within one year of departure and before the card expires.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Replace Your Green Card
What Form I-90 Asks For
Form I-90 is the only form used to renew a standard ten-year green card.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card (Green Card) You will provide:
- Your Alien Registration Number (A-Number), the seven-to-nine-digit number on your current card
- Full legal name, date of birth, and country of birth
- Current mailing address
- Your port of entry and the date you became a permanent resident
Keep your current or expired card in front of you as you complete the form. Every entry must match what USCIS already has on file. Mismatched names, dates, or A-Numbers are one of the most common reasons applications get rejected, and fixing them adds weeks to an already long timeline.
One boundary matters here. Form I-90 is for renewing or replacing a standard ten-year card. If you hold a two-year conditional green card obtained through marriage or investment, you need a different form. Marriage-based conditional residents file Form I-751 to remove conditions; investor-based conditional residents file Form I-829.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Conditional Permanent Residence Filing Form I-90 when you actually need one of those forms will not remove conditions on your status.
Fees and How to Pay
The filing fee is $415 online or $465 by mail.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055 Fee Schedule Both include biometric services; there is no separate biometrics fee.
USCIS overhauled its payment system in late 2025, and older guides are now wrong on this point. The agency no longer accepts personal checks, business checks, money orders, or cashier’s checks for paper-filed forms.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Filing Fees Online filers pay directly with a credit card, debit card, prepaid card, or ACH bank transfer. Paper filers must include either Form G-1450 (authorizing a credit card charge) or Form G-1650 (authorizing an ACH debit). A narrow paper-payment exemption exists using Form G-1651, but most filers use electronic payment.
Fee Waivers
If the fee is a hardship, you can request a waiver by submitting Form I-912 with your Form I-90.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-912, Instructions for Request for Fee Waiver USCIS recognizes three grounds:
- You or a qualifying family member currently receives a means-tested benefit such as Medicaid, SNAP, or SSI. Include a letter or notice from the benefit agency showing the recipient’s name, benefit type, and that it is currently active.
- Your adjusted gross household income is at or below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines for your household size.
- You have a financial hardship such as a medical emergency, job loss, homelessness, or a natural disaster, even if your income is higher.
The waiver must be filed at the same time as your I-90. USCIS will not accept it later. One trade-off: you cannot file Form I-90 online if you are requesting a fee waiver, so the whole package has to go by mail.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card (Green Card)
Filing Online or by Mail
Online filing is cheaper and generally faster. Create a USCIS online account at my.uscis.gov, complete the form in the system, upload any supporting documents, and pay electronically. You get an instant confirmation and can track case status from the same account.
If you prefer mail or need to file a fee waiver, send the completed paper Form I-90 with your payment authorization form to a USCIS Lockbox facility. The correct mailing address depends on where you live and whether you use USPS or a private courier like FedEx or UPS; check the USCIS website for the current Lockbox address. Use a shipping method with tracking so you have proof of delivery.
What Happens After You File
Receipt Notice and the 36-Month Extension
USCIS will mail Form I-797, a receipt notice, once your application is accepted. Since September 2024, this notice automatically extends your green card’s validity for 36 months from the expiration date printed on the card.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Extends Green Card Validity Extension to 36 Months for Green Card Renewals Carry the receipt notice with your expired green card. Together they serve as evidence of lawful permanent resident status, work authorization, and the right to travel.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Replace Your Green Card
Biometrics
USCIS will schedule you for a biometrics appointment at a local Application Support Center, where staff collect your fingerprints, photograph, and signature. These are used for background checks and to produce your new card. I-90 applicants cannot skip or reuse biometrics from a prior application.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 2 – Biometrics Collection Missing the appointment without rescheduling can stall your case.
Processing Time and Delivery
The median processing time for Form I-90 in fiscal year 2026 is about 9.2 months, though individual cases vary.9U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Historic Processing Times Track your case by entering your receipt number in the USCIS Case Status Online tool or through your online account. The new card goes to the address USCIS has on file.
Keep Your Address Current
If you move while your renewal is pending, federal law requires you to notify USCIS within 10 days.10U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. AR-11, Alien’s Change of Address Card The fastest way is through your USCIS online account, which updates the agency’s systems almost immediately. You can also file a paper Form AR-11 by mail, but that method does not automatically update your case file and may not stop the new card from being sent to the old address. Cards get lost this way more often than people expect during a nine-month wait.
Working and Traveling While You Wait
For work verification, your expired green card paired with the I-797 receipt notice counts as a valid List A document on Form I-9 for the full 36 months of the extension.11U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Extends Validity of Expired Permanent Resident Cards from 24 Months to 36 Months for Renewals Show both documents to your employer.
International travel is more complicated in practice. The expired card plus your receipt notice should get you back into the country, but airlines sometimes hesitate to board passengers using this combination, and Customs and Border Protection officers may send you to secondary inspection. If you want to reduce that friction, or your receipt notice is nearing the end of its 36-month window, request a temporary I-551 stamp (sometimes called an ADIT stamp) in your passport from a USCIS field office. The stamp is typically valid for 6 to 12 months and stands on its own as proof of permanent resident status. Bring your I-90 receipt number and A-Number, and schedule the appointment through the USCIS online portal. Keep trips short while your renewal is pending, so nothing suggests you have abandoned U.S. residency.
Lost, Stolen, or Damaged Cards
Form I-90 also covers replacement of a green card that has been lost, stolen, or physically damaged. The fee and process are the same. You will not have your old card to bring in, but USCIS does not require a police report for a lost or stolen card. Take whatever identity documents you have to your biometrics appointment; staff will verify your identity in person. If you need to travel or prove work authorization before the new card arrives, book an appointment for a temporary I-551 stamp as soon as you have your I-90 receipt.
Should You File N-400 Instead
If you have been a permanent resident for at least five years, or three years if you are married to a U.S. citizen, weigh applying for citizenship instead of renewing. Filing Form N-400 automatically extends your green card’s validity for 24 months, so you may not need Form I-90 at all.12U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Updates Policy to Automatically Extend Green Cards for Naturalization Applicants The N-400 receipt notice paired with your expired card serves as temporary proof of status during the naturalization process.
A few limits apply. If your card has already been expired for more than 24 months when you file N-400, the automatic extension will not cover the gap and you will still need Form I-90. The same is true if the card was lost rather than expired. And if your naturalization case runs past the 24-month extension, you will need a temporary I-551 stamp from a USCIS field office to keep your documentation current. For many people whose cards are expiring soon and who are already eligible to naturalize, filing N-400 saves both the I-90 fee and the wait for a card they may never use.