How to Replace a Lost, Stolen, or Damaged EAD Card

To replace a lost EAD card, file a new Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and select item 1.b to mark the filing as a replacement. The fee is $470 if you file online and $520 if you file on paper. Your replacement carries the same expiration date as the original, so the sooner you file, the smaller your gap in being able to prove work authorization.

What to Send With Form I-765

Form I-765 is the only form USCIS accepts for this purpose. You can download it from the USCIS website or complete it through the online portal if your eligibility category allows electronic filing. On the form, item 1.b tells USCIS you are replacing a lost, stolen, or damaged card.¹

Include these with the form:

Two color passport-style photos taken within 30 days of filing. Each must be 2 x 2 inches, show a full frontal view of your face, and have your head measuring between 1 inch and 1⅜ inches from chin to crown. No glasses.²
A copy of the front and back of your previous EAD. If the card is gone, submit a copy of another government-issued identity document such as a passport or national ID.¹
A written statement explaining how the card was lost, stolen, or damaged. Include the USCIS receipt number from your original EAD application if you have it.
A police report if the card was stolen. USCIS does not require it in every case, but including one documents the theft and strengthens the application.
Supporting evidence if you are correcting information the card should have shown, such as a marriage certificate for a name change. This applies when the correction is not the result of a USCIS error.³

Filing Fees and How to Pay

USCIS charges $470 for online filings and $520 for paper.⁴ The $50 difference is one reason to file electronically when your category allows it.

USCIS no longer accepts personal checks, business checks, money orders, or cashier’s checks for paper filings unless you qualify for an exemption. For paper filings, pay by credit, debit, or prepaid card using Form G-1450, or authorize a direct bank transfer using Form G-1650.⁵ You can split the payment across multiple cards by submitting a separate G-1450 for each.⁶

Fee Waivers

If you cannot afford the fee, submit Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver, with your application. USCIS generally approves waivers where household income is at or below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines. For 2026, that is $23,940 or less for a single-person household and $49,500 or less for a four-person household, with higher thresholds in Alaska and Hawaii.⁷ Each request is reviewed individually, so document the hardship clearly.

If USCIS Caused the Error

You do not owe a new fee or a new Form I-765 if your card arrived with incorrect information caused by USCIS.³ For a typo, submit a service request through the USCIS website, choose “EAD Replacement due to USCIS Error,” and mail the incorrect card to the Lee’s Summit Production Facility in Missouri. USCIS typically issues the corrected card within about 30 days of receiving the defective one. For more complex errors, like a wrong validity period, mail a letter explaining the error along with supporting evidence and the defective card to the same facility.⁸

Where to Submit the Application

Whether you can file online depends on your eligibility category. Not everyone has that option.

Online Filing

Several categories qualify, including adjustment-of-status applicants under (c)(9), asylum applicants under (c)(8), TPS holders under (a)(12), and F-1 students filing for OPT. Some categories work through the USCIS guided workflow; others upload a completed PDF.⁹ You create a USCIS online account, complete the digital form, upload scans of your documents, and pay the $470 fee. Review everything before submitting.

Paper Filing

If your category cannot file online, mail the complete package to the correct USCIS lockbox. The address depends on your category and where you live, so check the USCIS lockbox filing locations chart before you mail anything.¹⁰ Sending it to the wrong lockbox slows processing. Use a trackable service like certified mail or a courier, and keep copies of everything.

Working While You Wait

Filing to replace a lost or stolen EAD does not automatically extend your work authorization the way a renewal filing can. Your underlying authorization from the original category may still be valid, but without the physical card, proving it to an employer becomes the problem.

The 90-Day Receipt Rule

For Form I-9, the receipt notice USCIS sends after accepting your application (Form I-797C) can temporarily stand in for the missing card. Employers may accept it as proof of work authorization for 90 days. Before those 90 days end, you need to present either the actual replacement card or another acceptable combination of I-9 documents.¹¹

If the card has not arrived by day 90, you still have options. You can present a different combination from the I-9 lists. For example, a driver’s license from List B paired with an unrestricted Social Security card from List C can substitute for the EAD (a List A document). Talk to your employer before the 90 days run out so nobody is scrambling.

The Risk of Working Without Authorization

Working without valid authorization can permanently bar you from adjusting status to lawful permanent resident. USCIS treats service performed without proper authorization as a potential disqualifier, and the bar reaches not just your current stay but any prior unauthorized work in the United States.¹² If you are unsure whether you can keep working while the replacement is pending, talk to an immigration attorney before assuming either way.

After You File

USCIS sends Form I-797C, Notice of Action, to confirm receipt. That notice carries your receipt number, which you need to track the case and to satisfy the I-9 receipt rule.¹³

Biometrics

Some applicants get a biometrics appointment at a USCIS Application Support Center. The appointment is brief: fingerprints, a photo, and a signature for background checks. Bring the I-797C appointment notice and a valid photo ID such as a passport or driver’s license.¹⁴ Missing the date will delay everything, so treat it as fixed.

How Long It Takes

Processing times vary by service center and eligibility category. Some cases resolve in two to three months, others stretch past six. USCIS publishes current times on its website, and you can check your own case using the receipt number from your I-797C.¹⁵

Expedites and Premium Processing

Premium processing is not available for most replacement filings. It is currently limited to F-1 students applying for OPT or STEM OPT extensions, at a cost of $1,780.¹⁶ If your category does not qualify but your situation is urgent, you can request an expedite from USCIS. Qualifying circumstances include severe financial loss such as imminent job loss, emergencies or urgent humanitarian situations, and clear USCIS error.¹⁷ Needing work authorization by itself does not qualify. You have to show specific, documented harm.

If You Move

Non-citizens must report an address change to USCIS within 10 days of moving. With a pending I-765, an out-of-date address means receipt notices, biometrics appointments, and the card itself can all go to the wrong place. The fastest fix is through your USCIS online account, entering the receipt number for each pending case. You can also file Form AR-11 by mail, though USCIS encourages the online method.¹⁸

Getting the Card

Once USCIS approves the application, the new card is produced and mailed to your address of record. If it does not arrive, wait at least 90 days from the approval notice before filing a non-delivery inquiry through the USCIS e-Request system.¹⁹ An inquiry filed too early will likely be rejected.

Travel While Your Replacement Is Pending

A lost EAD does not by itself block international travel if you hold a valid advance parole document or another travel authorization. The risk is what a departure means for your underlying case. Adjustment-of-status applicants who leave the United States without advance parole may have their green card applications treated as abandoned, and asylum applicants face the same risk for their asylum applications.²⁰ Even with the right documents, a Customs and Border Protection officer at the port of entry makes the final call on admission. If you are waiting on a replacement EAD and thinking about traveling, talk to an immigration attorney first.

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-765, Instructions for Application for Employment Authorization
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U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passport Photos
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Employment Authorization Document
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Frequently Asked Questions on the USCIS Fee Rule
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-765, Application for Employment Authorization
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Filing Fees
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Poverty Guidelines
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Immigration Documents and How to Correct, Update, or Replace Them
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Forms Available to File Online
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Lockbox Filing Locations Chart for Certain Non-Family-Based Forms
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Acceptable Receipts
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 6 – Unauthorized Employment
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-797C, Notice of Action
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Preparing for Your Biometric Services Appointment
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Processing Times
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. How Do I Request Premium Processing
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 5 – Expedite Requests
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. How to Change Your Address
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. e-Request – Non-Delivery of Card
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Travel Documents