How to Report and Replace a Lost Green Card: Filing Form I-90

To replace a lost Green Card, file Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card, with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The fee is $415 online or $465 by mail, and the same form serves as both your notification to USCIS and your request for a new card. There is no separate “lost card report.”¹ Because the wait for the new card can run months, most people also need a temporary proof of status in the meantime.

First Steps After the Card Goes Missing

If the card was stolen, file a police report. The report doesn’t start any immigration process, but it documents the theft for identity-protection purposes and can support your replacement application if questions come up later.² If you simply lost it, skip the police report.

Then file Form I-90. USCIS has no separate reporting mechanism for a missing card; the I-90 is how you tell the agency the card is gone and ask for a new one.¹ File promptly. Federal law requires every permanent resident age 18 or older to carry their registration card at all times, and failing to do so is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $100 fine, up to 30 days in jail, or both.³ Enforcement is rare, but the rule is on the books.

Filing Form I-90

Form I-90 asks for your Alien Registration Number (A-Number), biographical details, current address, and the reason for the replacement.⁴ “Lost,” “stolen,” “destroyed,” and “mutilated” are all valid reasons on the same form.¹

Online vs. Paper

Filing online is faster and $50 cheaper. Create a USCIS online account (or sign into your existing one), complete the form, upload supporting documents, and pay. The account also lets you check case status, respond to any requests for evidence, and receive electronic notices.⁵

If you prefer paper, mail the form, documents, and payment to the USCIS lockbox in Phoenix, Arizona. The mailing address is different for USPS versus private carriers like FedEx or UPS, so verify the current address on the USCIS website before you send anything.⁵

Supporting Documents

Since the card itself is lost, include a government-issued photo ID such as a driver’s license or passport. If the card was stolen, attach a copy of the police report. Submit as much identifying documentation as you can upfront; USCIS may issue a request for evidence if anything is missing, which delays processing.

Fees and Fee Waivers

The filing fee is $465 by mail or $415 online, with no separate biometrics fee. USCIS waives the fee entirely if the agency made an error on your previous card or if a card was mailed to you but returned as undeliverable.⁶

If you cannot afford the fee, file Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver, along with your I-90. Eligibility is generally based on receiving a means-tested benefit like Medicaid or SNAP, household income at or below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines, or financial hardship, and you’ll need documentation such as a benefit letter or evidence of income and expenses.⁷ A denied fee waiver doesn’t sink the underlying I-90, but USCIS won’t process the application until the fee question is resolved.

What Happens After You File

USCIS sends a receipt notice (Form I-797C) confirming your filing was accepted.⁸ Keep it. You’ll use it at your biometrics appointment, when requesting a temporary status stamp, and as a receipt for employment verification.

USCIS then schedules a biometrics appointment at an Application Support Center, where staff take your fingerprints, photograph, and signature. Bring the appointment notice and a valid photo ID like a passport or driver’s license. If you don’t speak English fluently, bring someone who can translate.⁹ Missing the appointment without rescheduling can lead to denial.

Processing times vary by service center and current backlog; the USCIS processing times page has the most current estimates. Once approved, the new card comes by mail, so keep your address up to date with USCIS throughout the case.

Proving Your Status While You Wait

Waiting months without any proof of status is the real problem with a lost card. You may need to show your right to work, board a domestic flight, or satisfy the carry requirement. USCIS can place an ADIT stamp (also called a temporary I-551 stamp) in your passport, which serves as temporary evidence of lawful permanent resident status.¹ To get one, request a field office appointment through my.uscis.gov and bring your passport and your I-90 receipt notice.

For employment, your I-90 receipt notice works as a temporary receipt for Form I-9 purposes. Employers must accept it for 90 days, and within that window you’ll need to show either the new Green Card or another acceptable document from the I-9 Lists of Acceptable Documents.¹⁰ If 90 days pass and the card still hasn’t arrived, the ADIT stamp in your passport counts as a valid List A document. Worth knowing: employers are not allowed to reverify lawful permanent residents whose Green Card expires, so a current employer should not be demanding a new card at reverification time.¹¹

USCIS does not offer premium processing for Form I-90. You can request expedited processing for a genuine emergency or urgent humanitarian reason, but the standard is strict and decided case by case. Simply needing the card quickly for travel or work generally won’t qualify on its own.¹² For most people, the faster path to proof of status is the ADIT stamp, not an expedite request on the card itself.

If You Lose Your Card Outside the United States

Losing your card abroad creates an immediate boarding problem. Airlines can face penalties for transporting someone to the United States without proper documents, so they will usually refuse to board you.

To get home, file Form I-131A, Application for Carrier Documentation, through the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. The filing fee is $575.⁶ If USCIS confirms you’re still a lawful permanent resident, it may issue a boarding foil placed in your passport or a boarding letter that lets the carrier transport you.¹³ Anyone can pay the fee from anywhere in the world, so a family member in the U.S. can cover it for you.¹⁴

Two limits are worth knowing. The boarding foil only gets you home; once back, you still need to file Form I-90 and pay the replacement fee for a new card.¹ And the I-131A process requires your last departure from the U.S. to have been within the previous 12 months. If you’ve been abroad longer than that, the consulate will look at whether you may have abandoned your resident status, which is a separate and more serious issue.²

Conditional Residents With a Two-Year Card

If you received your Green Card through marriage and it has a two-year expiration date, you’re a conditional permanent resident, and losing the card can collide with another deadline. You must file Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, during the 90-day window immediately before your conditional status expires.¹⁵

If the card goes missing well before that window, file Form I-90 for a replacement. If it goes missing close to or inside the I-751 filing window, the I-751 takes priority because it is time-sensitive. The I-751 instructions ask for copies of the front and back of your card, but you can explain that the card is lost and submit whatever alternative identification you have.¹⁵ Missing the I-751 deadline puts your entire permanent resident status at risk, so don’t let a lost card become the reason you file late.

1
USCIS. Replace Your Green Card
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U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Portugal. Lost, Stolen or Expired Permanent Resident Card
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Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1304 – Forms for Registration and Fingerprinting
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-90 Instructions – Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card
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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. USCIS Fee Schedule – Form G-1055
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USCIS. I-912, Request for Fee Waiver
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-797 Types and Functions
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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. Handbook for Employers M-274 – Acceptable Receipts
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Completing Supplement B, Reverification and Rehires
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Expedite Requests
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Application for Carrier Documentation
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. About Form I-131A, Application for Carrier Documentation
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence