How to Send Documents to USCIS by Mail or Online

To send documents to USCIS, you have two paths: file online through the USCIS portal if your form is available there, or mail a paper package to the address listed on the “Where to File” page for that specific form. Either way, you must use the current form edition, pay the correct fee through an approved method, and sign the forms in the way USCIS requires. Get any of these wrong and the agency can reject the entire filing.

Which path you take depends on the form. Some can only be filed online, some only by mail, and many allow either.

Filing Online

Many common forms can be filed through the USCIS online portal, which lets you upload evidence, sign electronically, and pay in one step. Forms currently available include the I-90, I-130, certain I-131 application types, I-539, certain I-765 categories, N-400 (unless you are requesting a reduced fee or a fee waiver), and N-600, among others. The H-2A petition (Form I-129H2A) can only be filed online; USCIS will reject a paper version.¹

A few forms, including the I-140 and I-751, can be filed online only by uploading a completed PDF rather than using the portal’s guided workflow. USCIS updates the list of eligible forms regularly, so check the website before assuming a form must be mailed. Electronic signatures are accepted for online filings when the form instructions permit them.²

Preparing Paper Forms

Download every form directly from the USCIS website. Using an outdated edition can get your filing rejected, and USCIS regularly releases new editions with specific cutoff dates.³ Check the edition date at the bottom of each page against the current version listed on the USCIS Forms page before printing.

USCIS provides fillable PDFs. If you write answers by hand instead, use black ink.⁴ Your name, date of birth, and other biographical details must match your government-issued identification exactly. When you print, confirm that the edition date and page numbers appear on every page and that all pages come from the same edition.⁵

Signatures

Paper filings require a handwritten signature. Acceptable versions include a standard ink signature, an “X” or fingerprint if you cannot write, or an abbreviated signature if that is how you normally sign. You do not have to send the original “wet ink” document; a photocopy, scan, or fax of a document bearing an original handwritten signature is valid. USCIS will not accept signatures created by a stamp, typewriter, word processor, or auto-pen on paper filings.² Keep a complete copy of every signed form for your records.

Photos and Translations

Passport-style photos must be 2 inches by 2 inches, taken against a white or off-white background, with the head measuring 1 inch to 1⅜ inches from chin to top.⁶ Do not submit any document smaller than 4 by 6 inches as original evidence; provide photocopies instead. The exception is passport photos specifically requested by the form instructions.⁷

Any document in a foreign language must include a full English translation. The translator must certify in writing that the translation is complete and accurate and that they are competent to translate from that language into English.⁸ Certified translation of a one-page legal document typically costs $25 to $125.

Paying the Filing Fee

USCIS no longer accepts personal checks, business checks, money orders, or cashier’s checks for paper filings unless you qualify for a specific exemption.⁹ Two standard options remain for paper filings:

Credit card, using Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions.
ACH bank transfer, using Form G-1650, Authorization for ACH Transactions. Make sure the account has enough funds; a declined transaction can lead to rejection.¹⁰

If you cannot access banking or electronic payment, file Form G-1651, Exemption for Paper Fee Payment, and certify that electronic payment is not possible for you. If accepted, USCIS will take a personal or business check, money order, bank draft, or cashier’s check.¹¹

When filing multiple forms in one package, pay each fee separately with its own G-1450 or G-1650. A single combined payment for multiple forms puts the whole package at risk: if one form has a defect, USCIS may have to reject everything rather than the defective form alone.¹² You also cannot mix payment methods in one package.

Fee waivers are available for some form types using Form I-912 if you receive a means-tested benefit such as Medicaid, SNAP, TANF, or Supplemental Security Income, or if your household income is at or below 150 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. Not every form qualifies, so check the specific form’s instructions.¹³

Assembling the Paper Package

USCIS runs paper filings through high-speed scanners, so presentation matters. Stack your package top to bottom in this order:⁴

Payment authorization: G-1450, G-1650, or G-1651.
Form G-1145 if you want a text or email confirmation when USCIS accepts the filing.¹⁴
Form G-28 if an attorney or accredited representative is appearing.
The main form.
Any required supplements.
Supporting documents: translations, evidence, photos, and other exhibits.

Do not staple, paper clip, binder clip, hole punch, or otherwise fasten anything. Skip tab dividers, binders, plastic sleeves, photo albums, and folders. Do not fold pages or add sticky notes. All of these interfere with scanning.⁷ Do not send original birth certificates, marriage certificates, passports, or similar records unless the form instructions require an original or USCIS has asked for one.

Mailing the Package

Use a service that provides tracking. USPS, FedEx, and UPS all work. The correct mailing address depends on the form you are filing and, for some forms, where you live. USCIS routes most initial filings to a Lockbox for fee collection and data entry; some go directly to a Service Center.¹⁵ Filing locations change, so check the “Where to File” section on the USCIS page for your specific form right before you mail.

Many Lockbox locations list one address for USPS and a different one for private couriers like FedEx and UPS. Sending your package to the wrong address, or using the wrong address type for your carrier, can get your filing returned or delayed.

The Filing Date Is the Received Date

USCIS counts your filing date as the date the package physically arrives at the designated location, not the date you mailed it.¹⁶ A package postmarked before a deadline but delivered after it may not be considered timely. USCIS uses the postmark only to determine whether you used the correct form version and fee amount.⁸ If you are filing close to a deadline, mail early and use tracking.

After You File

USCIS generally issues a receipt notice within about 30 days of accepting the package.¹⁷ The notice, Form I-797C, confirms acceptance and shows your 13-character receipt number (three letters plus ten digits), which you use for every future inquiry.¹⁸ If you included Form G-1145, you will also get an earlier text or email alert.

Use the receipt number to check status through the USCIS online Case Status tool. If more than 30 days pass without a receipt notice, wait until at least 60 days after filing before submitting a non-delivery inquiry through the USCIS e-Request system.¹⁷

Requests for Evidence and Notices of Intent to Deny

If USCIS decides the filing does not contain enough evidence to approve, you will get a Request for Evidence (RFE) or a Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID). Both explain which requirements are not established and what additional evidence to send.¹⁹ The deadlines differ:

RFE: generally up to 84 calendar days (12 weeks). Some forms have shorter windows; Form I-539 and Form I-601A responses are due within 30 calendar days. USCIS cannot grant more time than the notice states.
NOID: 30 calendar days, regardless of form type. A NOID signals USCIS is leaning toward denial.

Miss either deadline and USCIS may deny the case for abandonment, on the existing record, or both. Respond well before the deadline.

Address Changes

If you move while your case is pending, or at any time while you are a noncitizen in the United States, report the new address to USCIS within 10 days on Form AR-11, Alien’s Change of Address Card, which can be filed online.²⁰ A and G visa holders and visa waiver visitors are exempt. Filing the AR-11 promptly is how you make sure future notices, including RFEs, interview letters, and decisions, reach you.

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Forms Available to File Online
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 2 – Signatures
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Forms Updates
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Tips for Filing Forms by Mail
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Filing Guidance
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U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passport Photos
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Recommendations for Paper Filings to Avoid Scanning Delays
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eCFR. 8 CFR 103.2 – Submission and Adjudication of Benefit Requests
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS to Modernize Fee Payments with Electronic Funds
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1651, Exemption for Paper Fee Payment
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Filing Fees
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-912, Instructions for Request for Fee Waiver
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1145, E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Lockbox and Service Center Filing Location Updates
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 6 – Submitting Requests
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. e-Request – Non-Delivery of Notice
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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. Chapter 6 – Evidence
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. AR-11, Alien’s Change of Address Card