How to Track Your Green Card Status and Delivery

To track your green card status and delivery, use the 13-character receipt number from your USCIS Notice of Action in the free Case Status Online tool or a USCIS online account, then follow the USPS tracking number that appears in your account once the card ships. USCIS handles the processing side; USPS handles the delivery side. Knowing which tool covers which stage keeps you from calling the USCIS Contact Center when the answer is already on a screen you can reach.

Find Your Receipt Number First

Every tracking method starts with the same thing. USCIS assigns each application a unique 13-character receipt number made up of three letters followed by ten digits.¹ It appears on Form I-797C, the Notice of Action USCIS mails after receiving your filing.² If you filed electronically, the number likely starts with IOE, which indicates the case came through the USCIS electronic filing system. Keep the number somewhere you can find it fast. You’ll use it repeatedly.

Check Your Case Status Online

The quickest read on where things stand is the USCIS Case Status Online tool at egov.uscis.gov. Enter your receipt number without dashes, but include asterisks if they appear on your notice, and the system returns the most recent action taken on your case.³

The status messages track the life of the case. Early on you’ll see confirmation that the application was received and is under review. If USCIS needs more documentation, the status will show that a request for evidence was sent. As the case nears the end, the status shifts to indicate the card is being produced, meaning it’s in the printing queue. The last update before delivery says the card was mailed to your address. Checking every few days during active periods gives you a reliable picture of progress.

Open a USCIS Online Account for More Detail

The basic status tool gives you a snapshot. A USCIS online account at myaccount.uscis.gov gives you your full case history, the ability to respond to requests for evidence, access to most notices, and a secure messaging channel to USCIS. You can link a paper-filed case to an account and get the same features.⁴

The most useful piece for tracking a green card specifically: the account displays your USPS tracking number once USCIS mails the card.⁵ That number lets you follow the card through the mail in real time, which the basic Case Status tool doesn’t offer. You can also update your address and reschedule biometrics through the account.

Check Whether Your Wait Is Normal

If the case has been pending a while and you’re wondering whether that’s expected, USCIS publishes estimated processing times for each form at each office. Look them up at egov.uscis.gov/processing-times by selecting your form and the office handling your case. If your form isn’t on the processing time tables, USCIS aims to decide within six months of filing and asks that you wait that full period before submitting an inquiry.⁶ These estimates set the baseline for whether refreshing the status page is going to tell you anything new.

Track the Card Through USPS

Once your case status confirms the card has been mailed, the delivery side moves to the United States Postal Service. With a USCIS online account, the USPS tracking number appears there automatically, and you can enter it at usps.com for step-by-step location updates.⁵

USPS Informed Delivery is a free complement. It sends daily email previews with grayscale images of letter-sized mail heading to your address, and you can set email and text alerts for packages and add tracking numbers to your dashboard manually. Signing up requires identity verification and a valid residential address.⁷ Between the USCIS-provided tracking number and Informed Delivery, you should know exactly when the card is landing.

Update Your Address If You Move

This is where a lot of green cards go astray. If you move while the application is pending, or after approval but before the card arrives, it goes to the old address. Federal law requires noncitizens in the United States to report a change of address within 10 days of moving.⁸

You can satisfy that requirement by filing a paper Form AR-11 by mail or by using the online change of address tool through your USCIS account.⁹ The online Enterprise Change of Address tool is the better option because it updates your mailing and physical address across almost all pending applications, petitions, and requests in one step, whether you originally filed online or by paper.¹⁰

One detail people miss: filing a change of address with USPS mail forwarding does not update your address with USCIS. Notify both agencies separately.¹⁰

If the Card Was Mailed but Never Arrived

If the status says the card was mailed but nothing shows up, or you received an approval notice at least 90 days ago and no card has arrived, submit a non-delivery inquiry through the USCIS e-Request system. Wait the full 90 days after the approval notice before filing; USCIS asks specifically for that.¹¹

Go to the “Did Not Receive Card by Mail” section at egov.uscis.gov/e-request.¹² You’ll need:

Your 13-character receipt number from Form I-797C
Your A-Number, if applicable
The date you filed the original application
The form type you filed
What document is missing
An email address for USCIS to contact you

USCIS then investigates the delivery failure and decides whether to reissue the card.¹¹

Get Temporary Proof of Status While You Wait

Waiting months for a physical card creates a real problem when you need to prove permanent resident status for a job, travel, or anything else. Lawful permanent residents without their green card in hand can request an ADIT stamp, also called an I-551 stamp, as temporary evidence of status.¹³

Call the USCIS Contact Center to request the stamp. An officer will verify your identity, your mailing address, and whether the address can receive UPS or FedEx express deliveries. If an in-person visit isn’t required, a field office will review the request and mail you a Form I-94 with the ADIT stamp, a DHS seal, and a printed photo from USCIS records.¹³ USCIS sets the validity period case by case, up to one year.

You’ll need to appear at a field office in person if you have urgent needs, if USCIS doesn’t have a usable photo of you on file, or if your identity or address can’t be confirmed over the phone.¹³

If You Had the Card and Then Lost It

The e-Request non-delivery process only covers cards that never arrived. For a card that was in your hands and is now lost, stolen, or destroyed, you need Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card.¹⁴ The same form covers cards that are damaged, contain incorrect information, or have expired. You can file Form I-90 online through your USCIS account or submit a paper version by mail. Check the USCIS fee schedule for the current filing fee.

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Checking Your Case Status Online
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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. Case Status Online
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Benefits of a USCIS Online Account
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. How to Track Delivery of Your Notice or Secure Identity Document or Card
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. e-Request – Check Case Processing
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United States Postal Service. Informed Delivery – Mail and Package Notifications
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Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 8 – 1305
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. AR-11, Alien’s Change of Address Card
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Launches New Online Change of Address Tool
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Non-Delivery of Card
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. e-Request – Self Service Tools
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Announces Additional Mail Delivery Process for Receiving ADIT Stamp
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card (Green Card)