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 while you wait for the new card, USCIS can give you a free temporary stamp that proves your permanent resident status.1USCIS. Replace Your Green Card Federal law requires every permanent resident age 18 and older to carry the card at all times, so filing sooner rather than later matters.
Filing Form I-90
Form I-90 is the only form you need for a straightforward replacement.2USCIS. Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card You can submit it two ways.
Filing online is the faster and cheaper option. Create a USCIS online account, complete the digital form, upload your supporting documents, and pay through Pay.gov. Your account then lets you track the case, receive notices, and respond to any requests for evidence.
Filing by mail means printing the paper form and sending it, with your documents and payment, to the USCIS lockbox in Phoenix, Arizona. You have to file by mail if you are asking for a fee waiver, because the online system does not support that.
What You Need to Complete the Form
The key piece of information is your Alien Registration Number, the “A-Number” that ties together all your immigration records.3USCIS. Instructions for Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card Since your card is gone, look for it on older USCIS notices, your immigrant visa stamp, or any prior correspondence from the Department of Homeland Security.
The form also asks for your full name, date of birth, and current mailing address, and you should have a government-issued photo ID such as a passport or driver’s license. If you are also updating your name because of a marriage or court order, include the underlying document.
Any supporting document in a foreign language needs a certified English translation. The translator has to sign a statement confirming both their competence and the accuracy of the translation, and include their name, address, and the date.
Fees and When the Replacement Is Free
The standard filing fee is $415 online or $465 by mail. Biometrics are included in both figures.4USCIS. G-1055, Fee Schedule USCIS no longer accepts checks or money orders on paper filings; you pay electronically by card or by authorizing a withdrawal from a U.S. bank account.5USCIS. USCIS to Mandate Electronic Payments for Applications
USCIS waives the fee entirely in a few situations:4USCIS. G-1055, Fee Schedule
- Your previous card contained incorrect information because of a Department of Homeland Security error. You return the incorrect card and show what the correct information should be.6USCIS. Immigration Documents and How to Correct, Update, or Replace Them
- USCIS mailed the card but it came back as undeliverable and you never received it.
- You are at least 14, and your current card will not expire until after your 16th birthday.
If none of those apply and you cannot afford the fee, you can request a fee waiver on Form I-912, filed with your I-90 by mail.7USCIS. Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver
Proving Your Status While You Wait
Processing an I-90 can take many months, and you still need to work, travel, and handle everyday paperwork during that time. This is where a lost card causes the most friction, because the automatic receipt extension that helps people renewing an expired card does not help you.
Get an ADIT Stamp
If you no longer have your physical Green Card, USCIS can issue a temporary I-551 stamp, usually called an ADIT stamp, on a Form I-94 printout. It is an acceptable List A document for Form I-9 employment verification and it works as evidence of your lawful permanent resident status.8USCIS. Temporary Status Documentation for Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR)
To request one, call the USCIS Contact Center or book an appointment through myUSCIS.9myUSCIS. Schedule an Appointment In some cases USCIS can process the request remotely and mail the stamped document to you. If your photo on file is outdated, your identity cannot be verified from records, or you have an urgent need, you will have to appear in person at a field office.10USCIS. USCIS Announces Additional Mail Delivery Process for Receiving ADIT Stamp There is no fee. USCIS sets the validity period based on your situation, up to one year.
A Note on Expired Cards
Some people who search for help with a “lost” card actually have an expired card in a drawer. If the card is physically still with you, the receipt notice USCIS sends after you file I-90 automatically extends the card’s validity for 36 months from the expiration date, and you present the two together.11USCIS. USCIS Extends Green Card Validity Extension to 36 Months for Green Card Renewals If the card is truly gone, that extension does nothing for you, because you need both documents. The ADIT stamp is the answer.
What Happens After You File
USCIS first sends a receipt notice (Form I-797C) confirming your filing and giving you a receipt number for online case tracking.
Next comes a biometrics appointment at a local Application Support Center, scheduled by a separate I-797C notice.12USCIS. Preparing for Your Biometric Services Appointment A technician captures your fingerprints, photograph, and digital signature, which USCIS uses for the background check and to produce your new card. Missing the appointment can stall or sink your case.
Processing times for I-90 vary and can stretch beyond a year. USCIS publishes estimates by office on its website, and online filers see a personalized estimate on their account dashboard. USCIS may issue a Request for Evidence along the way. Once approved, the card is mailed to the address on file.
If you move while the application is pending, you must report the new address within 10 days by filing Form AR-11 online.13USCIS. AR-11, Alien’s Change of Address Card Skip this step and your new Green Card can end up at the wrong address, along with any notices about your case.
If You Lost the Card Outside the United States
You cannot file Form I-90 from abroad. If your card is lost or stolen while you are traveling, you need a temporary travel document called a boarding foil to return.
Go to the consular section of the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate and file Form I-131A, Application for Carrier Documentation, in person.14USCIS. Form I-131A, Application for Carrier Documentation The fee is $575, paid through the USCIS online payment system before the appointment.15U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Ecuador. Transportation Boarding Foils The boarding foil is a limited-validity document that gets you back to the United States. Once you are home, file Form I-90 for a permanent replacement.
If the Card Was Stolen
When a card is stolen rather than misplaced, file a police report before you file the I-90. The report documents the theft in case anyone tries to misuse your information. Your Green Card carries your A-Number, full name, date of birth, and photo, which is enough for someone to attempt identity fraud.
Consider a fraud alert with the three major credit bureaus and monitor your credit reports. If you find evidence that someone has actually used your information, report it to the Federal Trade Commission at IdentityTheft.gov. None of this substitutes for the I-90, but a replacement card alone will not undo fraud that has already happened.
Conditional Residents: File the Right Form
If you got your Green Card through marriage and it has a two-year expiration date, you are a conditional permanent resident, and the form depends on why you need a new card:
- Card lost, stolen, or damaged: file Form I-90, the same as any other permanent resident.1USCIS. Replace Your Green Card
- Card is expiring: do not file Form I-90. File Form I-751 to remove the conditions on your residence. Filing I-90 when I-751 is the right form is a common mistake that costs you both the fee and the time.16USCIS. Removing Conditions on Permanent Residence Based on Marriage
If a conditional card was both lost and is approaching expiration, talk to an immigration attorney about whether to file both forms and in what order.
Requesting Faster Processing
USCIS will consider an expedite request for Form I-90, but approvals are uncommon and reserved for genuinely urgent circumstances:17USCIS. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 1, Part A, Chapter 5 – Expedite Requests
- Severe financial loss to a company or individual, when the urgency was not caused by the applicant’s own delay in filing.
- Emergency or humanitarian situations, such as illness, disability, a family member’s death, or extreme conditions like natural disasters.
- Government interest, including public safety and national security matters.
- A clear USCIS error that caused the need for replacement.
Submit a written request with documentation supporting the urgency. Ordinary inconvenience from processing delays will not qualify. If your real need is employment verification or travel rather than the physical card, an ADIT stamp is usually the faster and more realistic path.