If your Green Card expired, you can still work in the United States. Lawful permanent resident status does not expire when the plastic card does, and that status is what authorizes you to work. The card is only the proof. So the practical question is not whether you may work, but how you document your right to work while you renew.
The Card Expires, Your Status Does Not
Form I-551, the Green Card, is evidence of your lawful permanent resident status, not the status itself. Most cards carry a 10-year expiration; some older cards issued between 1977 and 1989 have no expiration printed at all.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). 7.1 Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR) You keep permanent resident status until you voluntarily abandon it, naturalize as a U.S. citizen, or an immigration judge issues a final removal order against you.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Maintaining Permanent Residence None of those things happen because a printed date has passed.
If You Already Have the Job
This is the easy case. Federal rules prohibit employers from reverifying the work authorization of a lawful permanent resident who already completed Form I-9 when hired. It does not matter that your card has since expired. Your employer should not ask you for a new card, should not demand proof that you filed for renewal, and should not treat you differently in any way.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). 7.1 Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR) An employer that insists on reverification after your card expires may be engaging in unfair immigration-related employment discrimination.
The reason is simple. Your work authorization flows from your status, and permanent resident status has no expiration, so there is nothing to reverify.
Starting a New Job With an Expired Card
New hires are different. Every employer must complete a fresh Form I-9, and that means you have to present valid documents on your first days. An expired Green Card by itself will not do it. You have two workable paths.
Expired Green Card Plus Your I-90 Receipt Notice
Once you file Form I-90 to renew, USCIS mails you a receipt notice on Form I-797C. Presented together with your expired Green Card, that receipt notice counts as a valid List A document for Form I-9, establishing both identity and work authorization in one step.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Extends Green Card Validity Extension to 36 Months for Green Card Renewals The receipt notice extends the validity of your expired card for 36 months from the expiration date printed on the card.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Replace Your Green Card
Driver’s License Plus Unrestricted Social Security Card
If you have not filed for renewal yet, or you would rather not use the receipt route, you can pair a List B document like a state driver’s license with a List C document, an unrestricted Social Security card. The Social Security card must not carry restrictive language such as “not valid for employment” or “valid for work only with DHS authorization.”5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-9 Acceptable Documents This combination works regardless of what your Green Card says, because a permanent resident with an unrestricted Social Security card has work authorization that does not depend on the card’s expiration.
Renewing the Card
Your status is safe, but the card still matters for travel, identification, and easy hiring. USCIS recommends filing Form I-90 when your card has expired or will expire within six months.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-90, Instructions for Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card
You can file online through the USCIS website or on paper by mail. The fee is $415 online and $465 by mail, biometric services included.7USCIS. G-1055 Fee Schedule Online filers pay through Pay.gov. For paper filings, USCIS moved to electronic-only payments as of October 28, 2025: credit, debit, or prepaid card using Form G-1450, or direct bank withdrawal using Form G-1650. Checks and money orders are no longer accepted for paper filings.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS to Modernize Fee Payments with Electronic Funds A fee waiver is available if you receive a means-tested benefit, your household income is at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, or you face extreme financial hardship.9U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 4 – Fee Waivers and Fee Exemptions
You do not need to include passport photos anymore. USCIS captures your photo at the biometrics appointment.
The 36-Month Extension on the Receipt Notice
Once USCIS receives your Form I-90 and issues the Form I-797C receipt, your expired card is treated as valid for 36 months from the expiration date printed on it. This longer window took effect on September 10, 2024, replacing the previous 24-month extension.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Extends Green Card Validity Extension to 36 Months for Green Card Renewals Carry the two documents together and they function as proof of your status for work and travel. Receipt notices typically arrive within a few weeks of filing.
If Even the Extension Runs Out: The ADIT Stamp
Processing sometimes drags. If your Form I-90 is still pending and both the expired card and the 36-month extension have lapsed, you can get temporary evidence of status called an ADIT stamp, also known as an I-551 stamp. Call the USCIS Contact Center. An officer will verify your identity and address and then either schedule an in-person appointment at a field office or mail the stamp to you on a Form I-94. Validity is set by USCIS and cannot exceed one year. Some applicants must appear in person, particularly where the need is urgent or a usable photo is not on file.10U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Announces Additional Mail Delivery Process for Receiving ADIT Stamp The stamp works the same way as the card for I-9 purposes.
Conditional Residents Are a Different Situation
Everything above applies to standard 10-year permanent resident cards. If you have a two-year conditional Green Card, obtained through marriage to a U.S. citizen or through certain investor visas, the rules are different and the stakes are higher. Conditional residents generally cannot use Form I-90 to renew.11U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Removing Conditions on Permanent Residence Based on Marriage Instead, you file Form I-751 to remove the conditions during the 90-day window before your status expires. Miss that window and you automatically lose your permanent resident status and become removable from the United States.12U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Form I-751, Instructions for Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence Late filings can sometimes be excused for extraordinary circumstances, but “I forgot” rarely qualifies. If the marriage ended, your spouse died, or you experienced abuse, you may file the I-751 individually at any point after receiving conditional status.
Travel Is a Separate Question
Work authorization at home and reentry from abroad are not the same problem. Many airlines will not board you with an expired Green Card even when you have a receipt notice.13U.S. Customs and Border Protection. LPR- Lost, Stolen or Expired Green Cards or Has No Expiration Date CBP advises carrying the original Form I-797 receipt showing you applied for a replacement, and depending on the destination you may need an unexpired passport too. If your card expires or is lost while you are already abroad, contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate for a boarding foil that allows you to board a flight home. The cleanest approach is to file Form I-90 and have the receipt notice in hand before any international trip.