A Permanent Resident Card, commonly called a Green Card, is the official document proving you are authorized to live and work in the United States on a permanent basis. Formally designated Form I-551, it’s issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and serves as both identification and evidence of your immigration status. Holding one gives you most of the legal protections a U.S. citizen has, but it also comes with obligations, and there are specific actions that can cost you the status entirely.
What the Card Looks Like and Why It Matters at Work
Your card displays your photograph, full legal name, USCIS number (also called your A-Number), date of birth, and card expiration date. USCIS redesigns the card every few years to stay ahead of counterfeiters, and the version issued starting January 30, 2023 adds holographic images on both sides, updated Statue of Liberty artwork, and a partial-window layer-reveal on the back.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. 13.1 List A Documents That Establish Identity and Employment Authorization Older designs remain valid until the printed expiration date, so a card that looks different from someone else’s is not a problem.
The back of the card carries a machine-readable zone that customs officers scan at border crossings. Those security features are why the Green Card counts as a “List A” document for the Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification process. It proves both identity and work authorization by itself, and your employer cannot ask you for anything additional.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-9 Acceptable Documents
How You Get One
The main routes to permanent residency are family sponsorship by a U.S. citizen or existing permanent resident, employment-based petitions for workers with the right skills or an employer sponsor, the Diversity Visa Lottery (roughly 55,000 cards each year to applicants from countries with historically low immigration), and refugee or asylee status after one year of presence in the U.S. Special categories cover trafficking and domestic-violence victims under VAWA, certain religious workers, and special immigrant juveniles, among others.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Green Card Eligibility Categories Family and employment paths account for the majority of green cards issued each year, and wait times vary widely between categories.
What You Can Do With a Green Card
Permanent residents can live anywhere in the country, work for virtually any private employer, own property, attend public schools, and collect Social Security benefits they’ve earned. You’re covered by federal, state, and local laws, entitled to due process in legal proceedings, and eligible to petition for certain family members to receive their own green cards.
What You Still Cannot Do
The rights of a permanent resident stop short of citizenship in three important places, and mistaking those limits creates some of the worst problems people run into.
You cannot vote in federal elections. Voting as a non-citizen is a crime under 18 U.S.C. § 611, carrying possible prison time and making you deportable, and it can permanently destroy your path to citizenship. Federal jury service is also limited to U.S. citizens under 28 U.S.C. § 1865(b).
Most federal jobs are closed to you. Executive Order 11935 restricts competitive service positions in the federal government to U.S. citizens and nationals, and agencies may hire non-citizens only in rare cases when no qualified citizen is available. Congress often narrows this further through appropriations restrictions.4U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Employment FAQ – Do I Have to Be a US Citizen to Apply Private-sector work is wide open.
Obligations You Have to Meet
Taxes on Worldwide Income
The IRS treats you the same as a U.S. citizen. You must file an annual return and report your worldwide income, not just money earned inside the United States.5Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 851, Resident and Nonresident Aliens Claiming non-resident status on a tax form while holding a green card creates immigration trouble on top of the tax consequences.
Carrying the Card
Federal law requires every permanent resident age 18 and older to carry their Green Card at all times.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1304 – Forms for Registration and Fingerprinting Not having it on you is a misdemeanor. USCIS states that the penalty can include a fine of up to $5,000, imprisonment for up to 30 days, or both.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Alien Registration Requirement The rule is rarely enforced in routine daily life but matters during encounters with immigration authorities or at border crossings.
Selective Service
Male permanent residents ages 18 through 25 must register with the Selective Service System within 30 days of their 18th birthday or within 30 days of entering the United States, whichever comes later.8Selective Service System. Who Needs to Register Failing to register can block you from naturalizing and disqualify you from federal student aid and federal employment.
Address Changes Within 10 Days
Any move requires you to notify USCIS within 10 days of your new address, either online or by filing Form AR-11.9U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. How to Change Your Address
Social Security Number
If you requested an SSN during your visa application, the Social Security Administration mails your card to your U.S. address within about three weeks of arrival. Otherwise, you’ll need to visit a Social Security office in person with your passport and your Green Card or machine-readable immigrant visa.10Social Security Administration. Social Security Numbers for U.S. Permanent Residents
How Long the Card Lasts
A standard Green Card is valid for 10 years. Conditional cards, covered below, last only two. One common misconception: an expired card does not mean you’ve lost your status. Your permanent residency continues. But an expired card makes it hard to prove your right to work, re-enter the country after international travel, or interact with government agencies and banks.
File Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card, roughly six months before your card expires. The 2026 filing fee is $415 online or $465 on paper.11U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055 Fee Schedule Fee waivers are available in some situations, for example if USCIS made an error on your previous card or if a card you never received was returned to USCIS as undeliverable.
The same Form I-90 covers a lost, stolen, or destroyed card. While the replacement is in progress, USCIS can stamp your passport with temporary proof of status, called an ADIT stamp, after you file the application.12U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Replace Your Green Card That stamp matters if you need to travel or start a new job before the replacement arrives.
Conditional Permanent Residence
If you got your green card through a marriage that was less than two years old at the time of approval, or through certain investment-based categories, you’re a conditional permanent resident. Your card is valid for only two years and you cannot simply renew it.
To keep your status, file a petition to remove the conditions during the 90-day window before your card’s second anniversary.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1186a – Conditional Permanent Resident Status for Certain Alien Spouses and Sons and Daughters Marriage-based cards use Form I-751, filed jointly with your spouse. If the marriage has ended or your spouse won’t cooperate, you can request a waiver of the joint filing requirement, but you’ll need to show the marriage was entered in good faith. Investment-based conditional residents use Form I-829.14U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Conditional Permanent Residence
Missing the window is where people get into serious trouble. Without a timely filing or an approved waiver, you lose permanent resident status and become removable.
Traveling Abroad Without Losing Your Status
You can travel internationally on your green card, but long absences raise questions about whether you’ve abandoned U.S. residency. Rough thresholds:
- Under 180 days: generally no issue on re-entry.
- 180 days to one year: a customs officer may question whether you still intend to live in the U.S., considering factors like whether you kept a home, job, or tax filings here.
- Over 365 consecutive days without a re-entry permit: your status is considered abandoned, and you may need to start over.15U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong and Macau. Immigrant Visas – U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents (Green Card Holders)
If you know you’ll be abroad for a long stretch, apply for a re-entry permit on Form I-131 before you leave. A re-entry permit is generally valid for two years, though USCIS will limit it to one year if you’ve spent more than four of the last five years outside the country.16U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Form I-131, Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records Even with a permit, a pattern of living abroad and only visiting will eventually draw scrutiny.
How You Can Lose Your Green Card
Permanent residency is not irrevocable. Beyond abandonment through long absences, a few actions can trigger removal.
Criminal Convictions
An aggravated felony conviction at any time after admission makes you deportable. A crime involving moral turpitude also leads to removal if it was committed within five years of admission and carries a possible sentence of a year or more, or if you’re convicted of two or more such crimes at any time.17Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1227 – Deportable Aliens The immigration-law definition of “aggravated felony” is broader than most people expect and covers offenses that aren’t felonies under state law, including certain theft or fraud convictions.
Immigration Fraud
Fraud in the application process is grounds for revocation. Marriage fraud carries especially stiff consequences: knowingly entering a marriage to evade immigration laws is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, on top of losing the green card.18United States Department of Justice Archives. Criminal Resource Manual 1948 – Marriage Fraud – 8 USC 1325c and 18 USC 1546
Not Removing Conditions
A conditional resident who doesn’t file to remove conditions on time loses status automatically, and an immigration judge can issue a removal order.
Moving From Green Card to Citizenship
A green card is often a stepping stone. Most permanent residents can apply for naturalization after five years of continuous residence, and spouses of U.S. citizens after three. Under the five-year path you also need at least 30 months of physical presence in the U.S. during those five years, and three months of residence in your current state or USCIS district before filing.19U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I Am a Lawful Permanent Resident of 5 Years
The application is Form N-400, with a filing fee of $710 online or $760 on paper and no separate biometrics fee.20U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. N-400, Application for Naturalization The process includes an English and civics test, a background check, and an interview. Naturalization is what unlocks voting, federal jury service, a U.S. passport, and federal jobs that require citizenship, none of which come with a green card alone.