A standard Green Card expires 10 years after it’s issued, and a conditional Green Card expires after two years. The expiration date is printed on the front of the card. When that date passes, you don’t lose your status as a lawful permanent resident, but you lose the document that proves it, which is why filing to renew or to remove conditions before the date on the card matters.
The Two Expiration Timelines
Most permanent residents carry a card valid for 10 years. Before it expires, you file Form I-90 to get a replacement with a new date.
Conditional permanent residents are on a shorter clock. If you received your Green Card through marriage to a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, or through the EB-5 investor program, your card is valid for only two years. You don’t renew a conditional card. Instead, you file a petition to remove the conditions before the card expires, and the process is different enough that conditional residents should treat their situation as its own category.
What an Expired Card Actually Means
Your status as a lawful permanent resident is indefinite. The card is the physical evidence of that status, and when the card expires, only the evidence expires. Legally, you are still a permanent resident.
In practice, the distinction doesn’t help much day to day. Airlines can refuse to board you for a flight back to the United States if your card is expired. Employers may not accept an expired card on its own for Form I-9 employment verification. State agencies handling driver’s license renewals may hesitate without current proof of immigration status. You’re still a resident in each of those moments, but you’ll spend real time proving it.
One exception for people already on the job: employers are not allowed to reverify the employment eligibility of a lawful permanent resident who originally presented a valid Green Card. If your card expires after you were hired, your employer should not demand new documents.
Renewing a 10-Year Green Card
The renewal form is Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card. USCIS says to file it when your card will expire within six months, or when it has already expired.
What You’ll Need
You’ll need your current or expired Green Card, your Alien Registration Number (the A-Number is printed on the card itself), and your basic personal details, including full legal name, date of birth, and mailing address. On the form you select a reason for applying; for a standard renewal, that’s the option indicating the card has expired or will expire within six months. Check every entry against what’s printed on your existing card. Mismatches slow things down.
Filing Options and Fees
You can file Form I-90 online through a USCIS account, or mail a paper application to the USCIS Lockbox facility. Online filing costs $415. Paper filing costs $465. Both include biometrics, so there is no separate biometrics fee.
If the fee is a hardship, you can request a fee waiver with Form I-912. Qualifying grounds are that you’re currently receiving a means-tested government benefit, that your household income is at or below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines, or that you’re experiencing financial hardship.
After You File
USCIS sends a receipt notice (Form I-797) confirming your application was accepted. Keep it. Carry it with your expired Green Card as temporary proof of status. Most applicants are also scheduled for a biometrics appointment at an Application Support Center for fingerprints, a photo, and a signature. After that, you wait for the new card.
The 36-Month Automatic Extension
Since September 2024, filing Form I-90 to renew an expiring or expired Green Card automatically extends the card’s validity for 36 months from the expiration date printed on the card. The prior extension period was 24 months. USCIS updated the language on receipt notices to reflect the longer window, and if you filed before September 2024, USCIS printed amended receipt notices showing the extended period.
During those 36 months, your expired Green Card paired with the receipt notice is valid evidence of your permanent resident status and work authorization. You can use the combination for Form I-9 employment verification, domestic travel, and re-entry into the United States. That is the point of the extension: it covers you while USCIS processes the replacement.
Conditional Green Cards: Remove Conditions, Don’t Renew
If your card is the two-year kind, the deadline is stricter and the form is different. Marriage-based conditional residents file Form I-751 (Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence) during the 90-day window immediately before the two-year card expires. EB-5 investors file Form I-829 in the same 90-day window before expiration.
Missing the deadline is serious. If you don’t file Form I-751 on time, your conditional permanent resident status automatically terminates, USCIS sends notice of the failure, and removal proceedings begin with a Notice to Appear at an immigration hearing. For EB-5 investors, failing to file Form I-829 terminates status automatically on the second anniversary of the date conditional residence was granted.
There is one exception for marriage-based conditional residents. If you’re filing individually with a request to waive the joint filing requirement, because of divorce, abuse, or extreme hardship, you can file Form I-751 at any time before your conditional status expires, not only in the 90-day window.
Once you properly file either petition, USCIS extends your card’s validity for 48 months beyond the printed expiration date. That covers you while the petition is pending.
If Your Card Expires While You’re Abroad
This is the situation to plan around, because you cannot file Form I-90 from outside the United States. If your Green Card is lost, stolen, or expires while you’re abroad, contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate to request a boarding foil, sometimes called a transportation letter. That document lets you board a flight back. Once you’re in the United States, you file Form I-90 and pay the fee.
If your card will expire within six months but you plan to return before the expiration date, USCIS recommends waiting until you’re back in the country to file.
Permanent residents planning to be outside the United States for more than a year should apply for a reentry permit (Form I-131) before leaving. A reentry permit lets you apply for admission back into the country without needing a returning resident visa and can be valid for up to two years. Without one, an absence of more than 180 days can raise questions about whether you’ve abandoned your permanent resident status, and an absence of more than a year creates a strong presumption of abandonment. A reentry permit doesn’t guarantee admission, but it’s strong evidence that you intended to keep your U.S. residence.
Consider Naturalizing Instead of Renewing
If your 10-year card is close to expiring, it’s worth asking whether becoming a U.S. citizen fits better than another renewal. Citizenship ends Green Card renewals for good, removes the risk of status abandonment during long trips abroad, and gives you the right to vote in federal, state, and local elections.
You’re generally eligible to apply for naturalization after five years as a permanent resident, or three years if you’re married to and living with a U.S. citizen. You must have been physically present in the United States for at least half of that residency period and have maintained continuous residence. You’ll also need to show good moral character, pass an English test, and pass a civics exam on U.S. history and government.
The application is Form N-400, which costs $710 online or $760 on paper. Reduced fees and fee waivers are available for qualifying applicants. Compared with paying $415 to $465 every 10 years for an I-90 renewal, naturalization is often the better long-term move if you’re eligible and plan to stay in the United States. Timing an N-400 around your card’s expiration also spares you paying for both a renewal and a citizenship application in the same stretch.