Where to Find Your A-Number on Immigration Documents?

To find your A-Number on immigration documents, check the front of your Green Card or Employment Authorization Document, the immigrant visa stamp in your passport, and the header of any notice USCIS has mailed you. The number is the letter “A” followed by seven, eight, or nine digits, and it stays with you for life once assigned.¹

What the Number Looks Like

An A-Number is the letter “A” followed by seven, eight, or nine digits assigned by the Department of Homeland Security.¹ Older numbers tend to be shorter. On forms and government verification systems, pad shorter numbers with leading zeros until you reach nine digits: A1234567 becomes A001234567.² Some forms want the “A” included; others want only the digits. Read the instructions before you type.

Green Card

Your Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551) is the most common place to find your A-Number. On cards issued after May 2010, it appears on the front, labeled “USCIS#” or printed alongside your biographical data.³ USCIS redesigned the card again in 2023, which moved several fields to new positions compared to earlier versions.⁴

If your card was issued before May 2010, check the back. Older designs printed the A-Number on the reverse side near the top, or embedded it in the machine-readable zone at the bottom.⁴ Look at both sides if you’re not sure.

Employment Authorization Document

The Employment Authorization Document (Form I-766), commonly called a work permit, also carries your A-Number on the front. Depending on the design, it may be labeled “USCIS#” or “Alien Number.”⁴ Like the Green Card, the EAD was redesigned in 2023, so the exact position varies between the current and previous card faces.

Immigrant Visa Stamp in Your Passport

If you entered the United States on an immigrant visa, look at the visa stamp (also called a visa foil) in your passport. The A-Number is printed on the foil, usually in a field labeled “Registration Number” rather than “Alien Number” or “A#,” and it is preceded by the letter “A.”⁵

Most nonimmigrant visas, such as tourist or student visas, do not carry an A-Number. If you have only ever held a nonimmigrant visa and never filed an application that would have triggered registration, you probably don’t have one yet.

USCIS Notices and Correspondence

Almost every letter USCIS sends you prints your A-Number near the top of the page. The most common example is Form I-797, the Notice of Action issued when USCIS receives, approves, denies, or requests more evidence on a case. Check the header block for a field marked “A#,” “Alien Number,” or “USCIS#.” Receipt notices, approval notices, requests for evidence, interview letters, and asylum decisions all follow the same layout. Grab whichever notice is on top of the stack.

Two Numbers That Are Not Your A-Number

USCIS notices also print a receipt number, which tracks one specific application rather than you. A receipt number is 13 characters: three letters such as EAC, WAC, or IOE, followed by 10 digits.⁶ If a number starts with three letters, it is not your A-Number.

Immigrant visa holders also have a Department of State Case ID, shown on the visa foil as “IV Case Number.” It starts with three letters followed by nine or ten digits and tracks your case at the consulate.⁵ Paying the USCIS immigrant fee requires both numbers, so it helps to know which is which. The DOS Case ID on the visa foil may include two extra trailing digits like “01” or “02” that you drop when entering it online.

Immigration Court Documents

If you have been placed in removal proceedings, your A-Number appears on the Notice to Appear and every filing that follows. On the NTA, it is usually labeled “File No.” near the top of the first page. Any orders, motions, or scheduling notices from the immigration court carry the same number. These are useful backups when other paperwork has gone missing, because they are among the earliest records in your file.

Who Might Not Have One

The A-Number is created the first time the Department of Homeland Security registers you. That can happen when you’re admitted at the border and issued a Form I-94, when you file certain applications such as Form I-485 to adjust status, or when you are encountered by immigration authorities.⁷ Someone who entered on a short-term nonimmigrant visa and never filed anything with USCIS may not have been assigned a number at all.

If You Can’t Find It Anywhere

When none of the documents above are available, two options remain.

Call the USCIS Contact Center

The fastest route is usually a phone call to 1-800-375-5283.⁸ After identity verification, a live agent can look up basic case information. It will not always produce the number on the spot for a complicated case history, but it is worth trying before turning to a records request. An immigration attorney can also retrieve the number through their own files or by contacting USCIS on your behalf.

Request Your Records Through FIRST

USCIS runs a digital system called FIRST (Freedom of Information Act Immigration Records System) for submitting records requests, tracking progress, and downloading documents through your USCIS online account.⁹ As of January 22, 2026, online submission through FIRST is the only accepted method for FOIA or Privacy Act requests for USCIS records; the paper Form G-639 process is no longer standard.¹⁰

Include your full name, date of birth, and any application or receipt numbers you remember. A narrow request for a specific document processes faster than a broad request for your entire file. Response times run from weeks to months depending on request volume.¹⁰

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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. A-Number/Alien Registration Number/Alien Number
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. SAVE Tutorial – Introduction to SAVE and the Verification Process for SAVE Users
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Number
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. 13.1 List A Documents That Establish Identity and Employment Authorization
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Immigrant Fee Payment: Tips on Finding Your A-Number and DOS Case ID
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Receipt Number
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Federal Register. Alien Registration Form and Evidence of Registration
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 1, Part A, Chapter 3 – Types of Assistance
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Expands FIRST: A Fully Digital FOIA System
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Request Records through the Freedom of Information Act or Privacy Act