Where to Mail Your Green Card Application: Lockbox, Fees, Receipt

To mail your green card application, send Form I-485 to the USCIS Lockbox facility assigned to your eligibility category and state of residence, using the exact address listed on the USCIS “Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-485” page on the day you ship.¹ There is no single mailing address that works for every applicant, and as of October 28, 2025, you also have to pay the filing fee electronically rather than by check or money order.²

Finding the Right Lockbox Address

USCIS runs Lockbox facilities in Phoenix, Elgin (Illinois), Chicago, and Dallas. Which one receives your package depends on the form, the basis for your green card (family-based, employment-based, or another category), and where you live.³ Look up your address on the USCIS Direct Filing Addresses page immediately before mailing. USCIS updates Lockbox assignments periodically, and an outdated address can delay your case by weeks or trigger a rejection.

USPS Address vs. Courier Address

Every Lockbox has two addresses, and they are not interchangeable. USPS deliveries go to a P.O. Box; FedEx, UPS, and DHL shipments go to a physical street address at the same facility.³ Match the address to your shipping method. Sending a FedEx package to a P.O. Box will not work, and using the courier street address for USPS causes its own problems. The Lockbox chart shows both address types for every facility.

Picking a Delivery Method

You can ship through USPS, FedEx, UPS, or DHL. Whatever you pick, use a service with tracking and delivery confirmation. Certified Mail with a return receipt works for USPS. With FedEx, do not select the “Adult Signature Required” option; USCIS Lockbox facilities will not accept packages sent that way. Use “Direct Signature Required” instead if you want signed confirmation.⁴

Lockbox facilities are closed on weekends and federal holidays and cannot receive deliveries then.⁵ If you’re up against a filing deadline, plan the shipment so it lands on a business day. Confirm your return address is legible and your postage is sufficient; a package returned for insufficient postage does not count as filed.

Paying the Filing Fee

The filing fee for Form I-485 is $1,440 for applicants age 14 and older. If the applicant is under 14 and filing concurrently with a parent’s I-485, the fee is $950. Some categories, including certain special immigrants and refugees, pay no fee.⁶ Check the fee schedule for your specific category before you file.

Electronic Payment Only

Since October 28, 2025, USCIS no longer accepts paper checks or money orders at the Lockbox. You must pay by credit card, debit card, or ACH bank transfer.² For a credit or debit card, complete Form G-1450 (Authorization for Credit Card Transactions) and include it in your package. For ACH, complete Form G-1650 instead. Do not include both a G-1450 and a G-1650 for the same fee; that alone will get the filing rejected.⁷

Make sure your card has enough available credit for the full amount. USCIS will not retry a declined card and will reject the filing. If you genuinely cannot pay electronically, you can request a paper payment exemption using Form G-1651; without that approval, any check or money order you include causes a rejection.

One Payment Authorization per Form

If you file more than one form together, each one needs its own separate payment authorization. Combining fees for two forms onto a single G-1450 can get the whole package rejected. This comes up often when applicants file I-485 with Form I-765 (work permit) or Form I-131 (travel document).⁷ For applications filed after April 1, 2024, each companion form also carries its own separate filing fee.⁸

Assembling the Package

How you physically put the package together matters. USCIS scans incoming documents at the Lockbox, so anything that interferes with scanning slows processing or causes pages to be missed.

Physical Assembly

Skip staples, paperclips, binder clips, and spiral bindings. Do not hole-punch documents or submit them in binders, photo albums, or scrapbooks.⁹ Print all forms and supporting documents single-sided on standard 8½-by-11-inch paper, and do not include duplicate copies of the same document.⁵

Send legible copies of official documents like birth certificates and passports, not originals. USCIS may destroy originals it did not specifically request and will not automatically return them. Any document not in English needs a certified English translation signed by the translator and certified as complete and accurate.

Include the Medical Exam (Form I-693)

Since December 2, 2024, USCIS requires you to submit Form I-693 (Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record) with your I-485. Leaving it out can result in rejection of the whole application.¹⁰ Complete the exam with a USCIS-designated civil surgeon before you file. The civil surgeon gives you the completed I-693 in a sealed envelope, and you submit that sealed envelope inside your package. Do not open it.

Attach Form G-1145 for Electronic Notification

Clip Form G-1145 to the front of your package to receive an email or text when USCIS accepts the filing. The notification typically arrives within 24 hours of acceptance and includes your receipt number, so you can start tracking the case before the paper notice arrives.¹¹ It’s a single half-page and only asks for your name, email, and phone number.

Before you seal the envelope, copy the entire package, including the payment authorization forms. Keep the copies with your shipping tracking number.

Errors That Cause a Rejection

USCIS doesn’t judge the merits of your case at the Lockbox. It checks whether the package is properly assembled with the right form, correct fee, and required signatures. Miss any of those and the whole package comes back with no filing date recorded. The most common triggers:

Filing an outdated form edition. The edition date is printed at the bottom of each page; check the form’s webpage before mailing.¹²
Submitting the wrong payment amount.⁷
Mixing payment methods, such as including a money order alongside a G-1450.
Leaving required selections blank on Form G-1650, including whether the account is business or personal and whether it’s checking or savings.⁷
Missing signatures on any form in the package.
Filing the I-485 without the sealed Form I-693.¹⁰

A rejection means resubmitting and losing whatever priority the earlier attempt might have secured. Running through the USCIS “Five Steps to File at the USCIS Lockbox” page one more time before mailing is worth the extra half hour.⁵

After You Mail It

The Receipt Notice

The first official communication from USCIS is a receipt notice, Form I-797C (Notice of Action). It confirms acceptance and provides a 13-character receipt number: three letters followed by ten digits.¹³ You’ll use that number to track your case on the USCIS website.¹⁴ If you filed G-1145, expect the number by email or text within about 24 hours of acceptance.

Biometrics Appointment

Most applicants next receive a separate notice scheduling a biometrics appointment at a nearby Application Support Center. USCIS collects fingerprints, a photograph, and a signature for identity verification and background checks.¹⁵ The appointment notice is also a Form I-797C and lists the date, time, and location. Missing it without rescheduling can stall your case.

If the Receipt Notice Never Arrives

If more than 30 business days have passed since USCIS processed your filing fee and no receipt notice has arrived, email lockboxsupport@uscis.dhs.gov. Include the form number, your name, your mailing address, and the delivery tracking information for the package. Do not include your Social Security number or A-number in the email.¹⁶ Saving the tracking number and copies of your payment authorization pays off here.

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Electronic Payments Policy Alert
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Lockbox Filing Locations Chart for Certain Non-Family-Based Forms
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Tips for Filing Forms by Mail
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Five Steps to File at the USCIS Lockbox
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055 Fee Schedule
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Filing Fees
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Recommendations for Paper Filings to Avoid Scanning Delays
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form G-1145, e-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Forms Updates
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Receipt Number
14
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-797C, Notice of Action
15
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Preparing for Your Biometric Services Appointment
16
Department of Homeland Security. When to Contact a USCIS Lockbox