How to Renew or Replace a Green Card (Form I-90)

File Form I-90 if you are a permanent resident and:

• Your 10-year card will expire within 6 months, or has already expired
• Your card was lost, stolen, or damaged
• Your name or other details changed legally
• You reached your 14th birthday (you must replace the card; it is free if your card expires after your 16th birthday)
• You never received your card, or it has an error (free if the error was USCIS's fault)

Do not use I-90 if you have a 2-year conditional card from marriage or investment. You must file to remove conditions instead: Form I-751 for marriage cases or Form I-829 for EB-5 investors.

No. For 10-year cards, your permanent resident status continues even if the card expires. But the law requires permanent residents age 18 and over to carry valid proof of status, and an expired card causes practical problems:

• Employers cannot accept an expired card for new hiring on Form I-9
• Airlines and US Customs and Border Protection may question you when you return from travel
• Banks, landlords, and state agencies may ask for a current card

So renew on time. Since September 10, 2024, the I-90 receipt notice, together with your expired card, works as proof of status for 36 months from the card's expiration date.

1. Create a USCIS online account and file Form I-90 online (cheaper), or file on paper. Include a copy of the front and back of your current card, or a government-issued photo ID if the card was lost or stolen.
2. Pay the fee: $465 on paper or $415 online as of the September 2026 fee schedule. Biometrics are included.
3. Keep your receipt notice (Form I-797C). Carry it with your expired card.
4. Attend biometrics if USCIS schedules an appointment, or USCIS may reuse fingerprints from an earlier case.
5. Receive your new card by mail. Keep your address updated with USCIS (Form AR-11 or your online account) so the card is not lost.

If you urgently need proof of status (for example, for a trip or a new job) and your receipt is not enough, you can ask the USCIS Contact Center for a field office appointment to get a temporary stamp (Form I-94 with an I-551 stamp).

• Expired card, I-90 filed: carry your expired card and the I-797C receipt notice. Together they show you are a permanent resident for 36 months.
• Card lost or stolen while abroad: file Form I-131A ($575 in the September 2026 fee schedule) with the US embassy or consulate, to get a travel document (boarding foil) to return. Then file I-90 once you are back.
• Long trips: staying outside the US for more than 6 months can raise questions about abandoning your residence, and 1 year or more without a reentry permit usually means you lose your green card. See reentry permit.

Renewal is routine for most people. But USCIS runs background checks at biometrics. If you have been arrested or convicted of any crime since getting your green card, or spent long periods abroad, talk to a licensed immigration lawyer before filing. Some offenses make permanent residents removable, and a renewal can bring them to USCIS's attention. The same advice applies to naturalization.

If you have had your green card for 5 years (or 3 years if married to and living with a US citizen), you may be able to apply for US citizenship instead. You can file up to 90 days early. Use our naturalization date calculator to find your first filing date.

If your card expires soon and your naturalization case may take a long time, you may still need to renew the card. As of September 2026, the naturalization fee (Form N-400) is $760 on paper or $710 online.