USCIS Lets Eligible Green Card Holders Replace Expired Cards with Form I-90

USCIS lets lawful permanent residents replace an expired Green Card, or one due to expire within six months. They can file Form I-90 online or by mail.

As of November 13, 2026, renewal applicants can use the receipt notice with their expired card as temporary evidence of status, work authorization and permission to travel. The process is already in place.

Permanent residents replacing cards for other reasons may also qualify. These include cards that were lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed, as well as cards with incorrect information or a former name.

A cardholder outside the United States whose card will expire within six months should file after returning, if they plan to return within one year of departure and before the card expires.

Permanent residents must replace expired or soon-to-expire cards

The replacement requirement applies to lawful permanent residents whose cards have expired or will expire within six months. The agency also lists several other situations that call for a replacement:

• The card was lost, stolen, mutilated or destroyed.
• The card contains incorrect information, or the holder legally changed their name or other biographical information.
• The holder never received the previously issued card.
• The holder received the card before turning 14 and has since reached that birthday, subject to the age-based exception tied to the card’s expiration.
• The holder is moving between commuter status and residence in the United States, has had status automatically converted to permanent residence, or holds an older card such as Form AR-3, AR-103 or I-151.

Conditional permanent residents have a more limited set of reasons for using the replacement application. They may use it for a lost, stolen, damaged or mutilated card, incorrect information, a legal name or biographical change, or a card they never received.

An expiring conditional card follows a different route. The holder must file Form I-751 to seek removal of the conditions on residence, rather than use the replacement process to renew it.

Applicants can file online or by mail and check the fee category

Applicants may submit the application online or mail a paper filing. The fee depends on the filing category and method. The agency’s fee calculator was last reviewed October 6, 2026.

Applicants filing from outside the country under the expiring-card situation should wait until they return to file. The agency’s guidance specifies that this applies when the card will expire within six months and the holder will return within one year of leaving, before the card expires.

A renewal receipt and expired card provide temporary evidence

For a renewal, the receipt notice paired with the expired card serves as evidence of lawful permanent resident status for 36 months from the card’s expiration date. The notice also states that the holder remains authorized to work and travel.

Keep both documents together. The receipt notice is meant to accompany the expired card, rather than replace it as standalone evidence.

If the card is no longer available, the agency may issue an Alien Documentation, Identification & Telecommunications stamp after the application is filed. The USCIS Contact Center can help with questions about obtaining the stamp.

The agency will mail a replacement card if it approves the application. Applicants can check their case status online after waiting 72 hours from filing. Eligible residents can submit the application online or by mail and should check the fee calculator for the applicable filing category and method.