What is the Process For Renewing an Expired Green Card?

After you’ve completed the green card application process and been awarded this important proof of permanent residence, it’s important to keep your green card updated. If this documentation is expiring soon, you will need to complete the process of renewing it with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Our article gives you detailed information on this process and what your next steps should be to renew an expired green card.

In this guide we will cover these questions:

• Why Is Your Green Card Important?
• The Process for Replacing a Green Card
• Who Is Eligible to Replace or Renew Their Green Card?
• What Is the Process for Renewing an Expired Green Card?
• What Information Do I Need to Replace My Green Card?
• Can Conditional Permanent Residents Renew Their Green Cards?
• Where Can I Get a Certified Translation?

Why Is Your Green Card Important?

Your green card, officially referred to as a permanent resident card, is an important identifier that shows you are able to legally live and work in the United States. The process for obtaining a green card can be lengthy, and it’s important to treat your green card like any other vital documentation, such as birth certificates or marriage and divorce decrees.

If your green card is set to expire soon, it’s been lost or stolen, or your green card has been damaged, you must renew or replace it as soon as possible.

The Process for Replacing a Green Card

The process for replacing your green card doesn’t have to be confusing when you follow the detailed steps we outline below. This guide will get you started with understanding this process.

Who Is Eligible to Replace or Renew Their Green Card?

For lawful permanent residents that have been awarded a green card, there are several reasons that this card might need to be renewed or replaced. The most common one is the impending expiration of a green card within the next six months or a green card that has already expired.

If your green card was issued before you were fourteen and you have turned fourteen, you will also need to renew your green card, unless it expires before your sixteenth birthday. You will also need to renew or replace your green card if it was stolen, lost, or destroyed, your residency status is changing, you never received a card sent to you by the USCIS, or your green card lists incorrect information.

A full list of factors that contribute to needing to renew or replace your green card can be found on the USCIS’s green card replacement information page.

What Is the Process for Renewing an Expired Green Card?

The processing for renewing your green card fortunately isn’t too complicated. Most individuals will need to fill out Form I-90, pay the fee associated with their application and biometrics fees, and provide all forms or supporting documents required by USCIS for a renewal of the green card. These documents vary based on your individual situation and the reason you are applying for green card renewal.

Step by step, the process for renewing your green card involves:

1. Creating an online USCIS account or signing into your current USCIS account.
2. Filling Form I-90 through your online account, submitting all evidence, and paying the applicable fees online. For most people renewing their green card, the fee will be $455 plus an $85 biometrics fee for a total of $540.
3. After filing, you can keep track of your application via the online account, communicate directly with USCIS as needed, and receive information on interviews (if required) and the results of your renewal application.

You can also complete this process via the mail by printing out and completing Form I-90, paying the applicable fee, collecting your supporting documents, and then mailing all of these items to the correct USCIS address. The USCIS’s detailed information on Form I-90 under the “where to file” option gives you the address options to send your documents into and answers other filing questions.

What Information Do I Need to Replace My Green Card?

To replace or renew your green card, you will need to include supporting documents along with your Form I-90 and your filing fee. Dependent on your situation, these documents can include your original expired green card, copies of birth certificates or other vital records, and evidence of your U.S. residency status. You can find more information about which documents to include as supporting evidence on the Form I-90 information page underneath the “Checklist of Required Initial Evidence” option.

Can Conditional Permanent Residents Renew Their Green Cards?

Conditional permanent residents are those that are not yet granted full permanent residency, and the green cards issued to these individuals will be valid for two years instead of ten. In order to renew or replace your green card as a conditional permanent resident, you will need to fill out Form I-751, petition to remove conditions on residence, or Form I-829, petition by investor to remove conditions on permanent resident status. The form you use depends on your specific situation; read the details of both forms to determine which one is appropriate for your situation.

It’s important to note that individuals who are conditional permanent residents are not eligible to file Form I-90, application to replace a permanent resident card. Only those with full permanent resident status can use this form to renew their expiring green card or otherwise obtain a replacement.

Where Can I Get a Certified Translation?

The supporting documents that the USCIS requires to be submitted with your Form I-90 and other parts of your green card application must be fully translated into English in order for them to be accepted, including:

• Criminal records
• Birth certificates
• Death certificates
• Marriage certificates
• Divorce decrees
• Academic transcripts

You can order a certified translation of these documents from our online store:

Order Your Certified Translation