Prepare Your USCIS Form I-90Lost or Stolen Green Card Application

Why replace your lost or stolen green card? Your green card, or permanent resident card, is the physical verification of your right to work and live in the United States. When starting a job, securing a home loan approval, or renewing your driver's license, you’ll need your green card.

Additionally, if you are at least 18 years old, you must always have your permanent resident card with you. However, if yours is lost, stolen, or damaged, it doesn’t mean you’ve lost your permanent resident status. Though you'll need to replace it as soon as possible because it could take eight to 10 months to receive a replacement card.

A thief wearing black clothes pickpocketing a wallet in the daytime. If your green card is stolen or lost, you need to apply for a replacement as soon as possible.

Who Is Eligible to Use Form I-90 to Replace Green Card?

Both permanent residents (those who have 10-year green cards) and conditional permanent residents (those with two-year green cards more than 90 days from expiration) can use Form I-90 for the following purposes:

• Replace a lost, stolen, or damaged green card
• Request a green card if the USCIS issued you a green card, but you never received it
• Request a replacement green card if there is a mistake on your current one and you need to fix it
• Request a replacement green card because you have legally changed biographical information about yourself, such as your name

Permanent residents can also use Form I-90 to request a special green card if they are taking up commuter status, turning 14 years old, or if they became a U.S. permanent resident automatically.

Can Conditional Permanent Residents Use Form I-90 for Green Card Replacements?

Conditional permanent residents are people who have two-year green cards through marriage or entrepreneurship, for instance. If you are a conditional permanent resident, and your green card expires within 90 days, you cannot use Form I-90 to replace it.

Instead, before your green card expires, you must request to remove the conditions on your permanent residence. If your request is approved, you will receive a 10-year, nonconditional green card.

You must submit your petition to remove conditions before your conditional green card expires. If you allow your green card to lapse before submitting this request, you could lose your permanent resident status and even be forced to leave the country.

If you have a conditional green card through marriage, you can use Form I-751 to remove conditions on your residence. Or, if it is through a financial investment in a U.S. company, you need to file Form I-829.

What if My Green Card Is Lost in the Mail?

You would need to use Form I-90 to apply for a replacement if your green card was lost in the mail. There are specific circumstances when the USCIS may replace it for free.

If you have been tracking your case using the USCIS case status feature, you can check your card to see when it was mailed. But, first, be sure you wait at least 30 days from when the USCIS was scheduled to send your green card. This period allows enough time for your card to be shipped to you and returned to USCIS if it can't be delivered.

Look over the application you submitted to ensure you gave them your correct mailing address. If your green card never shows up, the USCIS will issue a new one at no cost if your circumstances include the following:

• It’s been more than a month since USCIS mailed your card
• Your green card came back to the USCIS and marked undeliverable
• You are still living at the address you supplied to the USCIS

Prior to filing Form I-90, double-check these reasons. If your circumstances do not meet these criteria, you’ll be required to shell out the full $540 replacement card filing fee.

How Do I Appeal a Form I-90 Denial?

If USCIS turns down your replacement green card (Form I-90) application, they will mail you a letter with an explanation for your denial.

If you are denied, the USCIS does not allow you to appeal your denial. An appeal would mean submitting a request to review your unfavorable decision to the USCIS’s Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) or the Department of Justice’s Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA).

Nonetheless, you can submit a motion to reconsider or reopen your case with the same USCIS field office that denied your replacement card.

If you file this motion type, you can ask the office to reconsider or reexamine its decision. We advise you to talk to an immigration attorney if your replacement green card application is denied.

An attorney can assist you in making a case, for example, that their decision to deny your petition was centered on incorrect immigration policy, application of the law, or was based on false evidence in your file when the USCIS made the decision.

How Much Does It Cost to Replace My Green Card?

There are a couple of different fees associated with renewing your green card. USCIS fees include:

• $455 I-90 application fee
• $85 biometrics fee, if required

If you file your Form I-90 through the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), you can pay with a personal check, cashier’s check, money order, or credit card using Authorization for Credit Card Transactions, Form G-1450.

If you are sending a check, make it out to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. These fees are non-refundable regardless of whether your application is rejected or if you withdraw your petition.

FileRight Ensures You File Your Form I-90 Correctly and on Time

It typically takes about six to eight months to receive your new green card after filing Form I-90. That's why it's imperative to complete and file your application as soon as you can.

You can get started today with our step-by-step software, which includes a reminder service telling you when to file, instant error reporting to spot your mistakes, and an application package assembly service. Avoid costly errors and processing delays by signing up with FileRight today.