How to Renew or Replace a Green Card: Form I-90, Fees, Timing and Travel

To renew or replace a green card, you file one form: Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card. For a renewal, file when your card expires within six months or has already expired. The fee is $415 online or $465 on paper. The receipt notice, together with the old card, proves your status for 36 months past the card's expiration date.

One caveat up front: this is for the regular 10-year card. A 2-year conditional card (from marriage or investment) cannot be renewed with Form I-90; see the separate section below.

When you need Form I-90: renewal and replacement

On its replace your green card page, USCIS lists these reasons for permanent residents:

• your card has expired or will expire within the next six months;
• it was lost, stolen, mutilated or destroyed;
• you got the card before age 14 and have now turned 14 (unless it expires before your 16th birthday);
• the card has incorrect information;
• you legally changed your name or other biographic details;
• you hold an old version (AR-3, AR-103 or I-151);
• the card was issued but you never received it.

Do not file a renewal too early. The I-90 instructions say that if you pick "my card has expired or will expire within six months" and it will not, your application may be denied.

Teenagers have their own rule. A permanent resident must register and be fingerprinted within 30 days after turning 14. If that window is missed, the instructions say to file under the "expired or expiring within six months" reason.

How much it costs to renew a green card

Fees come from the USCIS fee schedule, Form G-1055 (edition dated October 26, 2026):

Fees checked October 28, 2026 on uscis.gov.

The I-90 row lists no separate biometrics fee. Some applicants qualify for a fee waiver on Form I-912, but USCIS says that for most forms you cannot request a waiver when filing online, only on paper. Cash is never accepted, even at a USCIS office. If you withdraw, the fee is not refunded.

Filing online or by mail

Online filing goes through a USCIS online account, where you see when the application is received, get case updates and update your address. Online is $50 cheaper.

Paper forms go to Arizona:

Paper filings get rejected for small things. USCIS rejects an unsigned form, and a form missing your family name, mailing address or date of birth in Part 1. All pages must carry the same edition date, currently 01/20/25. To get an email or text when the package is accepted, put Form G-1145 on top.

What to include depends on the reason:

Watch the "issued but never received" reason. The instructions allow it only if the card was returned to USCIS as undeliverable. If it was mailed to the address you gave and never came back, you file as a lost card and pay the full fee. Check whether it was returned through online case status or at 800-375-5283.

Receipt notice, biometrics and proof of status

Once the application is accepted, USCIS mails a receipt notice. If you are renewing, this is the key document while you wait. USCIS says the receipt plus your expired card prove your status and work authorization for 36 months from the expiration date on the card. Show both together to an employer for Form I-9.

If biometrics are required, USCIS mails a separate appointment notice: fingerprints, photo and signature. The receipt is not that notice. At the appointment you sign an oath that the application is true. Missing it can get the application denied.

If you have no card at all, USCIS may issue an ADIT stamp after you file. You can request a field office appointment for proof of status to work or travel online or through the USCIS Contact Center: 800-375-5283, or 212-620-3418 from abroad.

Check your case online 72 hours after filing. Processing times change; see the current I-90 number on the USCIS processing times page. Nobody can promise you a date. If you renew ahead of applying for citizenship, our guide to naturalization and the N-400 civics test covers the next step.

A denied I-90 cannot be appealed. You can file a motion to reopen (with new facts) or a motion to reconsider (if the law or policy was applied incorrectly).

Conditional 2-year green card: Form I-751 instead

Conditional residents get a 2-year card. They may use Form I-90 only to replace a card that was lost, damaged, wrong, issued under an old name or never received, and not once the card is within 90 days of expiring. Renewal through I-90 is not an option.

If your status came through marriage, file Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, during the 90 days before your card expires. Investors file Form I-829. The I-751 fee is $700 online and $750 on paper. Its receipt notice extends conditional status and work authorization for 48 months.

Missing that window is serious. USCIS says conditional status then terminates automatically and it begins removal proceedings with a Notice to Appear. For how the card is obtained in the first place, see our green card guide.

Traveling while your I-90 is pending

USCIS's page on travel for permanent residents says you need a valid, unexpired green card to reenter after temporary travel, and a CBP (Customs and Border Protection) officer reviews it at the border. The I-90 instructions recommend that if your card is about to expire, you apply for and receive the new card before you leave. USCIS mails cards only to a US address, never abroad.

If your card has already expired, USCIS adds two points. The replacement page says the I-90 receipt notice states that you remain authorized to work and travel. The I-131A page says that under CBP policy a carrier may board a permanent resident with an expired 10-year card who has been outside the US for less than one year. The same goes for an expired 2-year card together with a Form I-797 showing a filed I-751 or I-829. USCIS says to check with your airline first. If you have no card or need proof of status for travel, request a field office appointment online or through the Contact Center; USCIS lists this as one reason for such an appointment.

If you are abroad and your card will expire within six months, file Form I-90 as soon as you return. USCIS adds a condition: you must return within one year of leaving and before the card expires. If a biometrics notice reaches you overseas, it will tell you to contact a US embassy, consulate or USCIS office abroad.

If your card is lost or stolen abroad during a trip of less than a year, you need Form I-131A, Application for Carrier Documentation. You file it in person at the consular section of a US embassy or consulate after paying $575 online; the fee is not refundable. Confirm that the consulate processes I-131A before you pay.

Scams and middlemen

USCIS warns about sites and emails that pretend to be the agency:

• Form I-90 is free to download from uscis.gov; never pay for a "form";
• government sites and emails end in .gov; an address like uscis-online.org is not USCIS;
• USCIS never asks for fees by phone or email and does not take Western Union, MoneyGram, PayPal, Venmo or gift cards;
• a notario publico is not authorized to give immigration legal services;
• nobody can sell faster processing; only USCIS decides on an expedite.

A plain renewal rarely needs a lawyer. Talk to one if since getting your card you have had an arrest or conviction, long stays outside the US, a signed Form I-407 (abandonment of status) or past denials. Our immigration lawyer directory lists Russian-speaking attorneys.

Questions people ask

Can I work with an expired green card while I wait for the new one?

Yes. USCIS says the Form I-90 receipt notice together with your expired green card proves permanent resident status and work authorization for 36 months from the expiration date printed on the card. Show both documents to your employer. If you have no card at all, USCIS may issue an ADIT stamp after you file.

Do I need to renew my green card if I am applying for citizenship?

Yes, if it is expiring. USCIS says permanent residents must carry a valid, unexpired green card, and applying for naturalization does not change that. Renewal is Form I-90, $415 online, once your card expires within six months or has already expired.

How much does it cost to replace a lost green card?

The same as a renewal: $415 for Form I-90 online and $465 on paper, per the USCIS fee schedule G-1055. Replacement is free only for a card with a DHS error or one returned to USCIS as undeliverable. If the card was lost abroad on a trip of less than a year, you may need Form I-131A, which costs $575, to return.

What happens if I miss the I-751 deadline?

According to USCIS, if a conditional resident does not file Form I-751 during the 90 days before the 2-year card expires, conditional status terminates automatically. USCIS then begins removal proceedings by sending a Notice to Appear at a hearing. The I-751 fee is $700 online.