Protecting your card

After obtaining a Green Card, there are several things you must do regularly to protect your status and card: carry the card with you, renew it before it expires (Form I-90), report your address within 10 days after moving (Form AR-11), and obtain a reentry permit (Form I-131) before long stays abroad. This page explains each of these together with fees, addresses, and situations that may arise while you are in Türkiye. It also explains what to do in Ankara if you lose your card abroad.

• Under the law, every Green Card holder aged 18 or older must carry their valid card or equivalent document with them at all times. Failure to comply is considered a misdemeanor.
• Having applied for citizenship does not change this obligation.
• Older card types such as AR-3, AR-103, and I-151 are no longer proof of status; you must obtain a new one through Form I-90.

• When required:
  • if the card has expired or will expire within 6 months;
  • if the card was lost, stolen, damaged, or destroyed;
  • if you obtained the card before age 14 and have turned 14 (unless the card expires before you turn 16);
  • if the card contains incorrect information or your name or other identifying information has legally changed;
  • if the card sent by USCIS never reached you.
• Fee: $465 (paper) or $415 (online). The fee is $0 in these situations:
  • you have turned 14 and your card expires after you turn 16;
  • the card was printed with incorrect information due to a USCIS error;
  • the card never reached you and was returned as undeliverable to USCIS.
  • Some applicants may request a fee waiver (Form I-912).
• How to apply: online through your USCIS account or by mail:
  • USPS: USCIS, Attn: I-90, P.O. Box 21262, Phoenix, AZ 85036-1262
  • FedEx, UPS, DHL: USCIS, Attn: I-90 (Box 21262), 2108 E. Elliot Rd., Tempe, AZ 85284-1806
• If the surname, mailing address, or date of birth fields are left blank on the paper form, the form will be rejected. An unsigned form is also not accepted.
• Receipt: the receipt notice (I-797) for a renewal application, together with your expired card, is proof of your status for 36 months from the card’s expiration date. You may work and travel during this period.
• If you do not have your card and need proof of status, USCIS may issue an ADIT stamp as temporary evidence. Call the Contact Center for an appointment.
• If biometrics are required, the appointment notice will arrive by mail. You can check your case status 72 hours after filing.
• There is no appeal from a denial; you may submit a request to reopen or reconsider to the same office.
• If you have a conditional card, you cannot renew it using I-90; see 3.10 Conditional Green Card and removal of conditions.

• If your card will expire within 6 months and you will return within 1 year before the card expires: file Form I-90 as soon as you return.
• Returning with an expired 10-year card: if you have been abroad for less than 1 year, CBP policy allows the airline to board you with this card. Nevertheless, check with your airline first; if it refuses, you will need Form I-131A.
• If the card was lost, stolen, or destroyed (and you have been abroad for less than 1 year): request a carrier document (boarding foil) using Form I-131A.
  • The fee is $575. It must first be paid online through the USCIS website; fee waivers are unavailable and the fee is nonrefundable.
  • Someone else may pay the fee using your name, date of birth, and A-Number.
  • The application must be submitted in person at a U.S. diplomatic mission.
• Appointment steps in Ankara:
  1. Go to ustraveldocs.com → Türkiye → Immigrant Visa → the green "Visa Login" button; create an account.
  2. Select "ANK 5. Boarding Foils/Returning Residents" as the category.
  3. Select "I am a Returning Resident outside the U.S. for less than one year with an expired, lost, or stolen permanent resident card (LPR)".
  4. Upload your date of last departure from the United States, A-Number, police report if available, and payment receipt.
  5. Once the embassy approves the request, select a date from the calendar.
• Bring to the interview: a valid passport, a police report if the card was lost or stolen, completed Form I-131A, one passport-style photograph with a white background, the payment receipt, and documents showing your last departure (passport stamps, tickets).
• If approved, your passport will be sent to the address you selected with the carrier document. After returning to the United States, file I-90 for a new card.

• Every foreign national living in the United States must report their new address to USCIS within 10 days after moving.
• Failure to report may result in a fine, imprisonment, or removal. Under the law, it is not a basis for removal only if you prove that the failure was reasonable or inadvertent.
• Fastest method: use the change-of-address tool in your USCIS online account (My Account menu). Enter the receipt number for each pending application.
• By mail: complete and sign Form AR-11 and send it to:
  • U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Citizenship and Immigration Services, Attn: Change of Address, 1344 Pleasants Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22801
• Changing your address at the post office (USPS) does not change your address with USCIS; USPS does not forward USCIS letters to the new address. Notify both separately.
• If you have a case in immigration court, you must also notify the court separately.
• If you became someone’s financial sponsor (I-864), file Form I-865 within 30 days after moving.

• Short and temporary trips generally do not affect your status.
• Staying abroad for more than 1 year is strong evidence that you abandoned your status. Even absences of less than 1 year may be considered abandonment if it appears that you do not regard the United States as your permanent home.
• Reentry permit:
  • If you will remain abroad for 1 year or longer, apply for Form I-131 before leaving the United States.
  • You must be in the United States when applying and when attending the biometrics appointment.
  • The fee is $630. Only paper applications are available; fee waivers cannot be requested.
  • Validity: generally 2 years. It is 1 year if you spent more than 4 of the last 5 years after obtaining your Green Card abroad. The permit cannot be extended.
  • You may request delivery of the permit from the USCIS Ankara Field Office; indicate this when applying. The office will contact you when the permit is ready.
  • While you have a valid permit, you are not considered to have abandoned your status solely because of the length of your stay abroad. However, the permit does not guarantee admission.
  • The I-131 mailing addresses changed on October 7, 2026; see the I-131 addresses page. Items sent to the old address through November 9, 2026, are accepted.
• Naturalization residence period: absences of 6 months or longer may break the continuous residence required for citizenship. If you will remain abroad for 1 year or longer, you may apply to preserve residence using Form N-470.
• Maintain your ties: U.S. tax returns filed as a resident, a U.S. mailing address, bank account, valid driver’s license, property, business, and employment relationships can help show that the absence is temporary.

• If you have been abroad for more than 1 year without a reentry permit, or longer than the permit’s validity period if you have one, you need a new immigrant visa to return to the United States.
• SB-1 requirements: you must prove to the consular officer that:
  • you were a permanent resident when you left the United States;
  • you left with the intention of returning and have not abandoned that intention;
  • you are returning from a temporary visit and your stay was extended for reasons beyond your control.
• Application in Ankara:
  1. Complete Form DS-117 and gather the documents.
  2. Create an account at ustraveldocs.com → "Start Application" → "ANK 5. Boarding Foils/Returning Residents" → "SB1 Returning Resident Visa". Upload a copy of your Green Card and your date of last departure.
  3. Do not pay the fee online. The DS-117 fee of $180 is paid at the interview and is nonrefundable.
  4. Bring: DS-117, your Green Card and/or reentry permit, passport, proof of your ties to the United States (e.g., tax returns for the last 3 years), and proof that the stay was extended beyond your control (e.g., illness or work for a U.S. company).
  5. If approved, apply for an immigrant visa within 6 months. The immigrant visa fee ($205), medical examination, and documents are required.
• According to the embassy, SB-1 applications have a low approval rate. If you have the option of applying through a new petition, you are advised to consider that route first.
• SB-1 holders do not pay the USCIS immigrant fee.

• USCIS Contact Center — cards, addresses, appointments, ADIT stamps
  • Phone: +1 800 375 5283 (TTY: +1 800 767 1833); outside the United States: +1 212 620 3418
  • Live assistance: Monday–Friday, 08:00–20:00 (U.S. Eastern Time); automated system 24/7
• USCIS Ankara Field Office — delivery of reentry permits, certain biometrics services
  • Email: Ankara-USCIS@uscis.dhs.gov
  • Operates by appointment only.
• U.S. Embassy Ankara — carrier documents (I-131A) and returning resident visas (SB-1)
  • Address: Çukurambar Mahallesi, 1480 Sokak No: 1, 06530 Çankaya / Ankara
  • Phone: +90 312 294 00 00
  • Appointments: ustraveldocs.com; Visa Information Line from Türkiye: +90 850 390 1950, from the United States: +1 313 572 0883

• Waiting for the card to expire instead of renewing it 6 months in advance.
• Notifying only the post office after moving.
• Trying to apply for a reentry permit while outside the United States or leaving before the biometrics appointment.
• Staying in Türkiye for more than 1 year and trying to return using only the card.
• Identifying yourself as a "nonresident" on your tax return; see 3.12 Loss of a Green Card.
• Paying unofficial intermediaries for a lost card; see 1.12 Fraud warnings.

• My card has expired. Can I work and travel? If you filed a renewal application using I-90, the receipt and old card together are proof of status for 36 months; you may work and travel.
• I will stay in Türkiye for 8 months. Do I need a permit? A reentry permit is not mandatory for absences of less than 1 year. However, if your intention is not to live in the United States, even short absences may be considered abandonment; maintain your ties to the United States.
• Can I apply for a reentry permit from Türkiye? No. You must be in the United States when applying and attending the biometrics appointment. You may request delivery of the permit from the USCIS office in Ankara.
• My permit’s 2 years have expired, and I am still in Türkiye. The permit cannot be extended. You must apply in Ankara for a returning resident visa (SB-1); the requirements are strict.
• My card was stolen in Türkiye. If you have been abroad for less than 1 year, request a carrier document using I-131A. First obtain a police report, pay the $575 fee online, and then schedule an appointment in Ankara.
• What happens if I do not report my address? Under the law, this may result in a fine, imprisonment, and removal. You must prove that your failure was inadvertent.

• Form I-90 (PDF) · Instructions (PDF)
• Form AR-11 (PDF)
• USCIS change-of-address page
• Form I-131 (PDF) · Instructions (PDF)
• I-131 mailing addresses
• Form I-131A (PDF) · Instructions (PDF)
• Form N-470 (PDF)
• Form DS-117 returning resident application (PDF)
• Form I-912 fee waiver (PDF)
• USCIS online account · Check case status
• Card not received notification (e-Request)
• USCIS office locator
• USCIS fee schedule G-1055 (PDF)
• Related: 3.1 What is a Green Card; rights and obligations · 10.0 New arrivals: first 30 days checklist