How to fill out Form I-90 (green card renewal), line by line
Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card, is used to replace or renew an existing card in the situations USCIS describes. The most important choice comes before the individual fields: confirm that Form I-90 is the right route for your current status, then select one reason for application in Part 2. If you need a different document, return to these government form instructions.
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Start with the Form I-90 route that fits your card and status
Use the 01/20/25 edition of Form I-90. USCIS says to type or print legibly in black ink, answer every question fully and accurately, and enter “N/A” or “None” when its instructions call for those entries. Gather the documents for your particular replacement reason before filing; that reason determines the evidence path.
The conditional-resident 90-day stop rule
Form I-90 is not a universal green-card renewal form. Lawful permanent residents and permanent residents in commuter status may use it to replace or renew an existing card. Conditional permanent residents may use it to replace a card, but not when their conditional status has expired or will expire within 90 days.
Stop before completing Form I-90
If your conditional permanent resident status expires within 90 days, do not file Form I-90 for a replacement conditional card. USCIS directs marriage-based conditional residents to Form I-751 and the stated entrepreneurship/investment route to Form I-829. A properly filed petition's Form I-797 receipt notice can serve as proof of conditional permanent resident status while USCIS decides the petition.
Part 2: choose your status and one reason for application
Part 2 routes the rest of the application. Select only one current-status box first: lawful permanent residents and permanent residents in commuter status use Section A; conditional permanent residents use Section B. Then select only one reason from that section. Do not treat the two reason lists as interchangeable, because USCIS ties the selected reason to specific supporting evidence.
Choose the Form I–90 Part 2 route
Current status
LPR or commuter status → 2
Conditional resident → 3
Section A
Conditional resident
More than 90 days → 4
Expires within 90 days → 5
Section B
Use I-751 or I-829
Section A and Section B are different routes
Use the box wording and the related USCIS evidence instructions; these distinctions commonly change the route.
Situation | Reason choice | Key evidence distinction |
|---|---|---|
Card lost, stolen, or destroyed | Use the lost, stolen, or destroyed reason in your applicable section. | Provide a card copy if available, or qualifying government-issued photo identification. |
Card issued but never received | Use the never-received reason unless USCIS's returned-mail exception applies. | Provide the specified USCIS notice or admission-stamp evidence, plus qualifying identification. |
Incorrect card data caused by DHS | Use the DHS-error reason. | Send the original incorrect card, not a copy, plus proof of the correct information. |
Name change, other biographic change, or non-DHS error | Use the legal-change/biographic-information reason. | Provide appropriate registered legal or biographic documentation. |
Card expired or expires within six months | Use the expired/expiring reason. | Provide a copy of the expired or expiring card. |
The “never received” option has an important override. If USCIS mailed the card to the address you gave and it was not returned to USCIS as undeliverable, USCIS says to use the lost, stolen, or destroyed reason instead. You can check whether the card was returned through USCIS case status or the USCIS contact channel described in the instructions.
DHS error, a changed name, and an expired card
For an incorrect card, identify what caused the incorrect entry. Use the DHS-error reason only when DHS caused it; otherwise use the legal-change/biographic-information reason. The DHS-error route requires the original incorrect card, while a non-DHS error follows the evidence path for the legal change or corrected biographic information. For an ordinary expiring-card route, the card must already be expired or expire within six months; USCIS says a filing outside that window may be denied.
Age-14 and commuter-status routes
The age-14 reasons are timing rules, not general replacement choices. The applicable 2.g. reason depends on whether the existing card expires before or after age 16. If filing occurs before age 14 or more than 30 days after turning 14, USCIS directs the applicant to reason 2.j.; if the card has expired, use 2.f. instead. Apply these overrides before selecting a box.
Commuter status is a separate residence-and-employment route. A lawful permanent resident taking up commuter status identifies the U.S. port of entry used to enter and exit the country and provides U.S. employment evidence dated within the last six months. A commuter taking up actual U.S. residence instead provides evidence of that residence. Where a city has multiple ports of entry, identify the type, such as an airport, bridge, or tunnel. USCIS may use the port of entry to send the card for pickup.
Part 1: identity, name, address, and card details
Part 1 separates immigration-record numbers, your current legal identity, the name on the existing card, and delivery information. Complete each field from the record it asks for rather than assuming similar-looking fields take the same answer.
A-Number versus USCIS Online Account Number
Item 1 is the A-Number, which begins with “A” and identifies USCIS immigration records. Look for it on DHS or USCIS correspondence; enter “N/A” if you do not have one. Item 2 is different: you have a USCIS Online Account Number only if a prior filing has a receipt number beginning with IOE. Online filers can find it in their account profile, while mailed filers can find it on an Account Access Notice. Do not substitute your A-Number for an Online Account Number.
Names and addresses: follow the form's two-name and delivery logic
Items 3.a.-3.c. take your full current legal name; the card will be issued in that name. Next answer Item 4. If your name changed after the current card was issued, select Yes, enter the name exactly as printed on the current card in Items 5.a.-5.c., and include appropriate registered legal name-change evidence. If it did not change, or you never received the prior card, follow the form's direction to skip to the mailing-address fields.
Item 6 is where USCIS sends written correspondence. Item 7 is needed only when your physical address differs from the mailing address. USCIS generally will not mail a Permanent Resident Card to a foreign mailing address. A current alien commuter living in a foreign contiguous territory may provide one, while an alien commuter taking up actual U.S. residence provides a U.S. mailing address. A commuter provides the foreign physical residence address. Where the commuter route applies, also follow the Part 2 port-of-entry instruction so USCIS can send the card to the appropriate pickup location.
For Items 8-16, use mm/dd/yyyy for date of birth and date of admission. Enter the requested parents' given names. Item 14 is the three-character class-of-admission code on your current card, typically one or two letters followed by a number. Enter a nine-digit U.S. Social Security Number in Item 16 if you have one. For Item 8, USCIS directs you to use the sex shown on the applicable birth certificate or qualifying secondary evidence provided to USCIS.
Part 3: processing history and biographic information
Part 3 combines immigration-history questions with biographic entries. The key distinction is whether you entered the United States with an immigrant visa or were granted adjustment of status at a USCIS office.
When to complete destination and port-of-entry fields
Items 1 and 2 ask for two different locations: where you applied for an immigrant visa or adjustment of status, and where the visa was issued or adjustment was granted. Complete Items 3.a. and 3.a.1.—destination at admission and port of entry—only if you entered with an immigrant visa. If you were granted adjustment of status at a USCIS office, proceed to Item 4. For a city with several ports of entry, specify the type, such as an airport, bridge, or tunnel.
Yes answers that require Part 8
Items 4 and 5 are not complete with a Yes checkbox alone. A Yes answer to either the removal-proceedings question or the Form I-407/abandonment-status question requires a detailed explanation in Part 8. Use Part 8 to identify the page, part, and item number that your explanation extends, so USCIS can connect the narrative to the question.
Ethnicity is select one; race is select all that apply.
Enter height in feet and inches, not meters or centimeters.
Enter weight in pounds, not kilograms. Enter 000 only if weight is unknown, under 30 pounds, or over 699 pounds.
Select one eye-color box and one hair-color box.
Parts 4-7: accommodations, assistance, and signatures
These parts record who helped with the application and who certifies it. Assistance from an interpreter or preparer does not replace the applicant's responsibility to review the information and sign the application.
Part 4 is for a disability accommodation or modification request. If you need more room to describe the request, use Part 8. USCIS also directs applicants to follow the instructions on an appointment notice or its accommodation information for the request process.
Applicant, interpreter, and preparer responsibilities
In Part 5, select either the statement that you read and understood the application in English or the statement that the named interpreter read it to you. Select the preparer statement as well when another person prepared it at your request.
The applicant provides the required contact information and signs and dates Part 5.
An interpreter who read the instructions and questions in a language in which you are fluent completes and signs Part 6.
A person other than the applicant who prepared the application completes and signs Part 7. If one person both interpreted and prepared it, that person completes both parts.
Signatures are a completion requirement
Every application needs the applicant's signature, or the signature of a parent or legal guardian when applicable. A stamped or typewritten name is not a valid substitute. USCIS may reject an unsigned or invalidly signed application. An attorney or accredited representative whose help extends beyond preparation may also need to submit Form G-28.
Before a required biometrics appointment, review your completed copy. USCIS says you must be able to reaffirm under oath that you reviewed and understood the application and that it was complete, true, and correct when filed.
Part 8 and a final Form I-90 review
Part 8 is the form's reference-based space for an extended answer, not a general narrative. It is also where the detailed explanations required by a Yes answer in Part 3, Item 4 or 5 belong.
Use Part 8 to reference the exact question you are extending
Use the Part 8 space or an attached separate sheet when an answer needs more room. At the top of every attached sheet, include your name and A-Number, if any. Identify the page number, part number, and item number for the answer, then sign and date each sheet. That reference information keeps an additional explanation connected to the original question.
Confirm that you selected one Part 2 status box, the matching section, and one reason for application.
Match your supporting documents to that reason. Submit legible photocopies unless USCIS specifically requires an original.
Include a full English translation and translator certification for every foreign-language document.
Confirm that Part 8 references any added answer and that all required applicant, interpreter, and preparer signatures are present.
Use the USCIS Form I-90 page for the current filing location and Form G-1055 for the current fee information.
What USCIS may ask for after filing
An application is not properly filed until USCIS accepts it. USCIS may request more evidence or original documents, require biometrics, or schedule an interview. If USCIS schedules a biometrics appointment and you do not attend, it may deny the application. Keep a complete copy of what you file and the evidence you submit.
Where do I find the current Form I-90 filing location?
Find the current filing location on the USCIS Form I-90 webpage. USCIS directs applicants there because filing instructions can change; this guide does not provide a static mailing address.
For more government form instructions, return to the forms collection.
Sources and how this page was made
This guide explains the official sources listed below in plain language. Displayed amounts, limits, percentages, and timing rules come from that material.
Source revision reflected in this guide: Form: 01/20/25; Instructions: 01/20/25.
Official form: Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Residence Card — USCIS
Official form instructions: Form I-90, Instructions for Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card — USCIS