If you have a green card, it's not necessary to carry a passport with you for domestic travel within the United States. That said, it's never a bad idea to have plenty of documentation, and if you have a passport, you may wish to keep that with you throughout your domestic travel as well.
The travel document usually arrives within 150 days (sometimes longer) after submitting your application. You can't leave the country until you have your approved travel document in hand, so you should expect to spend the 3–5 months after submitting your green card application in the United States.
Generally, to travel outside the United States, a TPS applicant must apply for a travel document (advance parole; Form I-131) and receive advance parole BEFORE leaving. This process usually takes several months.
How long it takes to get an eTA. It's best to get an eTA before you book your flight to Canada. Most applicants get their eTA approval (via email) within minutes. However, some requests can take several days to process if you're asked to submit supporting documents.
Travelers may wish to avoid buying plane tickets until they have obtained an ESTA (or a valid visa, in case the ESTA is not approved). ESTA applications may be submitted at any time prior to travel. The processing of an ESTA can take up to 72 hours.
If you are a permanent or conditional permanent resident who has been outside the U.S. for one year or longer, apply for a re-entry permit before you travel. Use Form I-131 - Application for Travel Document. For permanent residents, the re-entry permit is valid for two years from the date of issue.
To ask about emergency processing of a travel document, call the Contact Center at 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833) or request an appointment through My Appointment. If your situation qualifies for emergency processing, we will schedule an appointment for you with a local field office.
Who already have a visa in their passport. Travelers may wish to avoid buying plane tickets until they have obtained an ESTA (or a valid visa, in case the ESTA is not approved). ESTA applications may be submitted at any time prior to travel. The processing of an ESTA can take up to 72 hours.
ESTA is an automated system that determines the eligibility of visitors to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Authorization via ESTA does not determine whether a traveler is admissible to the United States.
While passports issued by governments are the most common variety of travel document, many states and international organisations issue other varieties of travel documents that allow the holder to travel internationally to countries that recognise the documents.