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.
In most cases, emergency passports can be issued on the same day. If you believe you have a qualifying circumstance, please book an appointment through our scheduling system.
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.
You may ask us to expedite adjudication of your Form I-131, Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records, by calling the Contact Center at 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833) or by asking Emma. (You can access Emma by clicking on the Ask Emma icon on the top right of this page.)
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.
If you are requesting expedited processing of a travel document, you generally need to apply for and obtain the document before you leave the United States. You should make your expedite request on your pending application at least 45 days before you plan to leave the United States.
USCIS P.O. Box 660167 Dallas, TX 75266 For U.S. Postal Service: If you are filing Form I-131 by itself, based on a pending or approved Form I-821, file your Form I-131 with the USCIS Dallas Lockbox facility. Include a copy of the I-797C Notice of Action showing that your I-821 application was accepted or approved.
Lawful permanent residents cannot be refused entry unless their travel was not brief (more than 180 days) or they engaged in illegal activity after leaving the United States as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(13).
Effective Sept. 10, 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services automatically extended the validity of Permanent Resident Cards (also known as Green Cards) to 36 months for lawful permanent residents who file Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card.