If your Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) card is lost, stolen, or damaged, you may seek temporary evidence of LPR status in the form of a Transportation Boarding Foil to return to the United States. To qualify, you must not have been outside the United States for over a year.
You do not need a Transportation Boarding Foil if you have an expired LPR card provided it was issued with 10 year’s validity and if you have been outside the United States less than a year. However, some airlines may be reluctant to let you board with an expired card. If you encounter this situation, you should show the airline page 28 in the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) guide for carriers found in the CBP website.
Steps to take to obtain a Transportation Boarding Foil:
- Assess whether you qualify for or need a Transportation Boarding Foil
- Complete, print, and bring to the interview the Form I-131A Application for Travel Document
- Pay the required non-refundable $575 fee for I-131A Application through the USCIS online Elis payment system
- Send us an e-mail on ACSMalta@state.gov with copies of your documents and payment receipt. We will provide you with an appointment to visit the U.S. Embassy for an interview.
On the day of your interview at the Embassy you will need to bring the following:
- Completed form I-131A Application for Travel Document, must include your Alien number and your physical address in United States
- ELIS payment receipt
- A valid Passport
- One passport sized photograph taken on a white background. Refer to instructions at the Department of State website.
- Expired Alien Registration Card or Police Report (if your Green Card has been lost/stolen)
- Entry and Exit stamps in your passport showing “A” number
- Airline tickets, boarding pass/flight itinerary