How long does it take to renew a Green Card?

A Green Card, officially known as a Permanent Resident Card, allows an individual to work and reside permanently in the US. The amount of time that it takes the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to process applications to renew or replace a Green Card vary but could be over 14 months.

Some Green Cards contain no expiration date but most are valid for 10 years. The card for conditional permanent resident status is valid for 2 years. In all cases, making sure to get your paperwork in a timely manner may help to get your new card before the old one expires.

When to submit an application to renew a Green Card

Those who have a Green Card need to submit a Form I-90 to renew their lawful legal permanent resident status if their Green Card has expired or will do so within six months. Also, cardholders who turn 14 having received their permanent resident status prior to their 14th birthday and whose card will expire after their 16th birthday. If your Green Card does not have an expiration date, it is a very old version, most of which are no longer valid and USCIS recommends that you renew it.

Those who have a conditional permanent resident status can apply to change their status 90 days before their card expires but they do not use the Form I-90. Those whose conditional status is based on marriage you need to file Form I-751. And those whose status is based on being an investor or entrepreneur will have to file Form I-829.

Time range for renewal or replacement of a Green Card

Processing times can vary, and the USCIS updates the time range monthly but warns “times may change without prior notice.” As of publishing, the current processing time for Form 1-90 (Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card) to receive a replacement green card was 6 to 14.5 months at the Potomac Service Center. The low-end calculation represents the agency's ability to process 50 percent of applications and the high-end 93 percent completion rate.

Renewal applications are generally processed in the order that they are received. USCIS will accept a case inquiry if your application is outside the normal processing time and prior to the “Receipt date for a case inquiry" the agency has posted online. You can check the status of your application through the USCIS online tool.

How much does it cost to renew a Green Card?

In most cases you will need to pay a $455 form fee in addition to $85 biometric service fee for a total of $540 to have your Form I-90 processed. All fees are final and non-refundable no matter what action is taken by USCIS with regards to your application nor if you choose to withdraw you request.

You will not be required to `pay either fee if your card was issued but never received or the card you received contained an error that was due to a Department of Homeland Security error. However, in the case of the former you can only do so if more than 30 days have passed since your card was mailed, it was returned to USCIS as undeliverable, and you have not changed address from the one that was provided on the Form I-90 you submitted.

For cardholders who turn 14 and their existing card will expire after their 16th birthday, you will only need to pay the biometric fee. For your specific situation you can use the USCIS online fee calculator. For more information you can check with the USCIS Contact Center or check out instructions for filling out Form I-90.