I-131A, Application for Carrier Documentation
ALERT: We have published an updated Form I-131A, edition date 11/02/22.
We have published an updated Form I-131A, edition date 11/02/22. This updated form allows you to apply for a travel document (carrier documentation) to board an airline or other transportation carrier without the carrier being penalized, if you are a foreign national:
- Who is not a lawful permanent resident or conditional lawful permanent resident; and
- Who received a Form I-512/Form I-512L, Advance Parole Document, or an Employment Authorization Document, with travel endorsement; and
- Whose document was lost, stolen, destroyed, or damaged while you were temporarily traveling outside the United States.
Use this form if you are:
- A lawful permanent resident (LPR), including an LPR with conditions, and wish to apply for a travel document (carrier documentation) that allows you to board an airline or other transportation carrier without the airline or transportation carrier being penalized; or
- Not an LPR or a conditional LPR, but you received a Form I-512/Form I-512L/Form I-512T, Advance Parole Document, or Form I-765, Employment Authorization Document (EAD), with travel endorsement that was lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed while you were outside the United States, and you wish to apply for a travel document (carrier documentation) that allows you to board an airline or other transportation carrier without the airline or transportation carrier being penalized.
Form I-131A allows you to apply for a travel document if you are:
- Returning from temporary travel outside the United States of less than 1 year, and your Permanent Resident Card (also known as a Green Card) has been lost, stolen or destroyed;
- Returning from temporary travel outside the United States of less than 2 years and your reentry permit has been lost, stolen or destroyed; or
- Returning from temporary travel outside the United States and your Form I-512/Form I-512L/Form I-512T, Advance Parole Document, or Form I-765, Employment Authorization Document (EAD), with travel endorsement has not expired and has been lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed while you were overseas.
We measure the length of your absence from the time you departed the United States to the time you pay the Form I-131A fee. If you are an LPR, you must have been an LPR when you left the United States and still be an LPR when you return to the United States. If you abandoned your LPR status or if we terminated it, do not file Form I-131A.
If you are an LPR with an expired Green Card or are traveling with a child under 2 years old, please read the Special Instructions section below to determine whether you need to file Form I-131A.
If you were issued a Form I-512T, Advance Parole Document, please read the Special Instructions section below for guidance about how to complete the Form I-131A.
Form Details
Dates are listed in mm/dd/yy format.
If you complete and print this form to mail it, make sure that the form edition date and page numbers are visible at the bottom of all pages and that all pages are from the same form edition. If any of the form’s pages are missing or are from a different form edition, we may reject your form.
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You must file Form I-131A in person with a Consular Section at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Before appearing in person, you must submit the filing fee through the online payment system on our website (see the Filing Fee section below). When you appear in person to file Form I-131A, you must bring evidence that you paid the fee, such as a copy of the payment confirmation page or a copy of the email payment receipt notice.
Before submitting your filing fee, please contact the nearest Consular Section at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate or visit its website to verify that they can process the Form I-131A, and carefully read the form instructions.
There is no biometric services fee. Anyone may pay this fee from anywhere in the world, as long as they enter the correct first and last names, date of birth, and A-Number because this information will appear on your boarding foil. You can find this information on your Green Card, reentry permit or advance parole document. Whoever pays the fee must pay through our online payment system using a credit or debit card or U.S. bank account.
When you send a payment, you agree to pay for a government service. Filing and biometric service fees are final and non-refundable, regardless of any action we take on your application, petition, or request, or if you withdraw your request.
Pay each filing fee separately. We are transitioning to electronically processing immigration benefit requests, which requires us to use multiple systems to process your package. Because of this, you must pay each filing fee separately for any form you submit. We may reject your entire package if you submit a single, combined payment for multiple forms.
If you receive an error message when paying the fee, you should contact a Consular Section at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate with the error message for assistance. You cannot use a fee waiver for this form.
Please do not submit this checklist with your Form I-131A. It is an optional tool to use as you prepare your form, but does not replace statutory, regulatory, and form instruction requirements. We recommend that you review these requirements before completing and submitting your form. Do not send original documents unless specifically requested in the form instructions or applicable regulations.
If you submit any documents (copies or original documents, if requested) in a foreign language, you must include a full English translation along with a certification from the translator verifying that the translation is complete and accurate, and that they are competent to translate from the foreign language to English.
Bring the following evidence when you go to the U.S. Embassy or U.S. Consulate to submit your Form I-131A:
- Your original passport;
- One copy of your passport’s biographic page (showing your photograph and personal information);
- Evidence that you are a lawful permanent resident;
- A copy of your tickets, itinerary, or any other evidence indicating your most recent date of departure from the United States and the day you intend to return to the United States; and
- One passport-style photograph of yourself taken within 30 days of filing this application.
Filing Tips: Go to our Tips for Filing Forms by Mail page for information on how to help ensure we will accept your application.
Don’t forget to sign your form. We will reject any unsigned form.
If you are an LPR with an expired Green Card
If you have an expired Green Card, you may not need to file Form I-131A. Although regulations generally require an LPR to travel with a valid Green Card, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) policy allows a transportation carrier bound for the United States to let you board without carrier documentation if you are:
- An LPR with an expired Green Card that was issued with a 10-year expiration date, and you have been outside the United States for less than 1 year;
- An LPR with an expired Green Card with a 2-year expiration date, and you also have Form I-797, Notice of Action, showing that you filed Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, or Form I-829, Petition by Investor to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident Status, and you have been outside the United States for less than 1 year. The Notice of Action extends the validity of the card for a specified length of time, generally 2 years; or
- An LPR military service member or employee of the U.S. government (or an LPR dependent of such an individual) on official U.S. military or government travel orders, regardless of time outside the United States.
Check with your airline or transportation carrier before you file Form I-131A. In some situations, they may refuse to let you board even if you are in one of the categories above. In that case, you will need to file Form I-131A.
If you have a child who was born outside the United States, you may need to request carrier documentation if:
- You are an LPR or have an immigrant visa;
- Your child is under 2 years old; and
- Your child is traveling with you to come to the United States for the first time.
We recommend checking with your airline or transportation carrier first to ensure they will board your child in these circumstances without carrier documentation. If the airline or transportation carrier refuses to board your child without carrier documentation, you will need to pay for and submit a Form I-131A for your child.
If you were issued a Form I-512T Advance Parole Document that has been lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed, mark Box 1.e. or Box 1.f. in Section 2 of Form I-131A.
Changing your Address
You can change your address through your Case Status Online user account at any time. For more information, please see our Change of Address page. If you experience any technical difficulties, please call the UCSIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283 (TTY: 800-767-1833).