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• Advance Parole, Reentry Permits and Travel Documents (Form I-131)

What is a Reentry Permit?

Home » What is a Reentry Permit?

July 5, 2021

It’s a multiple use travel document, meaning that it can be used several times (during the valid period) to reenter the United States.

File Form I-131, Application for Travel Document , from within the United States to apply for a permit.

How a Reentry Permit Helps

A Reentry Permit has two basic functions:

• The travel document allows a U.S. permanent resident to reenter the United States after traveling abroad for longer than one year but less than two years.
• It also can serve like a passport for a U.S. permanent resident who has no passport and cannot obtain one from their country of nationality.

Without a Reentry Permit, permanent residents who are outside the country for more than a year will likely be denied reentry into the U.S. on the grounds that they have abandoned their permanent resident status. After a one year absence from the United States, a green card is not valid for reentry. The permit is intended to prevent this problem.

RECOMMENDED: Benefits of a Reentry Permit for Permanent Residents

Application for Reentry Permit

To obtain a Reentry Permit, the applicant should file Form I-131 . You must file Form I-131 while you are physically present in the United States. It will generally take at least 90 days for USCIS to approve the request. Expedited processing may be available for certain applicants.

Mistakes on your Form I-131 can cause costly delays or a denial.

Period of validity for a permit.

In most cases, USCIS will issue a Reentry Permit that’s valid for a period of two years. However, if you have been outside the United States for more than four of the last five years since becoming a permanent resident the permit will be limited to one year, except that a permit with a validity of two years may be issued to the following:

• a permanent resident whose travel is on the order of the U.S. government, other than an exclusion, deportation, removal, or rescission order;
• a permanent resident employed by a public international organization of which the United States is a member by treaty or statute; or
• a permanent resident who is a professional athlete and regularly competes in the United States and worldwide.

For permanent residents, excessive time spent outside the United States can lead to questions about residency. Without strong ties to the U.S., permanent residents can risk abandonment of permanent resident status.

Permits for Conditional Residents

A Reentry Permit issued to a conditional resident is valid for two years from the date of issuance, or to the date the conditional resident must apply for removal of the conditions on his or her status, whichever date comes first.

Not a Cure All

RECOMMENDED: Green Card Abandonment: Risks of Travel Abroad

Even with a Reentry Permit, a permanent resident’s absence of more than 180 days from the United States may disrupt the 5-year continuous residence requirement for naturalization . Instead, some permanent residents may be eligible to file Form N-470, Application to Preserve Residence for Naturalization Purposes . Use this form if you are a lawful permanent resident who must leave the United States for a period of one year or longer for certain employment purposes and you want to preserve your status as an immigrant in order to pursue naturalization.

Urgent Travel

As a permanent resident of the United States you may travel abroad for periods of less than one year and reenter the U.S. with only a valid, unexpired green card. However, you may need to apply for a Reentry Permit in certain situations. There are some things you should know prior to travel after Reentry Permit application.

Although you can have the Reentry Permit mailed to a U.S. consulate office or DHS office overseas, this can be counterintuitively slow. Many attorneys recommend having USCIS mail the travel document to another family member in the United States. That trusted family member can forward it to the applicant outside the United States.

When you file your Form I-131 to obtain a Reentry Permit, USCIS will notify you when to appear for your biometrics appointment. The biometrics appointment must be conducted in the United States. If you leave the United States before you provide your biometrics, USCIS may deny your application.

If you have an extraordinary situation that requires urgent travel, USCIS may grant  expedited processing  in certain situations.

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Security Features Added to Certain Travel Documents

On October 24, 2019 the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it has begun producing a new travel document with new security features that will serve in place of permits to reenter the United States (form I-327, commonly referred to as “reentry permits”) and refugee travel documents (form I-571). This document will be in the form of a booklet and will look similar to a U.S. passport.

New Documents with Overt, Covert, and Forensic Security Features

The new travel document includes a redesigned cover, images of U.S. architecture dispersed throughout the booklet, and a combination of overt-, covert-, and forensic-level security features. As the USCIS explains, overt security features can be seen with the naked eye, while covert features require “a tool, such as a magnifying glass, to see fine detail artwork.” Forensic security features can only be identified with laboratory equipment.

Current Unexpired Travel Documents Remain Valid

Per the announcement, “[p]rior versions of the travel document will remain valid until their expiration date.” Release of these security-enhanced travel documents is to prevent fraud and enhance security verification with such documents.

Copyright © 2019, MURTHY LAW FIRM. All Rights Reserved

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USCIS Announces New Security-Enhanced Travel Documents

USCIS announced that as of October 24, 2019 they are beginning to produce a new travel document that will look similar to a US Passport for some lawful permanent residents (green card holder) and those with refugee or asylum status. The new travel document is a booklet with several security-enhanced features. The travel document can serve in place of:

• Form I-327, Permit to Reenter the United States: Lawful permanent residents use the Reentry Permit to return from temporary travel outside of the United States and, in some cases, may use a Reentry Permit for travel in place of a passport; and
• Form I-571, Refugee Travel Document: Those with refugee or asylum status use a Refugee Travel Document if they wish to temporarily travel outside of the United States and, in some cases, may use a Refugee Travel Document for travel in place of a passport.

Prior versions of travel documents remain valid until their expiration date. In other words, you will receive the new security-enhanced version of the document when you apply for a new travel document, but you do not need to apply for new travel document until your current document expires.

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USCIS Travel Documents

What documents do I need to travel outside the United States? Form I-131, Application for Travel Document, is used to apply for three different types of travel documents: --o Advance Parole --o Refugee Travel Document --o Re-Entry Permit WARNING:   If you have been in the United States illegally, then you may be subject to a bar to admission if you depart the United States, even if you have been issued a travel document. For more information please see Section 212(a)(9) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). If you are an asylee who applied for asylum on or after April 1, 1997, then your asylum status may be terminated if you return to the country from which you were seeking protection. Advance Parole Advance parole is issued solely to authorize the temporary parole of a person into the United States. The document may be accepted by a transportation company (airlines) instead of a visa as an authorization to travel to the United States. Please note that an advance parole document does not replace your passport. Advance parole is most commonly used when someone has Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or to Adjust Status, pending. If you depart the U.S. while your I-485 application is pending without first obtaining advance parole, your case will be denied unless you fit into a narrow exception for those maintaining certain nonimmigrant statuses. Advance Parole for Asylees An asylum applicant who has a pending Form I-589, Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal, and has not received a final decision may be allowed to travel outside the United States. If you are an asylum applicant and you intend to travel outside the United States and return you must apply for and receive advance parole. If you leave the United States without first obtaining advance parole, USCIS will presume you abandoned your asylum application. Advance parole does not guarantee that you will be allowed to reenter the United States, rather, an immigration inspector from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) must inspect you and determine whether you will be allowed to reenter the United States. Refugee Travel Document A refugee travel document is issued to a person who has been granted refugee or asylum status, or to a permanent resident who obtained a green card because they were a refugee or asylee. If you hold refugee or asylee status and are not a permanent resident, you must have a refugee travel document to return to the United States. Derivative asylees and refugees must also obtain a refugee travel document before leaving the United States. If you do not obtain a refugee travel document in advance of departure, you may be unable to re-enter the United States, or you may be placed in removal proceedings before an immigration judge. Re-entry Permit A re-entry permit allows a permanent resident or conditional resident to apply for admission to the U.S. upon returning from abroad during the permit’s validity, without having to obtain a returning resident visa from a U.S. Embassy or consulate. Permanent or conditional residents should apply for a re-entry permit if they will be outside the United States for one year or more.

Edited November 13, 2019 by Captain Ewok

NOTE: The above information does not address the specific requirements for any given case and is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney.

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USCIS Begins Producing Security-Enhanced Travel Documents

To prevent secure document tampering, counterfeiting, and fraud, we will begin producing on Oct. 24 a new security-enhanced U.S. travel document, which is a booklet that looks similar to a U.S. passport and serves dual purposes. The travel document can serve in place of:

• Form I-327, Permit to Reenter the United States: Lawful permanent residents use the Reentry Permit to return from temporary travel outside of the United States and, in some cases, may use a Reentry Permit for travel in place of a passport; and
• Form I-571, Refugee Travel Document: Those with refugee or asylum status use a Refugee Travel Document if they wish to temporarily travel outside of the United States and, in some cases, may use a Refugee Travel Document for travel in place of a passport.

The new travel document will include a variety of secure features:

• Redesigned booklet cover
• Four montages containing three images, each of notable U.S. architecture, used throughout the booklet
• Overt is something you can see with the eye, such as the central image of the Statue of Liberty.
• Covert is something that requires a tool, such as a magnifying glass, to see fine detail artwork.
• Forensic is something that requires laboratory examination. 

Prior versions of the travel document will remain valid until their expiration date.

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Travel documents for foreign citizens returning to the U.S.

If you are a citizen of another country and have been living in the U.S., you may need special documents if you leave the U.S. and then return.

Travel documents for permanent and conditional permanent residents

If you are outside the u.s. for less than one year.

If you are a permanent or conditional permanent resident who has been away from the U.S. for less than one year, you will only need to show your Green Card upon re-entry to the U.S.

If you are outside the U.S. for one year or longer

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.
• For conditional permanent residents, the re-entry permit is valid for two years after the date of issue. Or it is valid up until the date you must apply for removal of the conditions on your status , whichever date comes first.

Travel documents for other foreign citizens living in the U.S.

If you are a foreign citizen re-entering the U.S., the documentation you need may depend on your immigration status:

• Advance parole - You may use advance parole to re-enter the U.S. without applying for a visa. It is commonly used for re-entry by people in the process of applying for permanent residence, applying for a status adjustment, or applying for asylum.
• Refugee travel document - You may be able to use this document to re-enter the U.S. if you have refugee or asylum status.

If you need help, contact U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) .

LAST UPDATED: May 22, 2024

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