Can I leave before the re-entry permit is decided?

Yes, after biometrics: under 8 CFR 223.2(d) departing before a decision does not affect the application. In the application you can ask for the permit to be sent to a US embassy or consulate abroad.

How much is a re-entry permit?

$630 under G-1055 (edition 09/09/26); paper filing only, and no fee waiver is available.

Does a re-entry permit preserve residence for citizenship?

No. It protects the green card, not continuous residence for the N-400: an absence of 6 months or more may disrupt it. There is a separate Form N-470 for that, and not everyone qualifies.

Can I extend a re-entry permit from abroad?

No: there is no extension, and a new permit is filed again from the US with new biometrics. If you have been abroad for more than 2 years, the SB-1 visa remains.

I-131 (Reentry Permit)

Re-entry permit (I-131): leaving the US for up to 2 years

Updated: October 1, 2026Author: Alina Kanametova

Key answer

A re-entry permit is a document a green card holder gets on Form I-131 before a long trip abroad. While it is valid (usually 2 years), USCIS will not treat you as having abandoned your status based solely on the length of your absence. You file it while in the US and give biometrics before you leave; the fee is $630, and it cannot be filed online.

When you need one

Short trips usually do not affect your status. USCIS gives a guide - an absence of more than a year: after that, without a re-entry permit you generally need a returning resident visa. But status can be found abandoned on trips shorter than a year too, if there is no sign you intend to live in the US: the officer looks at family and work in the US, tax returns filed as a resident, a US address, bank accounts, a driver license, property or a business. If you plan to be away for more than a year, USCIS advises getting a re-entry permit before you leave.

How to file

Form I-131, Part 1, Item 1 (Reentry Permit), on paper only - this request type is not accepted online. Attach a copy of both sides of your green card. You must be in the US when you file and at the biometrics appointment; after biometrics you may leave - departing before a decision does not affect the application (8 CFR 223.2(d)). If you ask for it in the application, the permit is sent to a US embassy or consulate or a USCIS international field office, though not every embassy hands out these documents.

Fee and validity

The re-entry permit fee is $630 (G-1055, edition 09/09/26), and a fee waiver is not available. The permit is valid for 2 years from issuance. If since becoming a permanent resident, or in the last 5 years, you have spent more than 4 years abroad in total, it is limited to 1 year (with a few exceptions, such as travel on US government orders). For a conditional resident it ends no later than the date conditions must be removed. A permit cannot be extended, and a new one is not issued while the previous one is valid unless it was returned to USCIS or shown to be lost.

What it does not do

A permit does not guarantee entry: at the border you are still inspected for admissibility. And it does not preserve continuous residence for naturalization: per USCIS, an absence of 6 months or more may disrupt it, and a year or more generally breaks it. To preserve residence for a trip of a year or longer, some people can file a separate Form N-470 (fee $420); the conditions are on the form page.

If it expired or the card was lost abroad

If you stayed abroad for more than 2 years and the permit expired, USCIS advises applying for an SB-1 returning resident visa at an embassy: you have to establish eligibility for an immigrant visa again and take a medical exam. If your green card or permit is lost or stolen abroad, you need carrier documentation on Form I-131A (fee $575, paid online) so an airline will board you to the US.

What the community reports

The chats have 120 messages about the re-entry permit for 2022-2026 (49 in 2025). Most ask about timing: in September 2026 a member reported that the biometrics notice came a month after filing and the permit itself 15 months later (filed in April 2025, received in July 2026), so people file early and leave after biometrics. Newcomers are reminded that the permit is issued by USCIS on an application filed from the US, not by the embassy in Moscow. Members report that an absence of more than six months draws questions at the border, and after a year without a permit the talk turns to the SB-1 visa.

Check processing times in the USCIS processing times.

What the chats ask about Re-entry permit (I-131): leaving the US for up to 2 years

1×How is it best to submit the I-485? Together with I-131 and I-765? What is the risk of submitting them together?
1×I am currently submitting my I-485; just wondering how to submit it best, together with I-765 and I-131 or without?
1×I still have my O-1 visa, and I am currently submitting the I-485 with an approved I-140 EB1. The question is: should I submit an i-131 for advanced parole to travel in and out, or can I still travel on my current O-1 visa?
1×But if I am currently in the US on O1 status and submit I-131 along with I-485 based on the approved I-140 EB1A, will my O1 status be lost when applying for advanced parole?

Real timelines named in the chats

Stage	Typically	Note
I-765/I-131: waiting for a decision	about 5 months or more	There was an observation of waiting since September with no updates; it was also mentioned that timelines vary widely.
EB-1: I-131 travel document when filing I-485	about 6 months	For a travel document after filing I-485, the median approval time was said to be about six months.
I-131 / I-485: expedite request	waiting for contact up to 10 days, but a response may not arrive within that period	The message states that after the expedite request, they promised to make contact within 10 days, but no contact was made after the deadline passed.

Rules and tips from the chats

ruleWhen filing I-485, it is important to address travel outside the United States in advance: after filing for adjustment of status, leaving without advance parole can create a risk for the application, even if the applicant has a valid visa, so Form I-131 is often filed together with I-485.
ruleFiling I-140 by itself usually does not restrict travel outside the United States, but after I-485 is filed, travel risks arise. For safer travel with a pending I-485, applicants usually file I-131 for advance parole, understanding that it does not guarantee reentry.
ruleWhen filing I-485, the applicant can file I-765 for an EAD and I-131 for advance parole at the same time or later, if the filing category allows it. These forms provide temporary work and travel benefits before a decision on the green card.
tipBefore discussing case status, it is helpful to specify exactly which forms were filed: I-140, I-485, I-131, I-765, and whether receipt notices were issued. Without that, it is hard to understand the stage of the process and possible next steps.
ruleWhen filing adjustment of status, applicants usually file I-765 under category c9 and I-131 together with I-485 to obtain work authorization and a travel document before a decision on the green card.
tipThe speed of I-485, I-765, and I-131 processing depends heavily on the service center and case transfers. If no transfer status has appeared, the case likely remains at the original center, and the wait may take many months.
ruleGetting a green card does not mean you can live outside the United States without limits. Long and frequent trips abroad can create a risk that the government will find that you abandoned permanent residence, so it is important to maintain real ties to the United States and consider re-entry permit rules for extended absences.
common questionPeople often ask which fees to pay for Forms I-140, I-765, and I-131, especially when filing without an attorney. The practical rule is to check the current fees for each form before mailing and not rely on old amounts, because the package may be returned due to incorrect checks.

Questions and answers on the site

Distilled from the public community chats, anonymised; corpus as of June 2026. These are participants' observations, not legal advice and not USCIS statistics.

Sources

FAQ

Can I leave before the re-entry permit is decided?: Yes, after biometrics: under 8 CFR 223.2(d) departing before a decision does not affect the application. In the application you can ask for the permit to be sent to a US embassy or consulate abroad.
How much is a re-entry permit?: $630 under G-1055 (edition 09/09/26); paper filing only, and no fee waiver is available.
Does a re-entry permit preserve residence for citizenship?: No. It protects the green card, not continuous residence for the N-400: an absence of 6 months or more may disrupt it. There is a separate Form N-470 for that, and not everyone qualifies.
Can I extend a re-entry permit from abroad?: No: there is no extension, and a new permit is filed again from the US with new biometrics. If you have been abroad for more than 2 years, the SB-1 visa remains.

From community practice

What determines the strength of evidence is not the fact itself but its context: scale, selectivity and independent confirmation. This runs through almost every community case review.
Support letters are stronger when written by independent experts familiar with your work who cite concrete results rather than general praise.
Field chats advise gathering evidence for a specific criterion from the start, rather than bolting it onto the petition at the last moment.

Distilled from public community chats - observations, not legal advice.

From community discussions

«Formally, the consul's job is to physically verify that you're a sane person, that the biography in the petition really is yours, and that you're telling the State Department the truth.»
community member · from public community chats
«Judging won't carry much weight, of course. But for EB2 there are no strict evaluation criteria for the prong, so for good measure I think it'd fit. I wouldn't specifically arrange judging for EB2 NIW, of course. But if you already have it, then why not?»
Mikhail · from public community chats
«You can't file on your own behalf if you're the sole founder of the company. Your own company has to be the one filing for you.»
community member · from public community chats

Personal opinions of community members from public discussions, not legal advice.

More on the green-card path

The consular path (by city)

Reference information, not legal advice. Forms, eligibility and timing depend on your status - verify on uscis.gov.

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