Updated November 4, 2026

Green Card renewal fee (Form I-90) in 2026: online vs. paper cost, $0 exemptions and fee waivers

The filing fee to renew or replace a Green Card using Form I-90 is $415 when you file online or $465 when you file on paper by mail, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Form G-1055 Fee Schedule (edition 10/26/26).

Both amounts include biometric services, so there is no separate fingerprinting fee. You pay $0 if your card has a Department of Homeland Security error, if it was returned to USCIS as undeliverable, or if you qualify for a Form I-912 fee waiver.

What is the Green Card renewal fee in 2026?

The standard filing fee for Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card, is $415 for online filing and $465 for paper filing by mail. Filing online gives you a $50 discount.

USCIS incorporates biometric services costs into the main benefit fee and eliminated the separate biometric services fee for Form I-90. Under the USCIS Fee Rule comparison table, online filers who need biometrics pay $125 less (a 23% drop) than the $540 combined fee charged under the pre-April 2024 schedule.

Lawful permanent residents must file Form I-90 to replace their Green Card if it is expired or will expire within the next six months. If you are comparing costs across different visa and immigration categories, you can check our US Visa Fee Calculator.

Do you need Form I-90, Form I-751, or Form N-400?

Before you pay the Form I-90 fee, make sure you are filing the right form. USCIS filing fees are final and nonrefundable, even if you file the wrong form or withdraw your application.

If you are a conditional permanent resident with a Green Card that is expiring, USCIS states that you must not submit Form I-90 to remove conditions. Instead, you must file Form I-751 (if your card was obtained through marriage) or Form I-829 (if obtained through financial investment in a U.S. business). Conditional residents only use Form I-90 if their card was lost, stolen, mutilated, destroyed, never received, issued with an error, or if they legally changed their biographic information. If you are preparing for a marriage-based case, read our guide to the marriage green card.

If you have held your Green Card for several years, USCIS recommends checking its Naturalization Eligibility tool before filing Form I-90 to see if you want to apply for U.S. citizenship using Form N-400 instead. Note that as a lawful permanent resident, you are still required to carry a valid, unexpired Green Card or equivalent documentation at all times, and applying for naturalization does not change that requirement.

When is the Green Card replacement fee $0? (Fee exemptions)

A fee exemption means the filing fee is automatically $0 for your filing category. You do not need to file Form I-912 or make a formal request to qualify for a fee exemption. USCIS identifies the exemption from the filing category you select on Form I-90.

Do not submit a payment if you fall into one of these $0 categories. In its Fee Rule FAQ, USCIS warns that if you submit a fee for a fee-exempt category, the agency may intake the money and not return it.

Notice how the age-14 rule works. If a child received their Green Card before age 14 and has now reached their 14th birthday, they must register and replace the card. If their existing card expires after their 16th birthday, the filing fee is $0. If their existing card expires before their 16th birthday, they pay the full $415 online or $465 paper fee.

Form G-1055 lists three situations where the Form I-90 fee is $0:

• Department of Homeland Security (DHS) error: Your card was issued with incorrect information because of a DHS error.
• Card never received: USCIS issued your previous card, you never received it, and it was returned to USCIS as undeliverable.
• Turning 14 with a card expiring after age 16: You have reached your 14th birthday and your existing card will expire after your 16th birthday.

How to qualify for a Green Card fee waiver (Form I-912)

If your filing category normally requires the $415 or $465 fee and you cannot afford to pay, Form I-90 is eligible for a fee waiver using Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver (or a written request).

There is one major filing rule to know upfront: you cannot request a fee waiver when filing Form I-90 online. Online PDF fee waiver uploads are limited to certain Form I-765 categories. To request a fee waiver for a Green Card renewal or replacement, you must mail a paper Form I-912 together with a paper Form I-90. You cannot mail Form I-912 after USCIS has already received your Form I-90.

Before mailing your Form I-912 package, avoid the errors USCIS says cause the most fee waiver rejections. If applying under the means-tested benefit rule, do not send a plastic benefit card by itself unless it prints the recipient's name, agency name, benefit type, and current validity dates. Otherwise, attach a benefit agency letter or notice dated within 12 months of filing. Sign both Form I-90 and Form I-912 (or have a parent or legal guardian sign if under 14), check at least one basis box in Part 1 of Form I-912, and include a signed translator certification for any document not in English.

USCIS approves a fee waiver only if you clearly demonstrate an inability to pay under at least one of three criteria:

• Means-tested public benefit: You, your spouse (if living with you and not legally separated), your child living with you, your sibling living with you, or your parent (if you are under 21 and living together, or if you are disabled and your parent is your legal guardian or surrogate) currently receive a means-tested benefit. Qualifying benefits include Medicaid, CHIP, SNAP (Food Stamps), TANF, SSI, Section 8 housing or McKinney-Vento homeless assistance, WIC, LIHEAP, Stafford Act disaster relief, and income-based VA or veteran cash benefits. Benefits that do not count include Medicare, unemployment benefits, Social Security retirement, SSDI, RSDI, and student financial aid, loans, or grants.
• Household income at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines: Your total household income at the time of filing is at or below 150% of the current U.S. Department of Health and Human Services poverty guidelines for your household size and location.
• Extreme financial hardship: You are experiencing hardship that prevents you from paying the fee. Examples include a medical emergency or illness, unemployment, significant loss of work hours and wages, eviction, homelessness, military deployment of a spouse or parent, natural disaster, or destruction of your home. It also covers monthly basic utilities and rent or mortgage exceeding monthly wages, substantial small business losses, victimization, or divorce or death of a spouse.

Worked example: counting household size and income for Form I-912

Worked example based on USCIS Additional Information on Filing a Fee Waiver guidance.

Suppose Maria is filing a paper Form I-90 with Form I-912 based on household income at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. Here is how USCIS rules treat the people connected to her:

• Maria and her husband living with her: Both count toward household size, and both of their annual incomes count toward household income.
• Their 22-year-old unmarried daughter: She is a full-time college student who lives with them when not at school. Because she is unmarried, at least 21 but under 24, a full-time student, and lives with them when not at school, she counts in the household size.
• Maria's roommate or uncle: If Maria shares an apartment with a roommate who pays his own expenses and does not financially support her, the roommate and his income are excluded. However, if Maria's uncle lives in her house and pays $1,000 monthly toward her mortgage, she does not count the uncle's full salary, but she must list that $1,000 per month under additional income or financial support.
• Child support: If a court order awards $600 a month in child support from a prior relationship, but the payer only sends $250, USCIS instructs filers to annotate only the actual amount received ($250) and attach an explanation with bank statements or copies of checks.
• Affidavit of Support (Form I-864) sponsor: Maria's brother signed a Form I-864 for her years ago, but he lives in another house. USCIS considers an I-864 sponsor's income or assets for a fee waiver only if that sponsor is currently a member of your household.

How to pay the Form I-90 fee online and by mail

How you pay depends on whether you file online or by mail. USCIS no longer accepts personal or business checks, money orders, or cashier's checks for paper filings unless you qualify for a paper payment exemption and include Form G-1651.

Follow this pre-filing payment checklist to prevent a Lockbox rejection:

• Filing online ($415): Create a USCIS online account and complete Form I-90. When you submit, the system directs you to the Department of the Treasury's Pay.gov site to pay by credit, debit, or prepaid card, or via U.S. bank account withdrawal (ACH).
• Filing by mail with a card ($465): Complete and sign Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions, and place it on top of your Form I-90 package. USCIS accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, and prepaid cards from those networks issued by a U.S. bank in U.S. funds. USCIS does not accept gift cards or cards issued by a foreign bank.
• Filing by mail with a U.S. bank account ($465): Complete and sign Form G-1650, Authorization for ACH Transactions, and place it on top of your application. You must mark whether the account is personal or business, mark whether it is checking or savings, and write the exact 9-digit routing number, account number, and $465 payment amount.
• Whitelist the USCIS Lockbox if your bank has an ACH debit block: Paper Form I-90 packages go to the Phoenix/Tempe Lockbox. If your bank account uses a debit block, give your bank the USCIS Phoenix/Tempe Agency Location Code (ALC) 7001010330 before mailing your form so the withdrawal is not blocked.
• Never mix payment methods: You can split one Form I-90 fee across two credit cards (using two Forms G-1450 that add up to $465) or two bank accounts (using two Forms G-1650). However, you cannot combine a Form G-1450 and a Form G-1650 for the same application, or USCIS may reject your package.
• Third-party payers are allowed: Someone else can pay your Form I-90 fee. The account or card holder completes and signs Form G-1450 or Form G-1650 and gives it to you to place on top of your paper filing.
• Make sure the funds clear on the first try: If a credit card is declined, USCIS will not try to run it a second time and will reject your application. If an ACH bank withdrawal is declined for insufficient funds, USCIS will resubmit it one time. If declined for any other reason, USCIS rejects the filing immediately.
• Paper check or money order exemption (Form G-1651): You can pay by check or money order (payable to U.S. Department of Homeland Security, dated within the last 365 days, drawn on a U.S. bank) only if you submit a signed Form G-1651 certifying you meet an exemption, such as having no access to banking services or electronic payment systems, or facing undue hardship under 31 C.F.R. Part 208.

Where to mail a paper Form I-90 and what happens after you pay

If you file on paper (for example, because you are attaching Form I-912 for a fee waiver), verify that every page of your Form I-90 comes from the current 01/20/25 edition and that Part 1 includes your family name, mailing address, and date of birth, plus your signature. Clip Form G-1145 to the first page if you want a free email or text notification when the Lockbox accepts your package.

Once USCIS accepts your Form I-90 to renew an expiring or expired Green Card, it mails you a Form I-797C receipt notice. That notice states that, presented together with your expired Form I-551 (Permanent Resident Card), it extends your Green Card validity for 36 months from the expiration date on the front of your card for both work and travel.

If you lost your physical Green Card and need temporary proof of lawful permanent resident status while waiting for your replacement card, call the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833) after filing Form I-90 to request an Alien Documentation, Identification & Telecommunications (ADIT) stamp. You can check your online case status 72 hours after filing, and if you move while your case is pending, you must update your address through your USCIS online account or via Form AR-11 ($0 fee).

Mail your paper Form I-90 package to the Arizona Lockbox address that matches your carrier:

• U.S. Postal Service (USPS): USCIS, Attn: I-90, P.O. Box 21262, Phoenix, AZ 85036-1262
• FedEx, UPS, and DHL deliveries: USCIS, Attn: I-90 (Box 21262), 2108 E. Elliot Rd., Tempe, AZ 85284-1806

Visaful is an AI mock interview app for US visa interviews: an AI officer asks your visa's questions out loud and shows what to fix.

This is interview practice, not legal advice. For questions about your own case, talk to an immigration attorney. Visaful is not affiliated with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) or any government agency.