How to Read a Green Card (2024)

The front of a green card is mostly self-explanatory. It includes biographic information such as name, country of birth, birth date, sex, and card expiration date. Dates are generally in the MM/DD/YY format. USCIS removed the cardholder's fingerprint from the front of the card in 2023.

• USCIS# describes the cardholder’s alien registration number or “A-number.” All permanent residents have a unique 8- or 9-digit A-number.
• Category describes the immigrant visa category that was used to admit an immigrant to the U.S. as a permanent resident or conditional permanent resident. The field is also known as “class of admission” in other USCIS documents. The field is typically one or two letters followed by a number.
• Resident Since designates the date that a permanent resident was granted residence at a U.S. embassy or through adjustment of status at a USCIS office. It's an important date for permanent residents who intend to apply for citizenship through naturalization. It marks the beginning of the continuous residence requirement.

Not all green cards include the holder’s signature. In limited cases, USCIS waives the signature requirement for certain people, such as children under the age of consent or individuals who are physically unable to provide a signature. Since February 2015, USCIS has been waiving the signature requirement for people entering the United States for the first time as lawful permanent residents after obtaining an immigrant visa abroad from a U.S. embassy or consulate. Cards without a signature will say “Signature Waived” on the front and back of the card where a signature would normally be located.

Note: Green cards issued between 1979 and August 1989 do not have expiration dates and may not need to be renewed unless you want to use the Global Entry (GE) Program when traveling. GE kiosks cannot read the old format green cards. Although not required to replace these cards, USCIS does recommend replacement to reduce problems. Older photos, wear-and-tear, and unfamiliarity with these cards may cause some authorities to refuse them.

The top left corner includes a designation of "Form I-551." Form I-551 is synonymous with green card. It is the government's internal form number for the modern permanent residence document. The location of the form number may be different on previous versions of the card. Over time, the card has also been known as a Resident Alien Card or Alien Registration Receipt Card. These cards may be marked as "Form I-151" or "Form AR-3." Form I-151 and AR-3 are now obsolete. The cards are not valid, and cardholders should replace their cards using Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card.

In the bottom portion of the card there are human-readable characters that have meaning if you know how to read them. A line-by-line description is as follows:

• Characters 1–2: C1 or C2 (C1 = Resident within the United States C2= Permanent Resident commuter living in Canada or Mexico)
• Characters 3–5: Issuing country (USA)
• Characters 6–14: 9-digit number A-number
• Characters 15: Application receipt number
• Characters 16–30: Immigrant case number (first three letters represent service center code) and the "<" symbol represents a blank space

• Characters 1-6: Birth date (in YY/MM/DD format)
• Characters 7: Not documented, possible check digit
• Characters 8: Gender
• Characters 9-14: Expiration date (in YY/MM/DD format)
• Characters 15: Not documented, possible check digit
• Characters 16-29: Country of birth
• Characters 30: Not documented, possible check digit