When a form asks for your green card document number, it usually means the 13-character card number on the back of your card. The official name is Permanent Resident Card, or Form I-551, the card that shows you may live and work in the United States permanently. The number starts with three letters and ends with 10 digits.
It sits on the back, in the opening line of machine-readable text, right after C1USA, your nine-digit USCIS number and one extra digit. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) also prints that nine-digit number on the front as your A-Number. Keep the two numbers apart. If a number on your card is unreadable or incorrect, Faragalla Law helps clients request a corrected card through its green card replacement practice.
What Is the Green Card Document Number Used For?
Form I-9 is the federal form employers complete to verify a new hire’s identity and permission to work. If you check the lawful permanent resident box in Section 1, the instructions tell you to enter your 7- to 9-digit USCIS Number (A-Number). In Section 2, your employer then records the title, issuing authority, number and expiration date of the document you present.
A green card holder therefore gives the USCIS number in Section 1. The employer ordinarily copies the 13-character card number into the Section 2 document number field. Some employers also use E-Verify, the federal online system that checks Form I-9 information against government records. Those employers must copy the front and back of your green card and keep the copy with your Form I-9.
Picture a permanent resident from Guatemala starting a warehouse job in Dallas. She writes her USCIS number in Section 1. The HR manager then ordinarily copies the 13-character code from the back into Section 2.
Other government or travel applications may use the same label. Read each form’s instructions to confirm which number it wants.
Is the Green Card Document Number the Same as Your USCIS Number?
No. Your A-Number, short for Alien Registration Number, is a unique seven-, eight- or nine-digit number from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Cards issued after May 10, 2010 print it on the front as a nine-digit USCIS#, and USCIS letters to you repeat it. The card number, by contrast, appears only on the back of the card.
A receipt number is a third number entirely, and it appears on the notices of action USCIS mails you. USCIS assigns a 13-character receipt number to each application or petition. It uses three letters, such as EAC, WAC, LIN, SRC, NBC, MSC or IOE, followed by 10 numbers. Because it looks like a card number, confirm where a number came from before you copy it into a form.
What If You Cannot Make Out the Card Number on the Back?
On a worn card, look for three letters and 10 digits after your USCIS number on that line. For design details, check where the card number sits on each green card version. If you replaced your card, copy the number from the card you hold now.
Some people start a job while a replacement card is on the way. In that case the employer may record a receipt instead of the card. The USCIS employer handbook suggests an entry such as Receipt replacement Form I-551. Federal rules then give the employee 90 days from the hire date to show the new card.
A lost, stolen or badly damaged card calls for Form I-90, the Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card. A permanent resident from Vietnam whose card went through the wash could file Form I-90 as a mutilated card. The filing would include a copy of the card or a government ID.
Official USCIS Sources on Green Card Numbers
USCIS publishes Instructions for Form I-9 that explain what a lawful permanent resident enters in Section 1 and what employers record from each document. The USCIS glossary entry for the USCIS Number confirms that cards issued after May 10, 2010 print this DHS number on the front.
USCIS describes receipt numbers, including their three letters and 10 numbers, on its page about checking your case status online.
Get Help Reading Your Green Card in Texas
Is the number on your card hard to read, missing or wrong? Faragalla Law can look at the card and tell you whether a correction or a replacement fits your situation.
Every consultation happens remotely, so a client in San Antonio or Austin can get answers without a trip to Houston. To schedule a free consultation about your card, dial (800) 707-3038.
If writing is easier, send the firm a message that names the form asking for your green card document number.