The first thing that you need to do as soon as you find that your Green Card is lost is to apply for Green Card replacement. The Green Card issued by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is an evidence of your lawful status in America. This document will help you to prove you are authorized to work and live permanently in America.
If you lose your card while in America, according to the USCIS, you may need to obtain Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card and file this form. You have an option to complete and file Form I-90, online as the process of completing the form online easier than completing and filing the paper Form I-90. You need to carefully complete the form and provide all the required information. Along with the Green Card replacement form, you must also submit few supporting documents and copies of your lost permanent resident card (if you have one). As of July 2018, the fee to file an application to replace a lost Green Card is $540. This fee includes the form filing fee of $455 and the biometrics services fee of $85. You can pay this fee online by making use of your credit or debit card while e-filing Form I-90 and by a check or money order if you file the paper form. However, you may go for online filing as the process of completing your form by hand may not be as easy as completing your form online.
To electronically file Form I-90 to replace your lost Green Card, you just need to go to the USCIS e-filing page and create an account. You will be able to access the form as soon as you create a user account and you can then start completing your form. You will be provided with step by step instructions and those instructions will lead you through all the questions of Form I-90. As soon as you e-file your Green Card replacement application, you will receive a confirmation receipt and that receipt will include your receipt number. You must mail the required supporting documents to the address printed on the confirmation receipt and the USCIS will send you Form I-797C, Notice of Action, after receiving your supporting documents.
If you are in a foreign country and if you lose your Green Card there, you must not file Form I-90 as the permanent residents must not file this form while in a foreign country. In this case, you must contact the nearest U.S. Consulate or Embassy. The filing instructions may vary and you need to follow the instructions given to you by a Consular Officer or an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officer, abroad.
While waiting for your Green Card, you can visit the nearby USCIS office and get your passport stamped as this will help you to establish that you have filed for Green Card replacement. You can do that if you need confirmation of your status and the I-551 stamp on your passport will help you to work legally in America and to travel abroad. You can use your passport with the I-551 stamp as an evidence of your status until you get your Green Card. Hence, you need not worry if you lose your Green Card, as it is easy to get it replaced. You just have to file a police report and inform the USCIS that your card is missing. After that, you must file Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card and get your lost card replaced.