Application for Travel Document
[I-131, Application for Travel Document]
IMPORTANT: Information on this site may be outdated. For up-to-date instructions and filing fees check always with the USCIS site:
http://www.uscis.gov/forms
Purpose of Form :
This form is used to apply for a Travel Document, reentry permit, refugee travel document or advance parole.
Number of Pages :
10
Edition Date :
10/26/05. Prior versions acceptable. NOTE: Vietnamese translations is available for reference purposes; the form must be completed and filed in English.
Where to File :
Please go to the Special Instructions section of this page.
Filing Fee :
$170.00
Special Instructions :
You may be eligible to electronically file this form. Please see the related link “Introduction to Electronic Filing” for more information.
Note on Where to File :
The office to file this form varies according to what is being requested. Please be sure you know what you are requesting – reentry permit, refugee travel document, advance parole or humanitarian parole – before submitting this form. Failure to file the form with the correct office may cause delay in processing or denial of the benefit. The instructions on the form have been superseded by the following requirements:
Effective December 1, 2004, if you are filing for advance parole, and are filing Form I-485 for family-based adjustment of status (other adjustment of status applications may be filed at the Chicago Lockbox, please refer to the November 19, 2004, Direct Mail Federal Register Notice for a complete listing of specific categories) AND live in any of the following states (Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, as well as the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands of the United States), you will need to send your Form I-131 to:
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
P.O. Box 805887
Chicago, IL 60680-4120
Or, for non-United States Postal Service (USPS) deliveries (e.g. private couriers)
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Attn: FBASI
427 S. LaSalle – 3rd Floor
Chicago, IL 60605-1098
Effective April 1, 2005, if you are filing for advance parole, and are filing Form I-485 for family-based adjustment of status (other adjustment of status applications may be filed at the Chicago Lockbox, please refer to the November 19, 2004, Direct Mail Federal Register Notice for a complete listing of specific categories) AND live in any of the following states Alaska, California, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and Washington, you will need to send your Form I-131 to:
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
P.O. Box 805887
Chicago, IL 60680-4120
Or, for non-United States Postal Service (USPS) deliveries (e.g. private couriers)
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Attn: FBASI
427 S. LaSalle – 3rd Floor
Chicago, IL 60605-1098
If you are applying for Advance Parole (permission to reenter the U.S.), and do not fall under any of the I-485 categories listed in the November 19, 2004, Direct Mail Federal Register Notice, send your application to the District or Sub-Office with jurisdiction over your place of residence, or to the Service Center if your case is pending there.
If you are requesting a Refugee Travel Document or a Reentry Permit, send your application to the Nebraska Service Center. Do not send the form to the address listed in the form’s instructions.
If you are applying for Humanitarian Parole (to enter the U.S.), send your application to the Department of Homeland Security, 425 I St., N.W., Washington, DC 20536, ATTN: Parole and Humanitarian Assistance Branch
If you are applying for a travel document because you have a pending LIFE Act legalization adjustment of status case, send your application to: USCIS, PO Box 7219, Chicago, IL 60680-7219.
See also Direct Mail Instructions for Persons Filing Form I-131
Special Instructions :
Filing Period for Renewal of an Advance Parole Document: If you are applying for renewal of your advance parole document (I-512L or I-512), USCIS will accept and adjudicate Form I-131 filed up to 120 days before the date your current Advance Parole document expires.
Download I-131 (209KB PDF)
Download I-131 Vietnamese Instructions (162KB PDF)
Department of Homeland Security
U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
OMB No. 1615-0013; Expires 11/30/07
I-131, Application for Travel Document
What Is the Purpose of This Form?
This form is used to apply to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), comprised of offices of the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), for the following travel documents:
Reentry Permit – A reentry permit allows a permanent resident or conditional resident to apply for admission to the United States upon return from abroad during the permit’s validity, without having to obtain a returning resident visa from a U.S. embassy or consulate.
Refugee Travel Document – A refugee travel document is issued to a person classified as a refugee or asylee, or to a permanent resident who obtained such status as a result of being a refugee or asylee in the United States. Persons who hold such status must have a refugee travel document to return to the United States after temporary travel abroad unless he or she is in possession of a valid advance parole document. A refugee travel document is issued by the CIS to implement Article 28 of the United Nations Convention of July 28, 1951.
Advance Parole Document – An advance parole document is issued solely to authorize the temporary parole of a person into the United States. The document may be accepted by a transportation company in lieu of a visa as an authorization for the holder to travel to the United States. An advance parole document is not issued to serve in place of any required passport.
Advance parole is an extraordinary measure used sparingly to bring an otherwise inadmissible alien to the United States for a temporary period of time due to a compelling emergency. Advance parole cannot be used to circumvent the normal visa issuing procedures and is not a means to bypass delays in visa issuance.
NOTE: If you are in the United States and wish to travel abroad, you do not need to apply for advance parole if both conditions described below in numbers 1 and 2 are met:
1. You are in one of the following nonimmigrant categories:
a. An H-1, temporary worker, or H-4, spouse or child of an H-1; or
b. An L-1, intracompany transferee, or L-2, spouse or child of an L-1; or
c. A K-3, spouse, or K-4, child of a U.S. citizen; or
d. A V-2, spouse, or V-3, child of a lawful permanent
resident; and
2. A Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, was filed on your behalf and is pending with the USCIS.
However, upon returning to the United States, you must present your valid H, L, K or V nonimmigrant visa and continue to remain eligible for that status.
Who May File This Form?
Each applicant must file a separate application for a travel document.
I. Reentry Permit.
A. If you are in the United States as a permanent resident or conditional permanent resident, you may apply for a reentry permit.
Departure from the United States before a decision is made on an application for a reentry permit does not affect the application.
You must be physically present in the United States when you file the application. However, a reentry permit may be sent to a U.S. embassy or consulate or Department of Homeland Security (DHS) office abroad for you to pick up, if you request it when you file your application.
With the exception of having to obtain a returning resident visa abroad, a reentry permit does not relieve you of any of the requirements of the United States immigration laws.
If you stay outside the United States for less than one year, you are not required to apply for a reentry permit. You may reenter the United States on your Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551).
If you intend to apply in the future for naturalization, absences from the United States for one year or more will generally break the continuity of your required continuous residence in the United States. If you intend to remain outside the United States for one year or more, you should file a Form N-470, Application to Preserve Residence for Naturalization Purposes. For further information, contact your local USCIS office.
B. Validity of reentry permit.
1. Generally, a reentry permit issued to a permanent resident shall be valid for two years from the date of issuance. However, if since becoming a permanent resident you have been outside the United States for more than four of the last five years, the permit will be limited to one year, except that a permit with a validity of two years may be issued to the following:
a. A permanent resident whose travel is on the order of the United States government, other than an exclusion, deportation, removal or recission order.
b. A permanent resident employed by a public international organization of which the United States is a member by treaty or statute.
c. A permanent resident who is a professional athlete and regularly competes in the United States and worldwide.
2. A reentry permit issued to a conditional resident shall be valid for two years from the date of issuance, or to the date the conditional resident must apply for removal of the conditions on his or her status, whichever date comes first.
3. A reentry permit may not be extended.
C. A reentry permit may not be issued to you if:
1. You have already been issued such a document and it is still valid, unless the prior document has been returned to the USCIS, or you can demonstrate that it was lost; or
2. A notice was published in the Federal Register that precludes the issuance of such a document for travel to the area where you intend to go.
NOTICE to permanent or conditional residents who remain outside the United States for more than one year:
If you do not obtain a reentry permit and remain outside the United States for one year or more, it may be determined that you have abandoned your permanent or conditional resident status.
II. Refugee Travel Document.
A. If you are in the United States in valid refugee or asylee status, or if you are a permanent resident as a direct result of your refugee or asylee status in the United States, you may apply for a refugee travel document. Generally, you must have a refugee travel document to return to the United States after temporary
travel abroad.
You must be physically present in the United States when you file the application. However, a refugee travel document may be sent to a United States embassy or consulate or DHS office abroad for you to pick up, if you request it when you file your application.
B. Validity of refugee travel document.
1. A refugee travel document shall be valid for one year.
2. A refugee travel document may not be extended.
C. A refugee travel document may not be issued to you if:
1. You have already been issued such a document and it is still valid, unless the prior document has been returned to the USCIS, or you can demonstrate that it was lost; or
2. A notice was published in the Federal Register that precludes the issuance of such a document for travel to the area where you intend to go.
NOTICE to permanent residents who obtain permanent residence as a result of their refugee or asylee status: If you do not obtain a reentry permit and remain outside the United States for one year or more, it may be determined that you have abandoned your permanent resident status.
III. Advance Parole Document.
Travel Warning
Before you apply for an advance parole document, read this travel warning carefully.
If you have been unlawfully present in the United States for more than 180 days but less than one year and you leave before removal proceedings are started against you, you may be inadmissible for three years from the date of departure.
If you have been unlawfully present in the United States for one year or more, you may be inadmissible for ten years from the date of departure regardless of whether you left before, during or after removal proceedings.
Unlawful presence is defined as being in the United States without having been inspected and admitted or paroled (illegal entry), or after the period of authorized stay has expired.
However, certain immigration benefits and time spent in the United States while certain applications are pending may place you in a period of authorized stay. These include, but are not limited to, a properly filed adjustment of status application, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), deferred enforced departure (DED), asylum and withholding of removal.
Although advance parole may allow you to return to the United States, your departure may trigger the three-or ten-year bar, if you accrued more than 180 days of unlawful presence BEFORE the date you were considered to be in a period of authorized stay.
Therefore, if you apply for adjustment of status after you return to the United States, resume an adjustment application that was pending before you left, or return to a status that requires you to establish that you are not inadmissible, you will need to apply for and receive a waiver of inadmissibility before your adjustment application may be approved or your status continued.
Generally, only those persons who can establish extreme hardship to their U. S. citizen or lawful permanent resident spouse or parent may apply for the waiver for humanitarian reasons, to assure family unity or when it is otherwise in the public interest. (See sections 209(c), 212(a)(9) and 244(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act for more information on unlawful presence and the available waivers.)
A. If you are outside the United States and need to visit the United States temporarily for emergent humanitarian reasons:
1. You may apply for an advance parole document. However, your application must be based on the fact that you cannot obtain the necessary visa and any required waiver of inadmissibility. Parole under these conditions is granted on a case-by-case basis for temporary entry, according to such conditions as prescribed.
2. A person in the United States may file this application on your behalf. In so doing, he or she should complete Part 1 of the form with information about him or herself.
B. If you are in the United States and seek advance parole:
1. You may apply if you have an adjustment of status application pending and you seek to travel abroad for emergent personal or bona fide business reasons; or
2. You may apply if you are classified as a refugee or asylee and you seek to travel abroad for emergent personal or bona fide business reasons, or you are traveling to Canada to apply for a U.S. immigrant visa. (See Part II, Refugee Travel Document on Page of 2 of these instructions, for additional information on refugee/asylee travel); or
3. You may apply if you have been granted Temporary Protected Status or another immigration status that allows you to return to that status after a brief, casual and innocent absence (as defined in 8 CFR 244.1) from the United States.
C. An advance parole document may not be issued to you if:
1. You held J-1 nonimmigrant status and are subject to the two-year foreign residence requirement as a result of that status; or
2. You are in exclusion, deportation, removal or recission proceedings.
D. If you travel before the advance parole document is issued, your application will be deemed abandoned if:
1. You depart from the United States; or
2. The person seeking advance parole attempts to enter the United States before a decision is made on the application.
General Filing Instructions.
Every application must be properly signed and filed with the correct fee. If you are under 14 years of age, your parent or guardian may sign the application on your behalf.
Any applicaton that is not signed or accompanied by the correct fee will be rejected and returned to you. You may correct the deficiency and resubmit the application. However, an application is not considered properly filed until it is accepted by the USCIS.
Please answer all questions by typing or clearly printing in black ink. If an item is not applicable to you, write “N/A.” If the answer is none, please write “None.” If you need extra space to answer a question, attach a separate sheet of paper with your name and A #, if any, written at the top and indicate the number of the question.
Initial Evidence.
I. Evidence of Eligibility.
We may request additional information or evidence, or we may request that you appear at a USCIS office for an interview. You must file your application with all the required evidence. If you do not submit the required evidence, it will delay the issuance of the document you are requesting.
All applications must include a copy of an official photo identity document showing your photo, name and date of birth. (Example: a valid government issued driver’s license, passport identity page, Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card or any other official identity document.) The copy must clearly show the photo and identity information. A Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Document, is not acceptable as a photo identity document.
If you are applying for a:
A. Reentry Permit.
You must attach:
A copy of the front and back of your Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card; or
If you have not yet received your Form I-551, a copy of the biographic page(s) of your passport and a copy of the visa page showing your initial admission as a permanent resident, or other evidence that you are a permanent resident; or
A copy of the Form I-797, Notice of Action, approval notice of an application for replacement of your Permanent Resident Card or temporary evidence of permanent resident status.
B. Refugee Travel Document.
You must attach a copy of the document issued to you by the USCIS or former INS showing your refugee or asylee status and the expiration date of such status.
C. Advance Parole Document.
1. If you are in the United States, you must attach:
a. A copy of any document issued to you by the USCIS or former INS showing your present status in the United States; and
b. An explanation or other evidence showing the circumstances that warrant issuance of an advance parole document; or
c. If you are an applicant for adjustment of status, a copy of the USCIS or former INS receipt as evidence that you filed the adjustment application;
d. If you are traveling to Canada to apply for an immigrant visa, a copy of the U.S. consular appointment letter.
2. If you are applying for a person who is outside the United States, you must attach:
a. A statement of how and by whom medical care, transportation, housing, and other expenses and subsistence needs will be met; and
b. An Affidavit of Support (Form I-134), with evidence of the sponsor’s occupation and ability to provide necessary support; and
c. A statement explaining why a U.S. visa cannot be obtained, including when and where attempts were made to obtain a visa; and
d. A statement explaining why a waiver of inadmissibility cannot be obtained to allow issuance of a visa, including when and where attempts were made to obtain a waiver, and a copy of any USCIS or former INS decision on your waiver request; and
e. A copy of any decision on an immigrant petition filed for the person, and evidence regarding any pending immigrant petition; and
f. A complete description of the emergent reasons explaining why advance parole should be authorized and including copies of any evidence you wish considered, and indicating the length of time for which the parole is requested.
II. Photographs.
A. If you are filing for a reentry permit or a refugee travel document, or if you are in the United States and filing for an advance parole document:
You must submit two identical color photographs of yourself taken within 30 days of the filing of this application. The photos must have a white background, be printed on thin paper with a glossy finish, and be unmounted and unretouched.
NOTE: Digital photos are not acceptable.
The photos should show a three-quarter frontal view of the right side of your face, with your right ear visible and your head bare (unless you are wearing a headress as required by a religious order of which you are a member).
The photos should be no larger than 2 by 2 inches. From the top of the head to just below the chin, the image of your head should be about 1 and 1/4 inches. Using a pencil, lightly print your Alien Registration Number (A#), if any, on the back of each photo.
B. If the person seeking advance parole is outside the United States:
If you are applying for an advance parole document and you are outside the United States, do not submit the photographs with your application. Prior to issuing the parole document, the U.S. embassy or consulate or DHS office abroad will provide you with information regarding the photograph requirements.
If you are filing this application for an advance parole document for another person, submit the required photographs of the person to be paroled.
III. Copies.
If these instructions state that a copy of a document may be filed with this application and you choose to send us the original document, we may keep that original for our records. If we request that you submit original documents of any copies, we will return the originals when they are no longer required.
Invalidation of Travel Document.
Any travel document obtained by making a material false representation or concealment in this application will be invalid.
A travel document will also be invalid if you are ordered removed or deported from the United States.
In addition, a refugee travel document will be invalid if the United Nations Convention of July 28, 1951, shall cease to apply or shall not apply to you as provided in Article 1C, D, E or F of the Convention.
Processing Information.
We may request additional information or evidence or we may request that you appear at a USCIS office for an interview. You must file your application with all the required evidence. If you do not submit the required evidence, it will delay the issuance of the document you are requesting. If you do not establish a basis for eligibility, we may deny your application.
Where to File.
A. If you are applying for a reentry permit or refugee travel document, mail the application to:
USCIS Nebraska Service Center
P.O. Box 87131 Lincoln, NE 68501-7131
B. If you are in the United States and filing for an advance parole document:
1. If you filed at a USCIS field office to adjust your status as a permanent resident, submit or mail this application to that office according to its filing procedures.
2. If you filed at a USCIS service center to adjust your status as a permanent resident, mail this application to that service center. The service center address is noted on the USCIS or former INS receipt related to the filing of your adjustment application. You can also obtain the service center address by visiting the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov or calling our National Customer Service Center at
1-800-375-5283.
3. If you were granted Temporary Protected Status, file this application at the local USCIS office having jurisdiction over your place of residence.
C. If you are requesting an advance parole document, and are in removal proceedings or are the beneficiary of a Private Bill, mail this application to:
USCIS Office of International Affairs Parole and Humanitarian Assistance Branch
425 “I” Street, N.W.
Attn.: ULLICO Building, 3rd Floor
Washington, DC 20536
D. If you are outside the United States and applying for an advance parole document on humanitarian grounds, or if such a request is being filed on your behalf, mail this application to:
USCIS Office of International Affairs Parole and Humanitarian Assistance Branch
425 “I” Street, N.W.
Attn.: ULLICO Building, 3rd Floor
Washington, DC 20536
E. Haitian Refugee Immigrant Fairness Act (HRIFA) dependent spouse or child outside the United States: If you are the spouse or child of a principal HRIFA applicant and are seeking advance parole to enter the United States to file for adjustment of status as a permanent resident, mail this application to:
USCIS Nebraska Service Center
P.O. Box 87131 Lincoln, NE 68501-7131
F. If you are a refugee or asylee who has filed an adjustment of status application and are now requesting an advance parole document, mail this application to:
USCIS Nebraska Service Center
P.O. Box 87131 Lincoln, NE 68501-7131
NOTE: If you are a refugee or asylee and have not filed an adjustment of status application, you cannot apply for advance parole. You must request a refugee travel document before departing from the United States. (See instructions on Page 4, “Where to File,” item A.)
What Is the Fee?
The fee for this application is $170.00. The fee must be submitted in the exact amount. It cannot be refunded. Do not mail cash. All checks and money orders must be drawn on a bank or other financial institution located in the United States and must be payable in U.S. currency. The check or money order should be made payable to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, except:
A. If you live in Guam and are filing this application there, make your check or money order payable to the “Treasurer, Guam.”
B. If you live in the U.S. Virgin Islands and are filing this application there, make your check or money order payable to the “Commissioner of Finance of the Virgin
Islands.”
Checks are accepted subject to collection. An uncollected check will render the application and any document issued invalid. A charge of $30.00 will be imposed if a check in payment of a fee is not honored by the bank on which it is drawn.
When making out your check or money order, spell out U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Do not use the initials “USDHS” or “DHS.”
What If You Claim Nonresident Alien Status on Your Federal Income Tax Return?
If you are an alien who has established residence in the United States after having been admitted as an immigrant or adjusted status to that of an immigrant, and are considering the filing of a nonresident alien tax return or the non-filing of a tax return on the ground that you are a nonresident alien, you should carefully review the consequences of such actions under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
If you file a nonresident alien tax return or fail to file a tax return, you may be regarded as having abandoned residence in the United States and as having lost your permanent resident status under the Act. As a consequence, you may be ineligible for a visa or other document for which permanent resident aliens are eligible.
You may also be inadmissible to the United States if you seek admission as a returning resident, and you may become ineligible for adjustment of status as a permanent resident or naturalization on the basis of your original entry.
What Are the Penalties for Providing False Information?
If you knowingly and willfully falsify or conceal a material fact or submit a false document with this request, we will deny the benefit you are seeking and may deny any other immigration benefit. In addition, you will face severe penalties provided by law and may be subject to criminal prosecution and/or removal from the United States.
What Is Our Authority for Collecting This Information?
We ask for the information on this form and associated evidence to determine if you have established eligibility for the immigration benefit you are seeking. Our legal right to ask for this information is in 8 U.S.C. 1203 and 1225. We may provide this information to other government agencies. Failure to provide this information and any requested evidence may delay a final decision or result in denial of your request.
USCIS Forms and Information.
To order USCIS forms, call our toll-free forms line at 1-800-870-3676. You can get USCIS forms and information on immigration laws, regulations and procedures by calling our National Customer Service Center toll-free at 1-800-375-5283 or visiting our internet web site at www.uscis. gov.
Use InfoPass for Appointment.
As an alternative to waiting in line for assistance at your local USCIS office, you can now schedule an appointment through our internet-based system, InfoPass. To access the system, visit our website at www.uscis.gov. Use the InfoPass appointment scheduler and follow the screen prompts to set up your appointment. InfoPass generates an electronic appointment notice that appears on the screen. Print the notice and take it with you to your appointment. The notice gives the time and date of your appointment, along with the address of the USCIS office.
Paperwork Reduction Act Notice.
An agency may not conduct or sponsor an information collection and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it contains a currently valid OMB control number. We try to create forms and instructions that are accurate, can be easily understood and impose the least possible burden on you to provide us with information. Often this is difficult because some immigration laws are very complex. The estimated average time to complete and file this application is as follows: (1) 10 minutes to learn about the law and form; (2) 10 minutes to complete the form; (3) 35 minutes to assemble and file the application; for a total estimated average of 55 minutes per application. If you have comments regarding the accuracy of this estimate or suggestions for making this form simpler, write to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Regulatory Management Division, 111 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Washington DC 20529; OMB No. 1615-0013. Do not mail your completed application to this address.