Lost/Stolen/Expired Green Cards
NEW PROCEDURAL CHANGES RELATING TO ISSUANCE OF TRANSPORTATION LETTERS TO LEGAL PERMANENT RESIDENTS (LPR)
Effective April 16, 2012, Legal Permanent Resident (LPR) aliens who have lost, stolen or expired Alien Registration Cards (ARC or “Green Cards”) and request re-entry to the United States of America without an ARC will need to go through a new application process for return travel to the United States.
In keeping with the Department of State’s practice of replacing less secure travel documents with a more secure one, LPRs whose green cards are lost, stolen or expired, and without a valid entry stamp, may be issued a “Boarding Foil,” similar in appearance to a visa, instead of boarding authorizations or “transportation letters.”
An LPR transportation letter applicant will now have to schedule an interview appointment to request a boarding foil either by phone: +679-331-4466 between 2-4pm Mondays through Thursdays, by facsimile: +679-330-2267, or via e-mail: consularsuva@state.gov at any time.
A Lawful Permanent Resident possessing a valid passport with an Alien Documentation and Identification System (ADIT) stamp indicating admission to the United States as an LPR (or adjustment to that status), may travel without a boarding foil while the ADIT stamp is valid. The Embassy will not be responsible if a transportation company refuses to board a passenger with a passport and ADIT stamp only.
All LPRs with lost, stolen, or expired green cards, without a valid ADIT stamp, and requesting documentation assistance are required to appear in person at the U.S. Embassy in Suva, Fiji, for biometrics registration.
Before the LPR applicant comes to the Embassy for the interview, s/he must complete and bring pages 1-3 of Form I-90: Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card Form I-90.
On the day of the interview, the LPR applicant must carry one current passport size photograph along with a current valid passport, police report of lost ARC card, driver’s license and any other photo identification helpful in establishing the applicant’s ties to the United States.
It is mandatory for all LPR aliens requesting a boarding foil and aged between 14-79 years of age to be finger-printed at the Embassy.
A Consular Officer will inform the LPR applicant of the approximate timeline for boarding foil processing during the application interview. Applicants should assume several working days time will be required to prepare and print a boarding foil for the applicant’s passport. Applicants may be requested to present further documentation, or be refused, if the consular officer cannot satisfactorily determine the applicant’s LPR status. All LPR applicants should refrain from making any final flight/hotel bookings till they have received a confirmation or travel documentation from the Embassy regarding their return travel to the U.S. The Embassy will not be responsible for any losses incurred if an applicant ignores this advice.
A boarding foil will be valid for 30 days from the date of issuance for a single return journey only.
There is no fee for this service at the U.S. Embassy. Returning LPRs must apply for new ARC cards through U.S. Immigration upon their return to the United States.
Note: The U.S. Embassy is closed on all U.S. and Fiji Public Holidays.