Planning Your Trip. The travel document usually arrives within 150 days (sometimes longer) after submitting your application. You can't leave the country until you have your approved travel document in hand, so you should expect to spend the 3–5 months after submitting your green card application in the United States.
The processing of an ESTA can take up to 72 hours.
Sign into your USCIS online account to receive automatic updates, including your U.S. Postal Service (USPS) tracking number when we mail your card or travel document. If you did not file online and do not have a USCIS online account, review the instructions to create an account to track your case.
You may ask us to expedite adjudication of your Form I-131, Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records, by calling the Contact Center at 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833) or by asking Emma. (You can access Emma by clicking on the Ask Emma icon on the top right of this page.)
Planning Your Trip The travel document usually arrives within 150 days (sometimes longer) after submitting your application. You can't leave the country until you have your approved travel document in hand, so you should expect to spend the 3–5 months after submitting your green card application in the United States.
Use Form I-131 - Application for Travel Document. For permanent residents, the re-entry permit is valid for two years from the date of issue. For conditional permanent residents, the re-entry permit is valid for two years after the date of issue.
If you are in the United States and have a pressing or critical need to travel outside the United States in less than 15 days, USCIS may issue an emergency travel document. USCIS may issue an emergency travel document for an: Advance parole document; or. TPS travel authorization document.
If you are requesting expedited processing of a travel document, you generally need to apply for and obtain the document before you leave the United States. You should make your expedite request on your pending application at least 45 days before you plan to leave the United States.
You generally need to apply for and obtain a travel document before you leave the United States. Before planning travel, please consider USCIS processing times. If you have an urgent need to travel outside the United States, see our Expedite Request and Emergency Travel pages for additional information.