We at Murthy Immigration Services Private Limited (MISPL) are occasionally contacted by US Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs) who have either lost or have their green card stolen or damaged while traveling abroad. In this article, we look at the procedure to be followed by the LPRs in this situation. In our May 6, 2011 news brief, we had reported that applicants needing a “transportation letter” need to contact the Customs and Border Protection(CBP) office in New Delhi. As of this writing, the U.S. Consulate(s) / Embassy continues to accept applications for “transportation letter” if the card is lost, stolen or damaged. However, if one seeks to obtain a transportation letter under other exceptional circumstances, s/he will have to contact the CBP office in New Delhi.
Need to Register First Information Report (Police Report) in Case of Loss or Theft
As a first step, the legal permanent resident should register a first information report (FIR) / police report with the police station having jurisdiction over the place where the green card was lost or stolen. Once this is done, s/he should also try to follow up and obtain the non-traceability certificate from the respective police station. A copy of the FIR and the non-traceability certificate should be retained by the LPR.
Advisable to Notify Nearest U.S. Consulate / Embassy on the Loss or Theft
Though not mandatory, it is advisable that the LPR notifies the nearest U.S. Consulate / Embassy about the loss or theft of the green card. Permanent residents should include a copy of the green card and provide details including the First and Last Name, date of birth, alien registration number, along with details about the circumstances under which the green card went missing.
Transportation Letter
If the Green Card is lost / stolen / damaged, then the LPR needs to obtain a transportation letter to be able to return to the United States. Transportation letter is a document which authorizes a passenger carrier to transport the holder without any liability imposed by law for transport of persons without proper authorization.
Schedule an Appointment
The permanent resident may apply for the transportation letter at immigrant visa unit of the consular post with jurisdiction over the place of temporary residence abroad OR the place where the green card was lost or stolen. S/he will have to first contact them by eMail, with a brief note on the situation and request an appointment.
Fee for Issuance of Transportation Letter
Applicant(s) may submit an application with supporting documents at the interview. The current fee for transportation letter is US$ 165. This fee can be paid either in cash or US$ or by way of demand draft in accordance with the prevailing exchange rate.
Documents in Support of the Application
The consular officers will have to verify if the applicant is a LPR and confirm that s/he has not been out of the US for more than a year from the most recent exit to determine eligibility for a transportation letter. These documents could include but not limited to a clear copy of his/her green card; copy of airline ticket showing last departure from the US; pages of passport containing biographic information and any other page with entries on it; If for some reason a copy of the green card is unavailable, the alien number may help, but can delay the process.
Processing Time and Validity
At the interview, the officer verifies information provided and if all requirements are met, will issue the transportation letter. The Transportation Letter may be issued on the same day or could take up to a couple of weeks. Once issued, the transportation letter is generally valid for 30 days. The LPR will receive a sealed envelope along with the transportation letter and this envelope, with the seal intact is to be handed over to the CBP officer at the port-of-entry. It is important that the sealed envelope is not tampered or opened. If the seal is broken or if the travel is not undertaken during the validity of the transportation letter, the permanent resident will have to go through the application process again and will have to pay the processing fee.
Importance of Maintaining Records
It is very important for anyone to maintain a copy of his / her immigration related documents in more than one location and preferably retain a scanned copy in eMail or Cloud to be able to pull it up any time. Some of the documents that an LPR should consider retaining include:
- All pages of passport, especially the biographic page and other pages with any entries on it;
- Copy of both sides of the green card;
- Copy of social security card;
- Copy of driving license;
- Copy of tickets, boarding passes, etc.,
Conclusion
With the ever changing procedures it is best that the legal permanent resident looks up current and most up-to-date processing information on the relevant U.S. consulate or Embassy’s website. We urge LPRs traveling abroad to be very careful with their documents and hope they do not land in a situation requiring a transportation letter. However, if you end up in this situation, we are available for help. We at Murthy Immigration Services Private Limited have successfully helped Legal Permanent Residents to obtain transportation letters.
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