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Key Facts
- Federal level: Form I-551 is evidence of lawful permanent resident status and ordinarily appears as the physical Permanent Resident Card.
- Federal level: Temporary I-551 evidence may appear as an ADIT stamp or an endorsed machine-readable immigrant visa while the physical card is unavailable.
- Federal level: Expiration of a ten-year Permanent Resident Card generally expires the document, not lawful permanent resident status.
- Federal level: A two-year conditional resident card is different because the person must timely seek removal of conditions under the applicable procedure to preserve status.
- Federal level: An unexpired Permanent Resident Card and qualifying temporary I-551 evidence can establish identity and employment authorization for Form I-9 under current document rules.
Form I-551 is the federal designation for evidence that a person is a lawful permanent resident, or LPR. The familiar plastic green card is the usual Form I-551, but federal agencies also recognize specified temporary versions.
The document and the underlying status are related but not identical. A card proves status for practical purposes; it is not the legal source of permanent residence, and losing or expiring a ten-year card does not by itself terminate LPR status.
The plastic Permanent Resident Card is Form I-551
USCIS issues the card after permanent residence is granted through adjustment of status or after a person enters with an immigrant visa and is admitted as an LPR. The card displays identity, registration, category, and validity information and is designed as secure federal evidence.
Most regular cards have a ten-year document validity period. Green card renewal replaces expiring proof, while Form I-90 also covers specified lost, stolen, damaged, or incorrect cards.
Temporary I-551 evidence fills document gaps
An ADIT stamp is temporary evidence of permanent resident status. USCIS may place it in a passport or issue temporary Form I-94 evidence bearing an ADIT stamp and photograph when an LPR needs proof while awaiting a card.
A machine-readable immigrant visa can also function as temporary I-551 evidence after a person is admitted as an LPR, when it bears the required endorsement. Its temporary evidentiary period is controlled by the endorsement and current federal guidance, not by the immigrant visa’s pre-entry expiration date alone.
Temporary evidence has its own expiration. A person who still needs proof after it expires must obtain current evidence; an old stamp does not remain valid merely because LPR status continues.
Document expiration and status expiration differ
For an ordinary ten-year card, expiration generally affects the evidence rather than the person’s permanent residency. The expired card alone does not establish that LPR status has ended.
Conditional permanent residence requires separate care. A two-year card corresponds to time-limited conditional status, and the resident ordinarily must file the applicable petition to remove conditions during the required period; simply filing Form I-90 does not remove conditions.
Form I-551 is work-authorization evidence
Lawful permanent residents are authorized to work incident to status. For Form I-9, an unexpired Permanent Resident Card is a List A document that establishes both identity and employment authorization.
Qualifying temporary I-551 evidence can also satisfy List A under the specific USCIS combinations and validity rules. Employers should use the current acceptable-documents guidance rather than insist on the plastic card when another permitted I-551 format is presented.
A ten-year card’s expiration does not end work authorization incident to LPR status, but the employee still must present acceptable current Form I-9 evidence when verification is legally required. Employers generally do not reverify an LPR merely because a Permanent Resident Card later expires.
Travel presents a separate proof question
Returning LPRs ordinarily present a valid Permanent Resident Card for admission after temporary travel. An ADIT stamp or endorsed immigrant visa may serve as temporary evidence within its validity, but carrier boarding rules and the circumstances of an extended absence require separate review.
A missing or expired card can create a transportation or inspection problem even when status has not ended. Replacement procedures, temporary evidence, a carrier-document request, or a returning-resident analysis may apply depending on where the person is and how long the person has been outside the United States.
Use the document that matches the task
Form I-551 can prove LPR status, identity, work authorization, and travel eligibility in defined settings, but each agency applies its own current document rules. Checking the card, stamp, visa endorsement, receipt notice, expiration, and intended use avoids treating every piece of permanent-resident evidence as interchangeable.
