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I lost my LPR Green Card in India.
It was a tough / anxious moment for 2 months to get things straightened out.
Here, I am detailing my experiences and the steps I took. Hope it is useful for others.
1. Before you lose your Green Card - Please scan your Green Card front and back. Save the scan safely. Print out a color copy of your Green Card and keep in your travel pouch. Keep a few passport size photographs in the travel pouch. As also a copy of your passport first and last pages. Also save copies of your original GC documents (I 485, G 28, G 325).
Keep your Greencard safely.
The hassle of a replacement GC is enormous (as outlined below). The cost of a replacement GC is almost $1100 (as outlined below).
2. If you have lost your Greencard in India - Please see the steps I took.
3. Trying to locate the Greencard - I made a list of - where all I had been in the last few days. Painstakingly, went thru the list one by one (Airport, Immigration, Customs, Forex Counter, Transit, Airlines checkin, Airport Shopping, City Shopping, Business establishments, Restaurants etc.) . I went thru multiple Airports in a matter of a few days, so had to scan all the Airports. Airport Lost n Found information is not well documented. So here is some info.
4. Nowhere to be found – After searching everywhere, I concluded that my Green Card was lost. I cannot travel back to USA. A printed copy of my Green Card in not sufficient to Travel. I need something called "Transportation Letter"
5. What next
Step 1 - Filing Police Report in India
Before you file the Police Report, you have to be very clear where you lost it. Police stations work on "jusrisdictions". Example - if you think you have lost it in Bangalore Airport, you have to go to the Bangalore Airport Police Station. If you have lost it elsewhere, you have to go to the specific jurisdiction police station.
Step 2 - Form 131 A filling and making payment in India
A form called 131 A needs to be filled and printed. It is available on the USCIS website. It is easy to fill. Carefully fill it. Most important is that you have to pay the fees online. So have a valid India accepted Credit Card. US Credit Card didn’t work for me. There is no option to take a Cashier’s Check or Demand Draft. The fees is $575 (non refundable). Also note, after you submit for payment, the confirmation page will come. Immediately take a screenshot of the confirmation page. If you do a refresh or back, the confirmation page disappears. Seems there is no way you can get back the confirmation page. The confirmation page is mandatory when you appear at the US Consulate.
Step 3 - Going to US Consulate in India and getting a Boarding Foil (Transportation Letter)
Which Consulate to go to?
Chennai and Mumbai don’t have walkins. I decided the Delhi Consulate. They are the only ones to accept walkins (Mon-Thu 9 am to 12 noon)
The security officer at Delhi Consulate took me directly to the Counter. At the Counter, the officer asked me for: Latest Passport (no copies were asked), Copy of my Green Card, Form I 131A, Proof of Payment (confirmation page), and two Passport size photos. I also showed the Police Report. She glanced thru the Police Report and gave it back to me. In 1 hr, I was called back to the counter. My passport was handed over to me. No annotations on the passport. Two envelopes were given to me. She explained. First envelope, a sealed one to be presented to the Airlines. Second envelope, a big sealed one to be presented at the US Border-Immigration. I can now re-enter USA using these two envelopes (Travel Foil or Transportation Letter as it is called). .It is valid only for 30 days. Means you have to travel within 30 days or you have to do the entire filing and payment once again. So please plan carefully when you want to get back to USA.
Step 4 - Returning back to USA using Transportation Letter
At the Airline Checkin, I gave the first envelope. All good. After Checking me in, they gave back the envelope and the letter. Landed at US. After taking my fingerprints, the Immigration officer took the second sealed envelope and led me to a room nearby. After a few minutes waiting, another officer opened the envelope. And stamped my entry. I am back into USA
Step 5 - Applying for Replacement Green Card while in USA (I 90)
Downloaded two forms - I 90 and G 28. Filled information on both these forms, exactly matching my original GC information - (I 485, G 28, G 325 A) (first name, last name, DOB etc, fathers name etc.). Made sure there were no discrepancies from the earlier GC data. Printed the two forms. Signed them. Made the online payment - filing fee ($455) and Biometric fee ($85). Put the signed forms in an envelope along with 2 Passport photos (although the USCIS Website does not talk about photos). Sent the envelope to the same Service Center as was my original GC Application (Texas Processing Center). And waited for next steps
Step 6 – Replacement Green Card Timelines
It was a tough / anxious moment for 2 months to get things straightened out.
Here, I am detailing my experiences and the steps I took. Hope it is useful for others.
1. Before you lose your Green Card - Please scan your Green Card front and back. Save the scan safely. Print out a color copy of your Green Card and keep in your travel pouch. Keep a few passport size photographs in the travel pouch. As also a copy of your passport first and last pages. Also save copies of your original GC documents (I 485, G 28, G 325).
Keep your Greencard safely.
The hassle of a replacement GC is enormous (as outlined below). The cost of a replacement GC is almost $1100 (as outlined below).
2. If you have lost your Greencard in India - Please see the steps I took.
3. Trying to locate the Greencard - I made a list of - where all I had been in the last few days. Painstakingly, went thru the list one by one (Airport, Immigration, Customs, Forex Counter, Transit, Airlines checkin, Airport Shopping, City Shopping, Business establishments, Restaurants etc.) . I went thru multiple Airports in a matter of a few days, so had to scan all the Airports. Airport Lost n Found information is not well documented. So here is some info.
- Bangalore Airport (International and Domestic) - Bangalore Airport is small. They have a common lost n found. You need to contact the Airport Manager counter, a small counter in the Departure terminal on the ground floor. Also, Bangalore Airport has a very detailed Lost n Found Website, where every item found is listed with date and description. Visit this site regularly to see if anyone has found your Greencard and gave it to the Airport authorities. Website: http://www.bengaluruairport.com/airp...tAndFound.jspx
- Mumbai Airport – They have multiple places for Lost n Found. Here are the contacts
- feedback@csia.gvk.com (got a reasonably fast response from here)
- csmia.lostproperty@gvk.com or +91-9930144272
- Others Numbers in Mumbai Airport Lost n Found: +91 88 7999 2371,
- You also need to check the Mumbai Customs Department (022 6685 0857, 022 66850928)
- Terminal Manager Lost n Found +91 96190 50580 (very helpful)
4. Nowhere to be found – After searching everywhere, I concluded that my Green Card was lost. I cannot travel back to USA. A printed copy of my Green Card in not sufficient to Travel. I need something called "Transportation Letter"
5. What next
Step 1 - Filing Police Report in India
Before you file the Police Report, you have to be very clear where you lost it. Police stations work on "jusrisdictions". Example - if you think you have lost it in Bangalore Airport, you have to go to the Bangalore Airport Police Station. If you have lost it elsewhere, you have to go to the specific jurisdiction police station.
- First - Walked in to the Police Station. Informed the duty constable. After a long wait, took me to the room where the next higher up was there.
- Second - The officer asked many many questions about the lost Green Card. They spoke local language. Better to have a local acquaintance with you
- Third - finally the officer typed in the complaint. Most Police Stations are computerized. Got a draft report printed on a white paper (no seal or stamp, no signature). Edited the grammar and spelling using the local acquaintance. And got another printout on white paper (at this point, still no seal and no signature)
- Fourth - Took the printout to the nearest Xerox center. Put this into their local language computer. Got a INR 20 Stamp Paper. And printed the local language complaint on to the stamp paper. Seems it is mandatory to get the printout on a stamp paper. Parallely got the translation done into English. Printed the English one on white paper. The USCIS does not accept local language, only English, so have to do this
- Fifth - Went back to the Police Station. Got the local language, as well as English language one stamped (seal) and signed by the higher official
- Note - The process may vary, based on the duty officer at the respective Police Station. Also, you will not get an FIR. Only a Police Report with seal and signature. In my experience - for Green Card loss, an FIR is not required
- End of activity at the Police Station
Step 2 - Form 131 A filling and making payment in India
A form called 131 A needs to be filled and printed. It is available on the USCIS website. It is easy to fill. Carefully fill it. Most important is that you have to pay the fees online. So have a valid India accepted Credit Card. US Credit Card didn’t work for me. There is no option to take a Cashier’s Check or Demand Draft. The fees is $575 (non refundable). Also note, after you submit for payment, the confirmation page will come. Immediately take a screenshot of the confirmation page. If you do a refresh or back, the confirmation page disappears. Seems there is no way you can get back the confirmation page. The confirmation page is mandatory when you appear at the US Consulate.
Step 3 - Going to US Consulate in India and getting a Boarding Foil (Transportation Letter)
Which Consulate to go to?
Chennai and Mumbai don’t have walkins. I decided the Delhi Consulate. They are the only ones to accept walkins (Mon-Thu 9 am to 12 noon)
The security officer at Delhi Consulate took me directly to the Counter. At the Counter, the officer asked me for: Latest Passport (no copies were asked), Copy of my Green Card, Form I 131A, Proof of Payment (confirmation page), and two Passport size photos. I also showed the Police Report. She glanced thru the Police Report and gave it back to me. In 1 hr, I was called back to the counter. My passport was handed over to me. No annotations on the passport. Two envelopes were given to me. She explained. First envelope, a sealed one to be presented to the Airlines. Second envelope, a big sealed one to be presented at the US Border-Immigration. I can now re-enter USA using these two envelopes (Travel Foil or Transportation Letter as it is called). .It is valid only for 30 days. Means you have to travel within 30 days or you have to do the entire filing and payment once again. So please plan carefully when you want to get back to USA.
Step 4 - Returning back to USA using Transportation Letter
At the Airline Checkin, I gave the first envelope. All good. After Checking me in, they gave back the envelope and the letter. Landed at US. After taking my fingerprints, the Immigration officer took the second sealed envelope and led me to a room nearby. After a few minutes waiting, another officer opened the envelope. And stamped my entry. I am back into USA
Step 5 - Applying for Replacement Green Card while in USA (I 90)
Downloaded two forms - I 90 and G 28. Filled information on both these forms, exactly matching my original GC information - (I 485, G 28, G 325 A) (first name, last name, DOB etc, fathers name etc.). Made sure there were no discrepancies from the earlier GC data. Printed the two forms. Signed them. Made the online payment - filing fee ($455) and Biometric fee ($85). Put the signed forms in an envelope along with 2 Passport photos (although the USCIS Website does not talk about photos). Sent the envelope to the same Service Center as was my original GC Application (Texas Processing Center). And waited for next steps
Step 6 – Replacement Green Card Timelines
- 3rd week - Receipt of the application
- 5th week - Biometrics notice
- 6th week - Biometrics done, Message received "actively reviewing your case", Message received "Card is being Produced" - all three happened in a matter of few days
- So the entire I 90 approval process took only 6 weeks (Forums mentions 5-8 months for I 90 approval). Mine happened very quick or this is the new waiting timeline
- Now waiting for my replacement Green Card
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