Lawful permanent residents or conditional permanent residents who wish to remain outside the United States for more than one year, but less than two years, may apply for a re-entry permit.

There are two functions of a Re-entry Permit:

1. It allows a permanent resident of the U.S. to reenter the U.S. after traveling abroad for longer than one year but less than two years. Usually, if a permanent resident travels abroad for a period longer than one year, s/he faces a risk of denial of admission into the U.S. on the ground that s/he has abandoned his or her permanent resident status. A Re-entry Permit is designed to solve this problem.

2. It serves as a passport for a permanent resident of the U.S. if s/he has no passport and cannot obtain it from the country of his/her nationality.

Please note that an absence of more than one year from the U.S. will sever the 5-year continuous residence period requirement necessary to become a citizen, even if a re-entry permit is obtained.

For other information about Re-entry permit, please click one of the following topics below:
Re-entry Permit vs. Advance Parole
Attorney Fee and Filing Fee for Re-entry Permit
Documents and information needed to apply for a Re-entry Permit
Frequently Asked Questions about Re-entry Permit
Maintaining Legal Permanent Resident Status