Employment Authorization Document | USCIS (2024)

If you remain eligible to apply for employment authorization or remain employment authorized incident to your status or circ*mstances, but your EAD will be expiring or has expired, you should file for a renewal EAD by submitting a new Form I-765 and filing fee (if required), unless a fee waiver is requested and approved.

We encourage you to file your renewal application as soon as possible once your EAD is within 180 days of its expiration date to reduce the possibility of a gap in your employment authorization and/or documentation.

If Your EAD Is Lost, Stolen or Destroyed

If your EAD is lost, stolen or destroyed, you may request a replacement EAD by filing a new Form I-765 and filing fee (if required), unless a fee waiver is requested and approved. If you did not receive an EAD that USCIS mailed, you can submit an inquiry on non-delivery of a card.

If Your EAD Contains Incorrect Information

If your EAD contains incorrect information that is not due to a USCIS error, you must submit:

• A new Form I-765;
• The filing fee, if required (or a request for a fee waiver);
• Any documents specified in the form instructions; and
• The card containing the error.

If your EAD contains incorrect information a USCIS error, we will make the appropriate correction at no additional cost to you. In these cases, you do not need to submit a new Form I-765 or a filing fee. Instead, two options are available:

1. If your request does not require you to submit evidence (for example, the error is a clear typographical error), you may submit aservice requestvia the USCIS website. Please explain the error and include the correct information. Please select the “EAD Replacement due to USCIS Error” option when submitting your request. You must also return the card containing the error to the following address:

USCIS
Lee’s Summit Production Facility
Attn: I-765 Replacement Cards
7 Product Way
Lee’s Summit, MO 64002

It will take approximately 30 days from the date the card is received for USCIS to process your request and, if we determine it was due to USCIS error, to issue you a new card. Please retain your tracking information to ensure your card was properly delivered. This processing time frame does not account for USPS mailing/processing.

Please note, if while processing your request we find that the error was not due to USCIS error, you will be notified that you must follow the procedure for when a correction is needed and not due to USCIS error.

OR

2. Ifyour request requires you to submit evidence to demonstrate the error and necessary correction (for example, the error relates to the EAD’s validity period), or if you would like to use the existing mail-in process, you may also submit a letter explaining the error and corresponding evidence, along with the card containing the error, to the following address:

USCIS
Lee’s Summit Production Facility
Attn: I-765 Replacement Cards
7 Product Way
Lee’s Summit, MO 64002

Please note, while the option to mail in your letter and supporting documentation is available, we encourage you to use existingonline tools, such asthe SRMT, when appropriate. For more information about the SRMT process please visitChapter 4 – Service Request Management Tool in the USCIS Policy Manual. Using the SRMT may minimize the need for additional correspondence to be sent via mail (aside from your original card) and may help streamline the way in which we process your request. Please ensure you retain any copies of supporting documentation you send to USCIS.

If we receive your application or request for a replacement EAD and you no longer have any basis for applying for an EAD or employment authorization, we will not return the card and will notify you that you do not have a current basis for applying for an EAD or employment authorization.

Please note: Dependents of certain foreign governments, international organizations, and NATO personnel are not required to pay a fee for a replacement EAD.

Note:If you have questions regarding a pending application for an EAD or employment authorization, please see our website for information on when and how tocontact us.

Please see the Form I-765 instructionsfor a complete list of eligibility categories. You may also find eligibility categories in section 274a.12, title 8 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

• Information Sheet: Redesigned EAD (PDF, 1.79 MB)
• Submit an Inquiry for a Case Outside Normal Processing Time
• Non-Delivery of Card
• Automatic Employment Authorization Document (EAD) Extension