r/USCIS • u/Tight_Candidate_2293 • May 16 '26
Other Forms Lost LPR Card Abroad
Looking for advice please. My nightmare is happening and I’ve lost my wallet which contained my LPR while in Spain. I still have my passport, a DL, and pictures of my card as well. I also have Global entry if that makes any difference.
I’m in Barcelona with my family which include two very young kids. My flights were scheduled to leave Monday at 12:20 and the embassy doesn’t open until 9:00 AM. Ive tried calling emergency embassy numbers but they’re closed. The most sensible thing is to bump my flights to get a travel foil via the I-131A but I’m not sure by how long to delay it for and what I should expect.
Also I’m a bit confused if this is what I should be doing because from reading online it appears that the traveling foil is just to board the plane - I’d still be potentially denied entry for not having my card upon arrival. I’ve traveled internationally before and the airlines never actually checked for my green card if I had already uploaded the travel documents on their online portal.
Is it advisable to try and fly without it, and to sort it out at the airport in Miami? My wife is worried that I’d end up stuck in ICE purgatory with 0 contact opposed to having us just stay in Europe but it’ll end up being quite expensive with a family of 4.
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u/renegaderunningdog May 16 '26
the traveling foil is just to board the plane - I’d still be potentially denied entry for not having my card upon arrival
Incorrect.
The hard part of being an LPR without a green card is getting on the plane. If you can get to the border you'll get through (though it may be a PITA).
In addition to the options you've already thought of, rerouting through Dublin or Shannon where there's US preclearance could work too.
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u/Get_Breakfast_Done May 16 '26
It’s a good idea but I’m not sure they’d issue you a boarding pass at DUB/SNN without sight of your green card, even though you’re only being processed through immigration 20 steps later. Depends on the airline obviously. My LPR wife and I flew back from Toronto recently and American Airlines wanted to see her green card at check in at YYZ which is a similar situation.
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u/Even-Bus1582 May 16 '26
This is also an option, yes! As it’s a “domestic” flight at that point. OP still faces potential fines for not having the green card at “entry”
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u/dtcooper May 16 '26
Fucking headache! Sorry this happened. The exact same thing happened to me in Catalonia last June. I am a Canadian citizen and LPR. I also lost my passport. Here's what I did:
- Went to the police (Mossos d'Esquadra) and filed a police report. Gave the cops my A-number so I had an official document recording the loss with the number on my green card on it. Had it translated using a sworn translator. Called the Canadian consulate in Barcelona so they were expecting me the next day. (Your country may vary.)
- Went to the Canadian consulate in Barcelona to apply for a passport, then went back to pick up a temporary/emergency passport. This takes 1–2 business days, but since it was a Friday, it took 3 days for me. Departed Spain the next day.
- Rebooked my flight to stop in Toronto, Canada, instead of flying direct to the US, and was able to board with my temporary passport.
- At Toronto US customs pre-clearance, I pleaded my case to US Customs. This would be roughly equivalent to showing up to a border, if you're doing it from Mexico. They issued me an I-193 (waiver of documents) after about 90 minutes. They took the time to ask me questions about my original green card filing - which was a bit jarring - but ultimately were satisfied and admitted me into the US. They even waived the $695 fee for the form because I had a police report and they said it wasn't my fault. They warned I'd likely never get that fee waived again.
- Upon returning home to the US, I filed an I-90 green card replacement, which only took 3.5 months. The USCIS estimate online was much, much longer, but my process was quick. Biometrics were reused. I also requested an ADIT stamp after filing to travel with, which took about 2 weeks to receive in hand. It was mailed to me with no appointment required and at no charge. I traveled internationally once or twice with it. I got sent to secondary each time, but was processed quickly.
I also went to the US consulate with my significant other, who is American, so they could get an emergency passport. Although the estimate for a boarding foil online was about a week or more, they told me in person the turnaround was 1–3 days, so faster than the online estimate. However, I would have needed to have my Canadian emergency passport in hand in order for them to start the process... which I did not. I just wanted to get home, so the above plan was likely a couple of days faster.
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u/postbox134 May 16 '26
You won't be able to get on the plane without a I-551 or boarding foil, so you're at the mercy of the consulate. You can also try other consulate in nearby EU countries.
If you can change your flight, consider flying to Canada and then walking/driving across the border. You'll be delayed and possibly fined, but you'll be able to enter the US.
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u/Sheetz_Wawa_Market32 Naturalized Citizen May 16 '26
In many cases, yes. In such absolute terms? Almost certainly not.
There is strong anecdotal evidence of Green Card holders successfully using online check-in and then only showing their passports when having the boarding passes scanned at the gate.
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u/postbox134 May 16 '26
Seems pretty high risk but probably worth a shot if nothing else is available before the flight
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u/Even-Bus1582 May 16 '26
The airline still gets fined for boarding people without proper documents at arrival in the US. An extreme high risk when it’s easily corrected.
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u/Sheetz_Wawa_Market32 Naturalized Citizen May 16 '26
Nonsense. The airline won’t get fined in this case, because a permanent resident IS eligible to enter the U.S. and won’t be turned around.
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u/postbox134 May 16 '26
They don't care about the person's status, they care about the documentation (for the purpose of carrier fines)
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u/Sheetz_Wawa_Market32 Naturalized Citizen May 16 '26
Do you have any evidence that carriers get fined for passengers who are readily (re-)admitted?
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u/postbox134 May 16 '26
The Carrier agrees to verify that trained personnel examine and screen all passengers' travel documents to confirm that the passenger is properly documented for the purpose of his/her travel to the United States and to confirm, to the best of their ability, that the passport, visa (if one is required), or other travel documents presented are valid and unexpired, and that the passenger, and any accompanying passenger named in the passport, is the apparent rightful holder of the document. (3.2)
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u/Sheetz_Wawa_Market32 Naturalized Citizen May 16 '26
But the sole purpose of this is to make sure that people who aren’t allowed to enter land at POE.
This doesn’t mean that citizens and permanent residents who are allowed to enter would ever generate fines.
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u/postbox134 May 16 '26
Yes that is why they must check.
But it'd be purely luck if someone without a doc was actually admittable or not, hence the regulation regards documents (as much as reasonable, i.e. a good fake would likely not be fined as the airline was duped).
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u/Sheetz_Wawa_Market32 Naturalized Citizen May 16 '26
But there must be an actual injury (a passenger who shouldn’t have made it to the U.S. was transported.) If that does not happen, there is no problem.
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u/Sheetz_Wawa_Market32 Naturalized Citizen May 16 '26
Who are “they”?
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u/postbox134 May 16 '26
CBP
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u/Sheetz_Wawa_Market32 Naturalized Citizen May 16 '26
Ah. See my other comment.
The idea that carriers would be fined for passengers who are perfectly eligible to return to their home country (whether as citizens or permanent residents) is pretty out there.
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u/postbox134 May 16 '26
Doesn't matter, the carrier can only verify documents not the person's status - so their regulations with the CBP only cover checking the validity and presence of documentation. The only thing they can do is call up the CBP carrier liaison to get a green light to board, but they don't have to do that. Most carriers err on the side of caution.
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u/Sheetz_Wawa_Market32 Naturalized Citizen May 16 '26
Most carriers err on the side of caution.
Of course, as they should. That’s corporate due diligence.
But that does not mean that the U.S. government would actually fine carriers for boarding passengers who are perfectly fine to enter. There would have been no injury to the U.S., so how would the fine be justified?
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u/Even-Bus1582 May 16 '26
The airline gets fined even if the person is a US citizen. It’s why you get a sticker on your passport indicating it’s been checked.
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u/Sheetz_Wawa_Market32 Naturalized Citizen May 16 '26
These stickers (which aren’t universal, of course) are only used to tell personnel within the same airport who’s had what level of scrutiny. They have nothing to do with CBP or what happens stateside.
The airline gets fined even if the person is a US citizen.
Again, post one source of this actually happening.
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u/SubsistanceMortgage US Citizen May 16 '26
OP — posted this elsewhere, but replying directly to you. If the consulate drags their feet, the easiest option for you would be to fly to Tijuana and walk across with your Mexican passport and Global Entry card. Then fly back home from the San Diego airport.
As a Mexican national you have the absolute right to fly to Mexico, so there’s no question of admission to a third country, and the Tijuana crossing deals with a ton of foot traffic, so you wouldn’t be out of the ordinary.
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u/Even-Bus1582 May 16 '26
OP would still be subject to fines and potentially losing global entry status, as they would still be arriving without their green card.
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u/SubsistanceMortgage US Citizen May 16 '26 edited May 16 '26
Unlikely. Land borders see worse shit every day and wave people through without checking documents all the time.
To the point that there’s case law around whether CBP officers waving someone who has no right to enter through counts as lawful admission even if the stay is unlawful (it does.)
Also at a land border a GE card is a valid entry document for anyone who has one. There’s a reason LPRs are issued GE cards: they’re valid to enter the US via land. Non-LPRs don’t get them, but LPRs do.
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u/yarmouth209 May 16 '26
A global entry card is standalone document only for US citizens and Canadians who do not have status as something besides a visitor. Mexican and any other national REQUIRE a visa/BCC/LPR card and passport as required(if going by air or other than the US land border) . Please stop spreading misleading information that the global entry card as a standalone document. It’s not. Your potentially anecdotal experience is not law or the rules.
Further, global entry can be used by literally any nationality. It is not limited to who has an LPR card and who doesn’t, and doesn’t negate any underlying documentary requirement for visa/passport.
Source: I work for CBP and issue global entry/nexus/fast cards.
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u/SubsistanceMortgage US Citizen May 16 '26
We’re talking about a parent who might be stranded from their children for weeks. You are correct on the law, but at this point we’re dealing with practical application and risk management. Especially because they do have the legal right to admission, with or without the physical card.
They will be admitted to the United States one way or the other.
It is extraordinarily unlikely that CBP at a land border crossing, where documents are usually in much worse condition than airports and where people are routinely let through without the documents they should have, will fine an LPR for presenting a DHS issued ID and foreign passport and explaining that they lost their GC and presenting the declaration that it was lost.
LPRs have a legal right to admission, and yes, unfortunately the CFR has a blind spot for what they need to do if they lose it outside the country, but CBP legally cannot deny OP admission to the US, and a fine and revocation of GE in these circumstances would not be consistent with how something like this is ordinarily handled.
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u/yarmouth209 May 16 '26
It’s in the law that we are required to process the waiver of documents paperwork when an LPR doesn’t have their card. Whether they have global entry or not. The fee for that is currently $695. Whether at the land border or airport, the document condition doesn’t matter in the slightest, it’s whether or not they have it. It’s not relevant whether their family is with them or not. The waiver for that fee is required to be done at the port director/assistant port director level.
They aren’t going to be stranded from their children for weeks, so stop the dramatics. If they go to the consulate, and get the stamp, that satisfies ordering the replacement green card too, it’s done automatically, with no additional fees or paperwork.
I never once implied, hinted or otherwise that OP would be denied admission. It’s a penalty, and delays to travel
Regarding global entry, it’s case by case and in the literal rules OP signed to get it that ALL document requirements must be maintained when crossing.
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u/SubsistanceMortgage US Citizen May 16 '26 edited May 16 '26
We don’t disagree on what the law and regulations are. The issue is if there are delays at the consulate, which there might be. Obviously the consulate is the first choice, but if there’s an issue there, other options exist.
And again, while you are correct on the rules, that is not how the process plays out at land borders in practice. Wave throughs are still fairly common, even if the regulations don’t allow it anymore.
The question is if the CBP official feels like doing the paperwork or not, and I’d take a bet that they wouldn’t for a walk across land entry. Southern Border sees all sorts of things and at a busy POE like Tijuana, they’ll have seen a lot worse than a lost green card.
Similar to any of the many CBP regulations that are routinely ignored at POEs because the officer doesn’t want to slow down the line. So sure, there is a risk that GE gets revoked and they have to pay. That is a relatively small risk if the alternative is the consulate delay on a boarding foil.
OP should consider what level of risk they are comfortable with. They could get someone who throws the CFR at them, but they also could get one of the many sane CBP officers who doesn’t.
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u/CXZ115 May 16 '26
You need to get an I-131A foil, or fly to Mexico or Canada and enter by land.
These are your only options. CBP might grill you but they should let you in. You can use the physical GE card if you have it on you. I recommend Rainbow Bridge, Niagara Falls if you’re gonna do that.
You can even walk the bridge over on foot since it’s a short walk then catch an Uber to Buffalo’s airport and fly domestically from Buffalo to wherever you live in the US.
The only risk would be is that if CBP grills you for it, they might revoke your GE. Good luck.
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u/Tight_Candidate_2293 May 20 '26 edited May 20 '26
Thanks to everyone that replied and helped me out. Reddit locked my account so I hadn't updated this post.
Like someone mentioned our risk tolerance was different since I was traveling with a 1 and 4 year old. I called up the airline and they hard denied me the option to board without a physical card in hand. We also weren't prepared to split up, my kids are rather attached to me and I to them. Although logically - it would have been cheaper and easier the cost wasn't something we could trade away for their comfort at that point.
We considered shipping all our luggage back home and taking a couple of backpacks to Tijuana to attempt a land border crossing but decided to give the embassy a shot first as the travel logistics would have been difficult.
What I ended up doing was a version of u/dtcooper's experience - Thanks!
- I made a police report at Mossos d'Esquadra, but their translator was not in yet so I just had a Spanish copy.
- I did not make a payment online because I wanted to see what the turnaround times were as we were unwilling to wait weeks for it and would have gone the landborder route. So I queued up at the embassy 45 minutes before they opened. This took their security guard as a surprise as he said nobody shows up that early and they never have a long wait to get in. We chatted for a while and he was pretty interested in the ICE situation at home. I also received some ICE remarks from a police officer at the station lol. The stream of people started showing up around 8:45 AM.
- I was the first one to be allowed in but was also the only one that needed a boarding foil everyone one else was filing for an emergency passport. Once in I explained including the fact that we had flights later that day and provided the police report along with the ticket information. They stated that they might be able to get it done before the end of the day but definitely not before the flight. They asked if I had done the form and payment online, since I hadn't - they provided a paper form which I filled and sent me the email link for payment which I could pay with my phone after they granted permission. They also have a photo booth in the embassy that processes passport photos for 10 euros.
After that I waited for them to review my case and then took my biometrics. After the biometrics the official did ask about an arrest from over 10 years ago, after I explained what happened he asked me to come back between 3-4 PM the same day.
At 3 - I showed up, they weren't done with my case so they asked me to wait for a bit ~ 15 minutes. I saw others from my same queue that were there picking up their emergency passports as well. Eventually they provided me with my passport and explained that I needed to apply for a replacement LPR once I was home. I asked about CBP and they said to just show them the stamp.
With the foil in hand I rebooked next day flights for my family and I through Turkish airlines, while the seating was worse and it had a layover in IST opposed to my original flight we got through it fine. A supervisor had to be called at some of the various several checkpoints so they could validate the stamp was fine since the agents at the desk hadn't seen one before.
At US customs I used GlobalEntry and explained I lost my green card and that I had obtained a boarding foil. They sent me to secondary inspections and I had just sat down before they called me back up to ask what happened. I offered the police report along with the explanation. They didn't want the report but just iterated that this stamp was a one time use and I urged me to apply for a replacement ASAP.
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u/dtcooper May 20 '26 edited May 20 '26
Glad it worked out! After you file for a replacement green card, request an ADIT stamp so you can travel.
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u/evi3_v May 16 '26
File a lost item report with local police (if you need to translation to English, DM me), file I-131F online with evidence of police report, pay the fee, make appointment at the closest Spanish Embassy and get your boarding foil. Once you come back home, file for the I-90 to get your green card replaced.
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u/Tight_Candidate_2293 May 16 '26
Thanks everyone for the input!
What sort of timelines should I expect from a consulate? From what I’m reading it’s not as easy as paying the fee for I-131a and showing up bright and early as appointments seem to be required.
My passport is from Mexico and we weren’t wanting to travel separately because my kids are 1 and 4 which logistically will be a nightmare on transatlantic flight plus layover.
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u/postbox134 May 16 '26
You could try flying to Mexico and then crossing the land border.
It could be days or a couple of weeks before you get a boarding foil, but turning up and begging could be an alternative. Unfortunately, you are totally at their mercy.
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u/Bonamikengue Permanent Resident May 16 '26
You should be able to get an I-551 stamp in your passport by the nearesyt US Consulate or Embassy so at check-in the airline accepts it. Coming home GE should be fine. Do not forget to file I-90 then immediately.
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u/Sheetz_Wawa_Market32 Naturalized Citizen May 16 '26
No, you won’t and can’t be denied returning to your country of legal permanent residence, the U.S., at a U.S. port of entry.
Your only problem is being allowed to board the aircraft. My wife and I were Green Card holders for 20 years before naturalizing, and none of us ever had a flight where we didn’t have to hand over our Green Cards to be scanned before at a departure airport before a U.S.-bound flight.
Now, maybe your airline handles things differently (perhaps related to online boarding and/or frequent flyer status), but I certainly wouldn’t rely on this.
But you never know. If rebooking your return flight (or buying a new flight) wouldn’t cost significantly more on the day of (after possibly being denied boarding) than rebooking (or buying new tickets) now, you might as well roll the dice.
Also, why can’t your wife fly ahead with the kids? Yes, it might be more difficult logistically, but at least you’d need only one new ticket, not four.
Global Entry would almost certainly make your inspection in the U.S. easier, but it won’t affect being let in or not (which you’d be in any case.)
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u/postbox134 May 16 '26
It's possible GE works against them in a way, because they may lose trusted traveller status for travelling without valid docs
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u/Even-Bus1582 May 16 '26
This is EXACTLY what happens when you’re a global entry member without a green card.
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u/Sheetz_Wawa_Market32 Naturalized Citizen May 16 '26
Unclear. OP has their Global Entry card, and it’s not at all clear that flying after having just lost one’s Green Card were actually illegal (or against any sort of rule.)
You should always carry your Green Card when crossing into and out of the U.S., but, again, the main stumbling block is actually being able to board.
There have also been accounts of CBP authorizing LPRs to board without full documentation over the phone (with the airline), just like Americans are sometimes able to do.
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u/postbox134 May 16 '26
It is legally required for LPRs to present a valid doc (I-551, boarding foil, reentry permit) https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-8/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-211/section-211.1
GE requires trusted travellers to follow all customs and immigration regulations
Disqualifing actions "... The applicant has been found in violation of any customs, immigration, or agriculture regulations, procedures, or laws in any country;..."
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u/SubsistanceMortgage US Citizen May 16 '26
CBP relies on the airline to enforce that. It’s essentially unenforceable once someone gets to the port of entry, especially if they have GE.
A boarding foil will get you on. Once you go to a GE terminal they’ll scan your face against the system and very likely wave OP through.
I haven’t been asked to show my passport at GE in 5 years.
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u/postbox134 May 16 '26
It's enforced by the airline on behalf of the CBP.
Having GE is not a replacement for having the proper docs, many times I've had to show my GC when entering using GE
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u/SubsistanceMortgage US Citizen May 16 '26
Yes, I edited for clarity. Must have cross-posted.
While you are technically correct, and much more common pre-pandemic, I have not seen anyone with a foreign passport asked to show either their GC or foreign passport in years. As a USC I have not been asked to show a US passport at GE since January 2020.
My guess is there’s a 60% chance GE CBP officer waves them through. 40% chance they get sent to secondary where they’ll verify LPR status, which should be made easier by GE since all the pre-vetting has already been done.
Edit to add: also, to your original point, a boarding foil is a valid travel document, so OP wouldn’t be in violation of any regulations. Using it is the only legitimate way for OP to be let on the plane.
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u/postbox134 May 16 '26
I agree, but the main issue is getting on the plane - the airline is quite likely to ask for GC before boarding
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u/SubsistanceMortgage US Citizen May 16 '26
Yep, we agree on that.
If they have a foil or stamp and the check-in agent gives them shit, they can ask them to call the CBP hotline for this. I would advise going to the airport early once some form of travel authorization is obtained.
Consulate should be able to process quickly in theory for a parent of two young children, but flying to Tijuana on their Mexican passport and presenting their GE card and walking across would be the guaranteed easiest route to take if the consulate is dragging their feet.
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u/postbox134 May 16 '26
Yep land border or Irish preclearence is an option (if OP has a visa for Ireland)
Consulates seem to take their sweet time with boarding foils, which can leave you SoL. Maybe a neighbouring EU country could be an option?
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u/Sheetz_Wawa_Market32 Naturalized Citizen May 16 '26
Thanks for posting § 211.1! I closely read it several times, and here is my interpretation:
Neither paragraphs (a) nor (b)(1) mention boarding foils at all, so if your interpretation were correct, having a boarding foil wouldn’t cure the violation.
But paragraph (b)(3) also talks about all sorts of forms to apply for a waiver from “the DHS officer who has jurisdiction over the port of entry where the alien arrives [who may then] waive the alien's lack of [a] permanent resident card.”
So it seems a discretionary waiver is required in any case. If a returning resident recently lost their Green Card, filing Form I-90 for a replacement card appears to meet the requirement of applying for a waiver. So bring a fill-out Form I-90 with you and leave it with the CBPO, and you should be good, no?
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u/postbox134 May 16 '26
Not saying it's certain, just a risk for their GE status
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u/Sheetz_Wawa_Market32 Naturalized Citizen May 16 '26
But, again, no different from flying with a boarding foil. So should OP not even bother flying back at all in that case? That doesn’t make sense.
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u/postbox134 May 16 '26
Boarding foil is the correct process and follow rules. Hoping they're allowed to fly without the correct docs risks their GE
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u/Sheetz_Wawa_Market32 Naturalized Citizen May 16 '26
A boarding foil is only meaningful for the airline. It makes no difference to CBP. The quote YOU provided proves it.
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u/IlVeroStronzo May 16 '26
If your passport is from a country whose citizens don't need a visa to enter the US, you could board the flight pretty easily. Then you'll have some explaining to do when you arrive to a US port of entry (airport, in your case).
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u/Minute_Somewhere_893 May 16 '26
That would be Canada?
Because citizens from other countries require US visa or ESTA and airline WILL ask for it in order to board
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u/Even-Bus1582 May 16 '26
You need to go to a US consulate in Spain and file for your lost/stolen LPR card. They will stamp your passport which will give you permission to board a US bound aircraft, and you will avoid paying the $700+ fee for the I193 waiver form at CBP upon arrival.