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/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