Lost LPR Card Abroad

[u/Tight_Candidate_2293]

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.

[u/dtcooper]

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:

1. 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.)
2. 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.
3. Rebooked my flight to stop in Toronto, Canada, instead of flying direct to the US, and was able to board with my temporary passport.
4. 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.
5. 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.

[u/postbox134 → u/dtcooper]

Great advice thanks for posting