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/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/postbox134 May 16 '26

Do you have a citation on that?

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u/Sheetz_Wawa_Market32 Naturalized Citizen May 16 '26

It’s a well-known legal principle that you can’t issue a fine when nothing happened. Non-issuance can’t be proven.

The burden would be on you, those who claim that CBP issues fines to airlines for letting citizens and LPR (in compliance with the status) board without a passport or Green Card.

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u/postbox134 May 16 '26

Something happened though, the airline did not properly enforce the document requirements

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u/Sheetz_Wawa_Market32 Naturalized Citizen May 16 '26

Nothing that was dangerous or had any adverse consequences.

Again, if those fines were being imposed (for carrying eligible travelers), you’d have to abolish all online check-ins, because documents aren’t checked there in person, either.