The ten-year card: Form I-90
A permanent resident card is renewed with Form I-90, normally filed in the six months before it expires. It is also the form for a card that has been lost, stolen or damaged, or that has your name or details wrong.
Your status does not lapse when the card does — but your proof of it effectively does, which affects work authorisation, travel and everything that depends on showing a valid card.
The two-year card is a different thing entirely
A conditional card, issued when a marriage was less than two years old at the time residence was granted, is not renewed. The conditions are removed with Form I-751, filed in the ninety days before it expires — jointly with your spouse, or with a waiver of the joint filing requirement where the marriage has ended, where there has been abuse, or where removal would cause extreme hardship.
Missing that window puts status at risk and can lead to removal proceedings. If you have already missed it, there is often still an argument to be made, and it needs making promptly.
Travel, absence and abandonment
Permanent residence can be lost by living abroad. Long or repeated absences invite a finding that residence was abandoned, whatever the card says. A re-entry permit protects a planned absence; it has to be applied for before you leave.
If you have been questioned at the border about time spent outside the country, treat it as a warning and speak to us.
Questions we are asked about this
My green card expired years ago. Am I still a resident?
Almost certainly yes — the status does not expire with the card. But the gap needs fixing, and if you are close to eligibility it may make more sense to apply for citizenship than to renew.
Should I renew or naturalise?
If you are eligible to naturalise, that is usually the better use of the fee and the wait. We look at both timelines and at your record before advising.
Can I travel while a renewal is pending?
Generally there are ways to document status while an application is pending, but the rules are specific. Ask before you travel.