British Expatriate Network

I recently got my Green Card and I noticed that it said on the letter I got with it that I should carry it with me at all times.

Is it serious? like whats the worst that could happen if I didnt have it on me?

I just wonder cos I lost my wallet the other day and it eventually turned up, but if it hadn't I would have really been up the creek!

So I now keep my Green Card in my Fire Safety Box..where its alot safer!

Didn't carry mine with me anywhere. It might be useful though for stuff like getting a drivers license or doing a job application as you'll need proof of immigration status.

I don't carry it except when travelling out of the country.

I used to keep mine tucked behind my drivers license - which you must also ahve with you every time you drive. No-one ever asked to see it except at airports.

Probably a good idea to carry it if you are somewhere near the border, particularly (unfortunately) if you are not white. Otherwise, it strikes me that in this day and age it would not be bad idea to at least carry a little copy of it with you. Not that the copy would serve as any proof.

All depends on jurisdiction, but at least in most places, the police are not the ones with authority to look at your green card, or even ask you about your immigration status. That's the role of what used to be the Border Patrol and is now the Dept of Homeland Security. This, however, could have changed. I really have not kept up on this and it is a controversial subject in many jurisdictions with all sorts of issues about state sovereignty, federal pre-emption, security vs. states rights, etc.

I'm a citizen and I definitely don't carry my passport with me!

I keep mine in the fire safe in the cellar.
It only comes out for applying/accepting jobs where they must see it and copy it for their records and for leaving and entering the country.
I couldn't immagine the hassle of replacing it, never mind the cost as I'm sure they would have a charge for that too.

I carry mine, although it is out of date and I've not yet managed to sort out the replacement - got to the USCIS office in Boston last week to be told my appointment was cancelled.

You are required to carry it but obviously not carrying it only becomes a problem if you are asked for it. If you don't have it, you could be locked up by Homeland Security. In past times this was unlikely, but now it is not so clear. After 9/11 about 3000 or so people were detained indefinitely by INS for 'immigration violations' - most of these were lawful immigrants who had moved and not filed change of address forms, at least some failed to carry there Green Cards. However virtually all were non-white and I think a majority came from the middle east or other nations perceived as terrorist threats.

If you are white and British you probably have less chance of being locked up - but judging by the aggravation I had last week with USCIS - I wouldn't guarantee it.

Basically if you are required to do something and don't, you give them a lawful reason to detain you if they choose to; even if there is an ulterior motive for that detention. Better not to give them the reason IMHO.

But that said.....

If you leave your GC at home, you should be able to contact someone to bring it to where you are being held and be done for failing to carry it at the worst.

If you carry it and it gets lost/stolen, how long will it take to get you out of jail then?

My green card, issued in 1999 says "We recommend you use this envelope to protect your card"

There is nothing on the card itself to say I must carry it at all times. I can't remember what the letter said that came with it now.

Its been a long time but i never carried mine ,but did have it at hand during the time i applied for citizenship .


When in dc i read from a govt manual yuo had to renew it every so often 6 years i think and when i went to renew it they said it wasnt nessasary i only carried it for job interviews and when traveling by plane after that .

It doesn't say it on my card either - it did say it on the cover letter - in bold letters.

John - I think times have changed, as I said, a few years back this wasn't important, now it might be.

Correct ROB after 9/11 everything changed for ever .

Now, I didn't say everything changed and certainly not forever.
In fact you'd be suprised and even a little frightened about how little change there has been.

When going through immigration last year, answering the usual questions, I was asked did I carry my green card with me at all times? I said yes for the most part and was abruptly told that I should carry it with me always and if not I would be subject to a $5000 on the spot fine.

When I got back and checked the USCIS website it states "The card must be in your possession at all times. While that does not require that you have on your person at all times, it does require that you have a currently valid card and that you know where it is and can show it to an immigration officer, if requested. "

I think I just got an immigration officer who got his knickers in a twist .....needless to say my partner knows where I keep it just in case he has to run and get it !

Speaking from personal experience, it is possible that they would not allow you to contact anyone - friend, relative, attorney etc. - to get your Green Card.

When I got "diverted" (shall we say?) at O'Hare once, no phone calls or cell phones were allowed. My story did eventually check out and I was allowed on my way with less than an hour's delay. The irony is that had they thrown me out then, I'd have happily gone back to UK D

I still don't carry mine unless I'm leaving the country. I can't remember the last time someone mistook me for anything other than an American and my driver's license is always acceptable for ID purposes.