How to replace immigration papers lost in a fire or disaster

We know losing your home and your papers at the same time is crushing. Start with one step. This page is general information, not legal advice. For shelter, food and disaster aid, see Where to get help before and after a wildfire, flood or earthquake. For jobs and pay, see Work, pay and benefits after a fire or disaster.

Did I lose my status when I lost my papers?

No. A card is proof of your status. It is not the status itself. Your green card status, DACA, TPS, asylum case or citizenship still exists in government records. What you lost is the paper that proves it. You can get that paper back.

What should I do first?

1. Make a list. Write down each document you lost: green card, work permit, I-94, passport, naturalization certificate, receipt and approval notices, court papers, Social Security card, birth certificates.
2. Find your numbers. Your A number (alien registration number) and receipt numbers make everything faster. Check old photos on your phone, email, your USCIS online account, your lawyer's files, or copies a relative kept.
3. Update your address. USCIS mails new cards. Change your address in your USCIS online account or on Form AR-11 within 10 days of moving (USCIS, change of address). A shelter, a relative's home or a P.O. box can work as a mailing address. See How to tell USCIS you moved.
4. Tell USCIS how the disaster affected you. USCIS has "special situations" relief for people hit by natural disasters (next section).
5. File the replacement forms below, one for each lost card.

What special help does USCIS give after a disaster?

USCIS says people affected by a natural disaster or other event beyond their control may be able to ask for (USCIS, Special Situations):

• a fee waiver if you cannot pay;
• replacement of a lost or damaged green card, I-94 or work permit;
• faster processing (an expedite request), when you file or after;
• flexibility if you missed an interview, a fingerprint appointment or a deadline to send evidence because of the disaster;
• help with an extension or change of status if your stay is running out, including excusing a late filing caused by events beyond your control.

To ask, use the USCIS Contact Center or call 800-375-5283. Say plainly: "I was affected by [name of fire or flood] and I am asking for disaster relief." Write down the date and what you were told.

How do I replace my green card?

File Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card (USCIS, I-90).

• Cost: $465 on paper, $415 online (USCIS Fee Schedule). You can ask for a fee waiver.
• Online filing is faster to start, and you can track your case in your account.
• Edition: use the edition shown on the I-90 page the day you file (01/20/25 when we checked).
• Conditional residents (two year cards) do not use the I-90 to remove conditions. Ask a lawyer if your two year card was lost.

While you wait. If you still have your card and it is only damaged or expiring, the I-90 receipt notice together with that card works as proof of status for 36 months past the card's expiration date (USCIS, Replace Your Green Card). If the card is gone, the receipt alone is weaker proof. USCIS says you can also ask a field office for a temporary stamp (an I-551 stamp, sometimes called an ADIT stamp) (USCIS, Special Situations). Call the Contact Center to ask for that appointment.

Green card holders must carry proof of status at all times (USCIS, I-90). Keep the receipt notice with you once it arrives.

How do I replace my work permit?

File Form I-765 and check the box for a replacement (USCIS, I-765).

• Cost: $520 on paper, $470 online for a replacement (USCIS Fee Schedule for I-765). Some categories, such as refugees, pay $0. TPS, parole and asylum work permits can have extra fees; see How to get or renew a work permit.
• DACA: check box 1.b for a replacement of a lost, stolen or damaged card, include proof of your DACA, and do not file a new DACA form (USCIS, I-765). DACA work permits cannot get a fee waiver (USCIS, I-912). For help paying, see DACA fee help.
• Card never arrived or USCIS made an error: follow USCIS's "replacement for card error" instructions. There is no fee when the problem was USCIS's or the Postal Service's fault (USCIS Fee Schedule).

At work. If your card was lost, your employer can accept the receipt notice for a replacement as a temporary document for 90 days on Form I-9 (USCIS, I-9 Central, Receipts). Show it to your employer as soon as it arrives.

What about my I-94 record?

If you came in through an airport or seaport, your I-94 is probably electronic. You can get a copy for free from CBP's website at cbp.gov/I94 (USCIS, I-102). If you need a new paper I-94 from USCIS, the form is I-102. It costs $560 to replace a lost, damaged or destroyed I-94, and $0 if DHS made the error (8 CFR 106.2(a)(2)). It is not on USCIS's fee waiver list (USCIS, I-912).

How do I replace a naturalization or citizenship certificate?

File Form N-565 (USCIS, N-565). It costs $555 on paper or $505 online, and $0 if the problem was USCIS's error (USCIS Fee Schedule). You can ask for a fee waiver.

If you are a citizen and just need to travel or prove citizenship soon, a U.S. passport is often faster to replace than the certificate. See the next section.

What about passports?

U.S. passport. If your valid U.S. passport was lost or damaged in a federally declared disaster on the State Department's list, the application fee can be waived for three years after the disaster (State Department, Replace a Passport After a Disaster). You file Form DS-5504 with a new photo and Form DS-64 (the lost passport report). On the DS-64, name the disaster, the address where the passport was lost and the date, and state the fees are not being paid by insurance.

California disasters on the list on October 21, 2026:

• Los Angeles wildfires and winds (DR-4856-CA, declared January 8, 2025): application fee waiver valid until January 7, 2028.
• Severe storms and flooding (DR-4758-CA, declared February 19, 2024): application fee waiver valid until February 18, 2027.

If your disaster is not listed, report the passport lost on Form DS-64 and apply again in person on Form DS-11 (State Department, Lost or Stolen Passports). An expired passport, or one you never had, does not qualify for the free replacement.

Your home country passport or consular ID. Your consulate issues these, not USCIS. Mexico's consulate in San Francisco treats a lost passport like a first time application and asks for a police report (Consulado General de México en San Francisco). The Philippine consulate in San Francisco asks for a notarized affidavit of loss and a police report (Philippine Consulate General, Passport). See How to renew your passport or get a consular ID at your consulate.

Can I get the fee waived?

For many forms, yes. USCIS lists the I-90 and the N-565 among forms that can get a fee waiver, and the I-765 for most categories except DACA (USCIS, I-912). You ask on Form I-912 or in a written request, and you show you cannot pay. One way to qualify is proof that you currently get a means tested benefit. USCIS's disaster page also names the fee waiver as an option for people hit by a disaster (USCIS, Special Situations).

How do I get copies of my lost notices and file?

• USCIS online account: if you filed online or linked a paper case, your notices may be there.
• Your lawyer or nonprofit: they usually keep copies.
• A records request (FOIA): USCIS takes Freedom of Information Act requests online at first.uscis.gov. You need a USCIS online account, and each person files a separate request (USCIS, FOIA). Ask for specific records; that is faster than asking for everything.
• Immigration court case: check the next hearing date with your A number online at EOIR's Automated Case Information or call 800-898-7180. Missing a hearing can lead to a removal order, so do this right away. See What happens if I miss immigration court.

What about my Social Security card and birth certificates?

• Social Security card: a replacement is free (Social Security, Replace Your Card). You may be able to apply online; if not, you make an appointment. Call 800-772-1213.
• California birth, death and marriage certificates: after some declared emergencies, California has offered free certified copies to survivors. After the 2025 Los Angeles fires, the California Department of Public Health used a sworn statement form for free copies (CDPH form VS 20 SOE). Ask your county recorder or CDPH whether your disaster qualifies.
• Birth certificates from another country: ask your consulate. Mexico's consulates offer certified copies of Mexican birth records for $20, and online through gob.mx/actas (Consulado General de México en San Francisco).

Mistakes to avoid

• Paying a notario to "replace your status." You do not need a new status. You need a form, and you can file it yourself. See Warning signs of an immigration scam.
• Using the old address. If USCIS mails your new card to a burned home, you may pay again.
• Waiting to file. The receipt notice is your proof in the meantime, so file soon.
• Traveling abroad without proof of status. Talk to a lawyer first if you have no card or passport.
• Guessing your A number. A wrong number slows everything. Find it on an old notice or through a records request.

Is there a worksheet I can print?

Once you have new papers, take photos of each one and store them in email or with a trusted relative. Our family preparedness plan has a checklist.

Who can help?

These are free or low cost legal services. Contact them to confirm hours, languages and openings. Being listed here is not a referral or a promise of service.

• Anywhere in California: California Department of Social Services map of state funded immigration legal services, (916) 651-8017.
• Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto (low income residents of San Mateo and Santa Clara counties): (650) 326-6440.
• Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County (San Mateo County residents): (650) 558-0915.
• San Mateo County Immigrant Services (county residents): (650) 363-4194.
• More options: Free legal help in the Bay Area.

You have already survived the hardest part. Paperwork can be rebuilt one form at a time.