I-131, Application for Travel Document
Alert: Beginning July 1, 2022, we will issue a new travel authorization document to Temporary Protected Status (TPS) beneficiaries: Form I-512T, Authorization for Travel by a Noncitizen to the United States, provided that the beneficiary is found to merit such discretionary authorization.
Beginning July 1, 2022, we will issue a new travel authorization document to Temporary Protected Status (TPS) beneficiaries: Form I-512T, Authorization for Travel by a Noncitizen to the United States, provided that the beneficiary is found to merit such discretionary authorization. We will no longer issue advance parole documents as evidence of our prior authorization for a TPS beneficiary to be permitted to reenter the United States if the beneficiary travels abroad.
If you are a TPS beneficiary with an existing, unexpired advance parole document, you may continue to use it to travel and seek re-entry from outside the United States through the period of validity printed on it.
If you are a TPS beneficiary applying for a new travel authorization document, you should continue to use Form I-131, Application for Travel Document. If you have a pending Form I-131, you do not need to file a new application.
We will continue issuing advance parole documents to noncitizens with pending initial applications for TPS (Form I-821).
Individuals in TPS and those with pending initial applications should carefully read the Form I-131 Instructions that contain warnings about certain consequences that may occur if the individual is outside of the United States while USCIS is considering his or her TPS reregistration or initial application, such as the risks of missing important request for evidence or other notices or being denied TPS while abroad.
Alert: To improve efficiency and reduce Form I-765 processing times for Form I-485 applicants, we may decouple Forms I-765 from Forms I-131 filed at the same time. Effective Feb. 1, 2022, when possible, USCIS will adjudicate the request for employment authorization first and, if it is approved, we will issue an Employment Authorization Document without any notation about advanced parole. We will adjudicate the Form I-131 separately and, if it is approved, we will issue an Advance Parole Document.
ALERT: Court decisions regarding DACA.
Please see the DACA Litigation Information Page for important updates and information related to court rulings on the DACA policy. On Oct. 5, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed a July 2021 decision of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas declaring the 2012 DACA policy unlawful. The Fifth Circuit, however, preserved the partial stay issued by the district court in July 2021 and remanded the case back to the district court for further proceedings regarding the new DACA rule. On Oct. 14, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas issued an order extending its injunction and partial stay to the DACA final rule.
At this time and while the stay remains in place, current grants of DACA and related Employment Authorization Documents are valid, and USCIS will accept and process renewal DACA requests and accompanying requests for employment authorization under the final rule. USCIS will continue to accept and process applications for advance parole for current DACA recipients and will continue to accept but not process initial DACA requests.
Use this form to apply for a re-entry permit, refugee travel document, TPS travel authorization document, advance parole travel document (including parole into the U.S. for humanitarian reasons), or advance permission to travel for Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) long-term residents.
If you file this form to request an advance parole document and depart the United States without having an advance parole document that is valid for the entire time you are abroad, we will consider your Form I-131 abandoned.
If you file this form to request an advance permission to travel for CNMI long-term residents document and depart the CNMI without having an advance permission travel document, your status will automatically terminate.
What This Form Can Help You Do
Form Details
Dates are listed in mm/dd/yy format.
If you complete and print this form to mail it in, make sure that the form edition date and page numbers are visible at the bottom of all pages and that all pages are from the same edition of the form. If any of the form’s pages are missing or are from a different edition of the form, we may reject your form.
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Please check our Filing Addresses for Form I-131 page for information on where to mail your application. Applications that are not submitted to the appropriate direct filing address may experience processing delays.
| I am applying for a re-entry permit (Application Type A) and I am: | Filing Fee | Biometric Services | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 or younger | $575 | $0 | $575 |
| 14 to 79 | $575 | $85 | $660 |
| 80 or older | $575 | $0 | $575 |
| I am applying for a refugee travel document (Application Types B and C) and I am: | Filing Fee | Biometric Services | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 or younger | $105 | $0 | $105 |
| 14 or 15 | $105 | $85 | $190 |
| 16 to 79 | $135 | $85 | $220 |
| 80 or older | $135 | $0 | $135 |
| I am applying for an advance parole document (Application Types D, E, and F): | Filing Fee | Biometric Services | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advance Parole - Type D (pending Form I-485 or Form I-821) | $575 | $0 | $575 |
| Advance Parole – Type E (humanitarian parole) | $575 | $0 | $575 |
| Advance Parole – Type F (humanitarian parole) | $575 | $0 | $575 |
| I am applying for an Advance Parole Document to request parole under the Immigrant Military Members and Veterans Initiative (IMMVI) and I am: | Filing Fee | Biometrics Fee | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
A current or former U.S. military service member residing outside the United States and filing Form I-131 either as a standalone form or at the same time as Form N-400, Application for Naturalization. * Write “IMMVI” at the top of Form I-131 and Form N-400 (if applicable) and submit documentation that supports current or former military service such as your DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty; NGB Form 22, National Guard Report of Separation and Record of Service; or other official service or discharge document. | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Any current legal guardian or surrogate of a current or former service member when the guardian or surrogate files Form I-131 to request parole concurrently with the service member’s Form N-400, Application for Naturalization. * Write “IMMVI” at the top of both the service member’s and the legal guardian or surrogate’s forms (Form I-131 for the legal guardian or surrogate and Forms I-131 and N-400 for the service member). * Submit documentation of legal guardianship or surrogacy and documentation that supports military service such as DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty; NGB Form 22, National Guard Report of Separation and Record of Service; or other official service or discharge document. | $575 | $0 | $575 |
A current spouse, child, or unmarried son or daughter (and the unmarried son’s or daughter’s unmarried children who are under 21 years of age), of a current or former service member. * Write “IMMVI” at the top of the Form I-131. * Submit documentation of qualifying familial relationship such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, and divorce certificates as needed, and documentation that supports military service such as DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty; NGB Form 22, National Guard Report of Separation and Record of Service; or other official service or discharge document. | $575 | $0 | $575 |
You may pay the fee with a money order, personal check, cashier’s check or pay by credit card using Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions. If you pay by check, you must make your check payable to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
When you send a payment, you agree to pay for a government service. Filing and biometric service fees are final and non-refundable, regardless of any action we take on your application, petition, or request, or if you withdraw your request. Use our Fee Calculator to help determine your fee.
Pay each filing fee separately. We are transitioning to electronically processing immigration benefit requests, which requires us to use multiple systems to process your package. Because of this, you must pay each filing fee separately for any form you submit. We may reject your entire package if you submit a single, combined payment for multiple forms.
If you file at a field office: You cannot pay fees with a money order or cashier’s check when filing at a field office. You can only pay with a personal check, debit card, credit card, or a reloadable prepaid credit/debit card.
You do not need to pay an additional fee for Form I-131 if:
- You are filing Form I-131 Application Type B or D;
- You filed a Form I-485 with a fee on/after July 30, 2007; and
- Your Form I-485 is still pending.
For refugee travel document applications filed from outside of the United States, you must pay the applicable fee(s) to the cashier at the USCIS overseas office, U.S. Embassy or Consulate with jurisdiction over your location. Please see the website of the appropriate embassy or consulate to confirm acceptable forms of payment. Include the fee receipt from the U.S. Embassy or Consulate when you file your application package.
Please do not mail cash, personal checks or traveler’s checks. If you do not include a fee receipt with your filing, we will reject your application.
Please do not submit this checklist with your Form I-131. It is an optional tool to use as you prepare your form, but does not replace statutory, regulatory, and form instruction requirements. We recommend that you review these requirements before completing and submitting your form. Do not send original documents unless specifically requested in the form instructions or applicable regulations.
If you submit any documents (copies or original documents, if requested) in a foreign language, you must include a full English translation along with a certification from the translator verifying that the translation is complete and accurate, and that they are competent to translate from the foreign language to English.
Did you provide the following?
- For a refugee travel document:
- A copy of an official photo identity document;
- Proof of refugee or asylee status;
- A statement explaining the reason for a “yes” response to any question in Part 6; and
- If outside the United States, submit:
- Two identical color passport-style photographs of yourself taken within 30 days of filing this application;
- Evidence of your last date of departure from the United States, if available (such as airline tickets, boarding passes, etc.);
- Fee receipt as proof you have paid the applicable filing fee(s) for the application at the USCIS Office or U.S. embassy or consulate with jurisdiction over your location abroad; and
- A statement explaining:
- The purpose of your trip outside the United States. Include documentary evidence to support your reasons for departure from the United States, if available;
- The reason you departed the United States without first applying for a refugee travel document;
- A description of where you have traveled since your departure from the United States;
- Your activities while outside the United States; and
- An explanation of whether you intended to abandon your refugee or asylum status at the time you left the United States.
- For a reentry permit:
- A copy of an official photo identity document;
- Evidence that you are a lawful permanent resident:
- A copy of the front and back of your Permanent Resident Card (also known as a Green Card or a Form I-551);
- A copy of the biographic pages of your passport and a copy of the visa page showing your initial admission as a lawful permanent resident;
- A copy of the Form I-797, Notice of Action, approval notice of your application to replace your Permanent Resident Card (also known as a Green Card or a Form I-551); or
- Temporary evidence of lawful permanent resident status; and
- Certified English translations of non-English documents (if applicable).
- For an advance parole document for individuals who are currently in the United States:
- A copy of an official photo identity document;
- Two identical passport-style photographs of yourself taken within 30 days of the filing of this application;
- A copy of any document showing your current status in the United States;
- Evidence that your trip is for educational, employment, or humanitarian purposes;
- An explanation or other evidence showing the circumstances that warrant issuance of an advance parole document;
- A copy of a USCIS receipt as evidence that you filed the adjustment application, if you are an applicant for adjustment of status; and
- A copy of the U.S. consular appointment letter, if you are traveling to Canada to apply for an immigrant visa.
- For advance parole for someone outside the United States (for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit):
- A copy of a photo identity document for beneficiary, petitioner, and sponsor;
- A copy of the beneficiary’s passport identity page;
- A description of the urgent humanitarian or significant public benefit reason, including documentation of a need for expedited handling, and the length of time for which the beneficiary needs parole;
- A completed Form I-134 with appropriate documentation as described in the form instructions;
- A statement explaining why the beneficiary cannot obtain a U.S. visa (if applicable);
- A statement explaining why the beneficiary cannot obtain a waiver of inadmissibility (if applicable); and
- A copy of any decision on immigrant/nonimmigrant applications or petitions.
Read more information about the types of evidence that may be relevant to specific parole requests on our Humanitarian Parole page.
Filing Tips: Go to our Tips for Filing Forms by Mail page for information on how to help ensure we will accept your application.
Complete all sections of the form. We will reject the form if these fields are missing:
- Part 1 – Information About You
- Family Name
- Physical Address
- Date of Birth
- Part 2 – Application Type
- 1.a. – 1.f.
- Family Name (If 1.f. selected)
- Physical Address (If 1.f. selected)
Don’t forget to sign your form. We will reject any unsigned form.
To receive an email or text message when we have received your form, complete Form G-1145, E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance, and clip it to the front of your application.