U.S. Re-entry Permit

Re-entry Permit
Date first issued	?
Issued by	United States
Type of document	Travel Document
Purpose	Identification
Eligibility requirements	U.S. lawful permanent residence
Expiration	At most two years

The Re-entry Permit (Form I-327), also known as Permit to Re-Enter is a travel document similar to a certificate of identity, issued by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to U.S. lawful permanent residents to allow them to travel abroad and return to the U.S. It is a passport-like booklet with a blue-green cover with the words "TRAVEL DOCUMENT" on the front.

Cover of the U.S. Travel Document

Biographic data page of the re-entry permit. This is revised on May 10, 2010.

Purpose

The main purpose of the re-entry permit is to allow permanent residents to leave the U.S. for an extended amount of time without abandoning their permanent residence. For short trips abroad of up to 1 year, the Permanent Resident Card itself allows re-entry to the United States. Permanent residents must maintain their permanent residence in the U.S., or lose their permanent residency. Even for trips abroad of less than 1 year, permanent residents may be questioned as to whether they have maintained residence in the U.S. Any trip abroad of one year or more automatically causes permanent residence to be lost. If a U.S. permanent resident intends to take a long trip abroad, he/she may apply for a re-entry permit. It is issued for up to two years. It establishes that the permanent resident did not intend to abandon permanent resident status.^[1]

Another purpose for the re-entry permit is to serve as an international travel document in lieu of a passport for U.S. permanent residents who are stateless, who cannot get a passport from their country, or who wish to travel to a place they cannot using their passport. A permanent resident who obtained permanent residence as a refugee may either apply for a refugee travel document or a re-entry permit, but not both.

Contents

The travel document type Re-entry Permit is a passport-like booklet, including instruction pages, personal information page, and visa pages.

Application

USCIS Form I-131 (Application for a Travel Document) is used to apply for the re-entry permit and other travel documents. A re-entry permit can only be applied for while the applicant is inside the U.S.^[2]

Acceptance

As of 2013, Schengen Area countries which have explicitly indicated to the Council of the European Union's Visa Working Party that they will accept the U.S. Re-entry Permit for visa issuance purposes include Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Austria, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein; Slovakia has explicitly indicated they will not accept it, while other countries did not provide any information on their acceptance of it. Said Re-entry Permit is stated as an "Alien's Travel Document".^[3]

Visa Free Access or Visa on Arrival

Since the U.S. Re-entry Permit is not a regular national passport, most countries and territories require visa prior to arrival.

The following countries and territories provide visa free access or visa on arrival, as they provide everyone such courtesies.

According to Immigration Service of South Korea, holders of the U.S. Re-entry Permit who are not nationals of South Korea (who needs the Republic of Korea passport) are allowed visa-free access to the country for up to 90 days, while the Refugee Travel Document (Form I-571) requires visa prior to arrival.

See also

• Refugee Travel Document
• 1954 Convention Travel Document
• 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons
• 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness
• Nansen passport
• Japan Re-entry Permit

References