You should act now: USCIS has no fixed return deadline, but originals kept for 20 weeks after a completed visa interview should already have been returned.
“I submitted my original national ID and driver's license 20 weeks ago and haven't received them back. Is this wait time normal, and what can I do?”
Summary
You have a formal, current route to request the documents, and the USCIS filing fee is $0. The important step is to identify which branch applies and create a dated USCIS contact record now rather than waiting indefinitely.
Your next move depends on who has the documents and whether USCIS asked you to submit the originals.
File now. USCIS identifies it as the request for returning originals submitted to establish eligibility; send it to the district office, suboffice, or service center processing a pending case, or to the office that took the last action after a final decision (USCIS Form G-884 page, updated June 3, 2026).
Contact USCIS now for a case-specific return status and an appointment if needed. USCIS says requested originals are returned automatically after it determines they are no longer needed, so its instructions say a Form G-884 is not required for this branch (Form G-884 Instructions, pp. 1 and 4).
Contact the consular section named on your interview letter immediately. The State Department’s immigrant-visa instructions say originals are returned when the interview is completed, so a 20-week post-interview hold does not match that published process (Applicant Interview, Step 11).
USCIS publishes no fixed number of days or weeks for this return, so there is no official benchmark proving that 20 weeks is normal; do not keep waiting without action.
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Watch out for
Next steps
These steps identify the custodian, start the correct return request, and preserve your escalation route.
Today
Identify the office holding the originals
Use the latest case notice and delivery record to sort the case into one of three branches: a pending USCIS case, a USCIS case with a final decision, or a completed consular interview. For Form G-884, the filing office is the USCIS office currently processing a pending case or the office that took the last action on a decided case.
Requirements
If USCIS asked for them
Contact USCIS about requested originals
Call 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern, or request an appointment at https://my.uscis.gov/en/appointment/v2. State that two original identity documents have been held for 20 weeks, ask whether USCIS still needs them, and request case-specific return action; an escalated Tier 2 inquiry may be answered by email or follow-up call.
Requirements
If USCIS did not ask for them
File Form G-884 for unrequested originals
Download https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/g-884.pdf. The current general filing fee is $0. If mailing, do not sign until you are before a notary; then mail the completed, notarized form to the USCIS district office, suboffice, or service center currently processing the case, or to the office that took the last action if the case is decided.
Requirements
If a U.S. embassy or consulate kept them
Contact the consular section that interviewed you
Use the consular-section contact shown on your interview letter and report that the post retained your original national ID and driver’s license after the interview. Cite the State Department’s Step 11 rule that originals are returned when the interview is completed; the precise email, phone number, and courier process remain unresolved because the interview city was not provided.
Requirements
60 days after contacting USCIS
Escalate to the CIS Ombudsman
If USCIS has not resolved the return after at least 60 days—and your USCIS contact was within the last 90 days—submit DHS Form 7001 online at https://caadi-7001.dhs.gov/. The Ombudsman page does not state an exception that lets an emergency or hardship case skip the USCIS-contact and 60-day prerequisites.
Requirements
Legal sources
This answer is based on USCIS Form G-884 and its instructions, USCIS Form G-1055, the USCIS Contact Center, the DHS CIS Ombudsman, and the Department of State’s immigrant-visa instructions.
Form G-884 Instructions
This distinguishes USCIS-requested originals from unrequested originals and explains when requested originals are returned.
pages 1 and 4
If you filed a form that requested original documents, we will automatically return those originals to you. You do not need to file this request. If we request an original document from you, it will be returned to you after USCIS determines it no longer needs your original.
USCIS Form G-884 page
This gives the correct USCIS filing destination for a pending or decided case.
Where to File
If your case is pending, submit your Form G-884 to the USCIS district Office, suboffice, or service center that is currently processing your case. If we have issued a final decision, submit your Form G-884 to the USCIS district office, suboffice, or service center that performed the last action on your case.
Form G-884 Instructions
This establishes the two-ID and mailed-notarization requirements.
page 4
Before we can consider your request, you must submit copies of two forms of identification. Your signed and completed Form G-884. Form G-884 must be notarized if you are submitting it by mail. You do not need to get Form G-884 notarized if you are submitting it in person at a scheduled appointment.
Form G-1055 Fee Schedule
The current USCIS fee schedule makes the Form G-884 general filing fee $0.
G-884 row
G-884 Request for the Return of Original Dcouments (uscis.gov/g-884) General filing $0
USCIS Contact Center
This gives the USCIS contact number, hours, and Tier 2 follow-up method.
Get Information; Live Assistance
Our toll-free number is 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833) and we answer live calls and chats Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm Eastern. If your inquiry is escalated to Tier 2, you may receive a response by email or a follow up phone call.
DHS Form 7001 case assistance
This establishes when a CIS Ombudsman case-assistance request becomes available.
You Must Seek Help From USCIS First
Before you request assistance from us, you must have contacted USCIS in the last 90 days and given the agency at least 60 days to try to resolve your problem. Submit DHS Form 7001, Request for Case Assistance online.
Department of State Applicant Interview
This establishes the State Department rule for originals brought to an immigrant-visa interview.
Step 11: Applicant Interview
Your original documents will be returned to you when the interview has been completed. Any photocopies provided may be kept.
USCIS Tips for Filing Forms by Mail
This warns against sending unrequested originals in future USCIS filings.
Supporting documentation
Do not send original documents unless they are specifically requested in the form instructions or applicable regulations. If you send original documents with your form when they are not required or requested, we may destroy them in accordance with the Federal Records Act and applicable U.S. National Archives and Records Administration-approved general retention schedules or agency-specific retention schedules. We will not automatically return your original documents if we did not specifically request them.
These are the official rules as published on the cited dates; rules can change.
This is general information about official processes, not legal advice, and SettleKit is not a law firm.
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