Answered July 2026

Do not wait 90 days: if the landlord’s forwarding is already seven days old, start the USPS Missing Mail Search and file the lost‑card I‑90 now; day seven is USPS’s search threshold, not a legal bar to filing I‑90 sooner.

“My Green Card and SSN were sent to my old address and forwarded by my landlord, but now they seem lost in the mail. At what point should I stop waiting for USPS or USCIS to find them and just file an I-90 for a replacement?”

Summary

You are dealing with two lost documents, not one combined replacement process. You can start the Green Card replacement and USPS search together, then handle the SSN card separately with SSA.

The correct route turns on whether USCIS got its own envelope back and whether you hold a two-year conditional status near expiration.

The landlord’s re‑mailing is missingfile now

On the facts you gave, use Form I-90’s —Item 2.a for a regular permanent resident, or Item 3.a for a conditional resident with more than 90 days left. The regulation requires a permanent resident to apply when the card is lost, and the I-90 instructions direct this category when the card was not to USCIS (8 CFR 264.5(b)(1); Form I-90 Instructions, p. 5 and p. 7).

USCIS actually received the card back$0 branch

If USCIS Case Status says its card was , use “issued but never received”—Item 2.b, or Item 3.b for an eligible conditional resident. Form G-1055 lists this category at $0; include the specified approval notice or immigrant-admission evidence and government photo identification (Form I-90 Instructions, p. 5; Form G-1055, p. 5).

Your two‑year status expires within 90 daysnot I-90

If you are a inside that final 90‑day window, I-90 is not available even for a lost card. File I-751 for marriage-based status or I-829 for investor-based status, then seek temporary evidence if needed (Form I-90 Instructions, p. 1).

The Green Card and Social Security card are replaced through separate agencies; a USPS search can continue while you file the appropriate replacement request.

Read the full explanation

Watch out for

The 90-day rule is the wrong clockUSCIS’s non-delivery e‑request tells people not to inquire until 90 days after the approval notice, but that tool is only for cards USCIS mailed to the address of record. Your landlord re‑mailed it privately, so the controlling rule is the lost‑card replacement (I‑90) requirement, not the e‑request timing [6], [1]-[2].

The $0 category is narrowDo not pick “issued but never received” just because a landlord’s re‑mailing went missing. The I‑90 instructions say if the card was not returned to USCIS as undeliverable, you must use reason 2.a (lost/stolen/destroyed) [2]. The $0 fee applies only if USCIS issued the card, you never received it, and USPS returned it to USCIS as undeliverable [4].

A two‑year card can change the formIf you are a conditional permanent resident and your two‑year status expires within 90 days, you may not use I‑90 for any reason; file I‑751 (marriage) or I‑829 (investment) instead. If more than 90 days remain, a lost conditional card uses I‑90 reason 3.a [8].

USPS forwarding did not update USCISChanging your address with USPS does not change it with USCIS, and USPS will not forward USCIS mail. You must report your new address to USCIS, generally within 10 days of moving [7].

An I‑90 receipt is not enough by itselfUSCIS now extends green‑card validity 36 months on the I‑90 receipt, but that extension typically works together with the expired physical card. Because you do not have the card, ask USCIS for an ADIT (I‑551) stamp after filing I‑90 if you need temporary proof [15], [9].

I‑90 does not replace the SSN cardReplacing your Social Security card is a separate, free SSA process requiring originals or issuing‑agency‑certified documents; SSA mails the replacement in 5–10 business days after completing your request [11]-[12]. If your SSN was exposed but not misused, SSA advises credit checks/freezes rather than filing an FTC identity theft report [13].

Next steps

These actions preserve the mail search while putting the correct replacement and identity‑protection processes in motion.

Already late if more than 10 days have passed

Update your USCIS address now

Submit your change at https://www.uscis.gov/addresschange or by filing Form AR-11. A USPS change did not update USCIS, and USPS will not forward USCIS mail; the general USCIS deadline is 10 days after moving [7].

Requirements

Your USCIS online-account login or Form AR-11

Your new physical and mailing addresses

Receipt numbers for any pending USCIS cases

At 7 days after the landlord mailed it

Start the USPS Missing Mail Search

Submit the Missing Mail Search at https://www.usps.com/help/missing-mail.htm as soon as seven days have passed. Keep the USPS search open, but do not delay the correct replacement filing while USPS searches [5].

Requirements

The date the landlord mailed the envelope

Any USPS tracking number

Old and new addresses

A description of the envelope and contents

Now—no 90‑day wait for a lost card

File the correct Green Card form (I‑90)

File Form I‑90 at https://www.uscis.gov/i-90. If USCIS did not receive the card back, choose Item 2.a (lost/stolen/destroyed), or Item 3.a if you are a conditional resident with more than 90 days left [2]. The fee is $415 online or $465 on paper [3]. If USCIS records show the card was returned undeliverable, choose Item 2.b or 3.b and pay $0 [4]. If you cannot pay, you may request a fee waiver using Form I‑912 based on demonstrated inability to pay [14].

Requirements

Government photo ID showing your name, date of birth, photograph, and signature (passport or driver’s license)

Your A‑Number and any USCIS receipt number

If using the $0 returned‑undeliverable category: your approval/admission evidence and government ID

After filing the controlling form

Request temporary Green Card evidence if you need it

If you need proof for employment, travel, or other urgent reasons, contact USCIS to request an ADIT (I‑551) stamp. USCIS allows temporary evidence after you file the replacement form [9].

Requirements

Your I‑90 (or I‑751/I‑829) receipt number

Your current passport if available

Your current mailing address

In parallel with the I‑90

Replace the Social Security card separately

Start at https://www.ssa.gov/number-card/replace-card. The replacement is free; if the online questions direct you to an office, submit Form SS‑5 with the required originals or certified copies. SSA mails the replacement 5–10 business days after it completes your request [11]-[12].

Requirements

Form SS-5 or the SSA online replacement workflow

Original or issuing‑agency‑certified documents

Proof of identity

Today

Protect the exposed SSN

Follow SSA’s guidance if your SSN was lost or exposed but not misused: check, freeze, and monitor your credit; you do not need to file an FTC identity‑theft report unless there is misuse [13].

Requirements

Access to your credit reports

Records of any unfamiliar accounts or transactions

Others who faced this

You are not the first to go through this. Here is how it went for others who asked the same thing.

Green Card stuck “In Transit” – filed missing mail search, no scans at local PO

u/Pure-Crow7400r/USCISFeb 18, 2026

I’m honestly getting really stressed about this. My green card was mailed via USPS Priority Mail and was supposed to arrive on Feb 9. The tracking has been stuck on “In Transit” with no updates. Here’s what I’ve done so far: • Filed a Missing Mail Search request, no update from that either. • Went to my local post office in person. • They gave me a PTR and said it’s “normal,” but the PTR shows it was never scanned at their facility at all. So basically there are zero scans locally and it’s just floating in transit with no movement. This isn’t just a random package, it’s my green card

7 View on Reddit

Legal sources

The facts come from the eCFR, USCIS Form I‑90 Instructions and G‑1055 Fee Schedule, USCIS policy pages, USPS guidance, and Social Security Administration materials.

8 CFR 264.5

The regulation requires a permanent resident to replace a card that is lost and recognizes 'issued but never received' as a separate category.

8 CFR 264.5

(a), (b)(1), and (b)(7)

A request to replace a Permanent Resident Card must be filed in accordance with the appropriate form instructions and with the fee specified in 8 CFR 106.2. A permanent resident shall apply for a replacement Permanent Resident Card: (1) When the previous card has been lost, stolen, or destroyed; (7) When the previous card was issued but never received;

Summary

Watch out for

Next steps

Others who faced this

Legal sources

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