Green Card holder traveling without passport

[viajero 14]

Hi.. I am a green card holder (obtained by marriage with American Citizen)  and have a Venezuelan passport... let’s say I'm abroad and I lose my passport.. in order to get a new one I would have to wait for  2 years or so.. is there any way I could come back to the States without a passport?

[TBoneTX 46,071]

Thread is moved from Off Topic to the Working & Traveling forum.

[mushroomspore 3,044]

Pretty sure you cannot board an international flight without a passport.

[Hypnos 6,578]

1) Why on earth would it take two years to obtain a new passport?

 

2) LPRs only need show their green card to enter the US; they aren't obligated to have or show their foreign passport to CBP. However, most (all?) airlines are going to want to see a valid passport before they let you board a plane.

[viajero 14]

12 minutes ago, mushroomspore said:

Pretty sure you cannot board an international flight without a passport.

so what does this mean?

 

What if I must leave the United States before I can file a Form I-131 for a reentry permit?

You do not need a reentry permit if you will be outside the UnitedStates for less than 1 year. If you have been outside the UnitedStates for less than 1 year, you may use your Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551) as your travel document.

[mushroomspore 3,044]

4 minutes ago, viajero said:

so what does this mean?

 

What if I must leave the United States before I can file a Form I-131 for a reentry permit?

You do not need a reentry permit if you will be outside the UnitedStates for less than 1 year. If you have been outside the UnitedStates for less than 1 year, you may use your Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551) as your travel document.

 

A re-entry permit would not allow you to board an international flight though. Airlines require a passport. If you don't have one, you're not getting on the plane to come back to the US from wherever you are.

Edited August 13, 2018 by mushroomspore

[viajero 14]

Just now, Hypnos said:

1) Why on earth would it take two years to obtain a new passport?

 

2) LPRs only need show their green card to enter the US; they aren't obligated to have or show their foreign passport to CBP. However, most (all?) airlines are going to want to see a valid passport before they let you board a plane.

 

 

1.- lol It's crazy right? but yeah.. that's how things work in underdeveloped countries like where my citizenship is from!!

 

2.- how about with a expired passport? 

 

 

[mushroomspore 3,044]

Just now, viajero said:

 

 

1.- lol It's crazy right? but yeah.. that's how things work in underdeveloped countries like where my citizenship is from!!

 

2.- how about with a expired passport? 

 

 

Expired means "not valid". They wouldn't accept it as valid ID.

[ElGuapo88 19]

@viajero - I'm also from Venezuela so I know what a pain it is to get a new passport.  I renewed mine two years ago and the whole process took a little more than a year.  In any case - like others have stated above, your green card will allow you to enter the USA, but you won't be able to get on an airplane without a valid, unexpired passport