A reentry permit is a permission from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) to a U.S. lawful permanent resident (LPR) or a conditional permanent resident to reenter the U.S. after an extended period of stay abroad. Normally, LPRs are expected to reside in the U.S. on a permanent basis. However, in many circumstances, an LPR needs to travel frequently or to reside abroad for an extended period of time ranging from a few months to a few years and the reentry permit is the document that would allow its LPR holder to maintain their LPR status while spending time abroad. The actual reentry permit looks a bit like a U.S. passport – a booklet with a tamper-proof photo page with biographic information and a number of stamp pages.

Generally, a reentry permit can help prevent two types of problems: (a) your Permanent Resident Card becoming technically invalid for reentry into the U.S. if you are absent from the U.S. for one (1) year or more or (b) your U.S. permanent residence being considered as abandoned for absences shorter than one (1) year if you take up residence in another country. In certain cases, LPRs who do not have a valid passport can obtain a reentry permit for international travel in lieu of a passport. A reentry permit establishes a presumption that its holder did not abandon their U.S. permanent residency, and it allows its holder to apply for admission to the U.S. after traveling abroad for a period of up to two years, without having to obtain a returning resident visa. Reentry permits are normally valid for 2 years from the date of issuance. Extensions are possible in almost all cases.