Fill out Form I-131 online

Who uses Form I-131

• Permanent residents and conditional permanent residents applying for a reentry permit
• Refugees and asylees, and permanent residents who got that status through refugee or asylee status, applying for a Refugee Travel Document
• TPS beneficiaries in the United States applying for a TPS Travel Authorization Document
• People inside the United States with a basis listed in Part 1, Item 5 (such as a pending Form I-485 or I-589, approved DACA, or CNMI long-term residence) applying for an Advance Parole Document or advance permission to travel
• People requesting parole for themselves or someone else outside the United States, parole in place, or re-parole

Before you start

• Which box in Part 1 fits your request, and the receipt number of any related form the box asks for (for example a pending Form I-485 or an approved Form I-821)
• Your A-Number, U.S. Social Security number and USCIS Online Account Number, if you have them
• Your Form I-94 number, class of admission and the date your authorized stay ends, if Part 2, Items 12-14 apply to you
• A copy of an official photo identity document showing your photo, name and date of birth (Form I-94 is not accepted for this)
• Two identical color passport-style photos, if you are applying for advance parole or TPS travel authorization from inside the United States, or a Refugee Travel Document from outside it
• The evidence the instructions list for your document type, such as the front and back of your Green Card for a reentry permit, or proof of refugee or asylee status for a Refugee Travel Document

How to fill out Form I-131

1. 1

   Part 1. Application Type

   Select one box. Item 1 is a reentry permit. Items 2 and 3 are a Refugee Travel Document. Item 4 is TPS travel authorization and asks for the receipt number of your last approved Form I-821. Item 5 is an Advance Parole Document, with boxes A to M for the basis (for example a pending I-485, approved DACA, or CNMI long-term residence). Items 6 and 7 are initial parole for someone outside the United States, Items 8 and 9 are parole in place, and Items 10 and 11 are re-parole. If you select Item 10 or 11, give the Admit Until Date from Form I-94 in Item 12. Answer Item 13 about refugee status.

2. 2

   Part 2. Information About You

   Items 1-11 ask for your legal name, other names used, mailing address (or a safe address for VAWA, T or U cases), physical address if different, A-Number, country of birth and citizenship, sex, date of birth, Social Security number and USCIS Online Account Number. Type N/A where you have none. If you are in the United States and chose Part 1, Item 4, 5, 8, 9, 10 or 11, also complete Items 12-15 (class of admission, Form I-94 number and expiration date, eMedical USPID). Complete Items 16-27 only if you are applying for someone else.

3. 3

   Part 3. Biographic Information

   Give the ethnicity, race, height in feet and inches, weight in pounds, eye color and hair color of the person who will receive the document. If you are filing for someone else, describe that person, not yourself. Enter 000 for weight if it is unknown, under 30 pounds or over 699 pounds.

4. 4

   Part 4. Processing Information

   Item 1 asks whether the person who will receive the document has ever been in exclusion, deportation, removal or rescission proceedings. Items 2.a-3.c ask about earlier reentry permits, refugee travel documents and advance parole documents. If you are requesting parole, parole in place or re-parole, skip to Part 8 after Item 3.c. Items 4-6.b are for replacing a document (reason, corrections and the old I-131 receipt number); advance parole applicants then skip to Part 7. Items 7.a-9.c say where to send a reentry permit or Refugee Travel Document and where to send the pick-up notice.

5. 5

   Parts 5 to 9. Questions for your document type

   Complete only the parts that apply to the box you chose in Part 1. Part 5 asks how much time a reentry permit applicant has spent outside the United States. Part 6 asks Refugee Travel Document applicants about the country from which they are a refugee or asylee, travel there, passports or benefits from that country, any new nationality, and whether they are filing before leaving. Part 7 asks advance parole applicants for departure date, purpose, countries, number of trips and trip length. Part 8 asks parole, parole in place and re-parole applicants to explain how they qualify, the expected length of stay, and for someone abroad the arrival date and the embassy or consulate to notify. Part 9 lets re-parole applicants ask for an Employment Authorization Document without filing Form I-765.

6. 6

   Parts 10 to 12. Contact information and signatures

   The form asks you to read the penalties and travel warnings in the instructions before you complete Part 10. In Part 10, give your daytime phone number and, if you have them, a mobile number and email, read the certification, then sign and date Item 4. If an interpreter read the form to you, they complete and sign Part 11, including the language they used. If someone else prepared the form, they complete and sign Part 12.

7. 7

   Part 13. Additional Information

   Use Part 13 for answers that do not fit, including the explanations Part 6 asks for. Enter your name and A-Number at the top, give the page, part and item number for each answer, and sign and date each extra sheet. Answer every question; the instructions say to type N/A when a question does not apply and None when a number answer is zero.

After you fill it out

You send the signed form and your evidence to USCIS. Paper forms go to the address on the Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-131 page, which depends on your reason for filing, and some application types can be filed through a USCIS online account instead; the official I-131 page lists which. Check the current filing fee in the USCIS Fee Schedule (Form G-1055), and make sure every printed page shows the edition date and page number and comes from the same edition, or USCIS may reject the form. After filing, USCIS may send you a notice for a biometrics or interview appointment.

Signing: Print the form and sign Part 10 by hand in ink; USCIS rejects an unsigned application and does not accept a stamped or typewritten name in place of a signature. A parent or legal guardian may sign for an applicant under 14, and a photocopy, fax or scan of the original ink-signed form is accepted for filing.

Questions about Form I-131

Official information

• I-131, Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records (USCIS)
• Instructions for Form I-131 (PDF)
• Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-131 (USCIS)
• G-1055, Fee Schedule (USCIS)

Page text last reviewed November 7, 2026.

Related forms

• Form I-485Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status
• Form I-134Declaration of Financial Support
• Form I-821DConsideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
• Form I-765Application For Employment Authorization
• Form G-1145e-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance