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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Fill out Form I-765 online

Application For Employment Authorization

Form I-765 asks U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for permission to work in the United States and for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD), the card that shows it. It is for foreign nationals in the United States who fit one of the eligibility categories in the instructions, including people whose status already lets them work and who want an EAD as proof. The same form is used to renew an EAD or to replace a lost, stolen, damaged or incorrect one.

Fill out Form I-765Blank form from the USCIS

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Edition
Edition 08/21/25
Pages
7
Fillable fields
161
Checked against the USCIS
November 8, 2026

GuruPDF is not affiliated with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. This page explains the form in plain words; it is not legal or tax advice. Always check the official instructions before you file.

Who uses Form I-765

  • People with a pending application, such as asylum (c)(8) or adjustment of status (c)(9), who want permission to work while it is decided
  • F-1 students applying for Optional Practical Training, including the 24-month STEM extension
  • Parolees, Temporary Protected Status applicants and beneficiaries, and people with deferred action, including DACA requestors
  • Spouses of certain nonimmigrants, such as H-1B (c)(26), E (a)(17) and L-1 (a)(18) spouses
  • Refugees, asylees and others whose status already allows work, who want an EAD as proof or need to renew or replace one

Before you start

  • Your eligibility category code from the Who May File section of the Form I-765 Instructions, and the evidence listed for that category
  • A copy of your last EAD (front and back), or, if you never had one, a copy of an identity document such as a passport that shows your photo, name and date of birth
  • Your Form I-94, passport or travel document, for the numbers, issuing country, expiration date and last-arrival details the form asks for; most categories also need a copy of one of them
  • Your A-Number, USCIS Online Account Number, SEVIS number and Social Security number, if you have them
  • Two identical color passport-style photos, 2 by 2 inches, taken recently
  • Form I-765WS, Form I-765 Worksheet, if your category requires you to show economic necessity

How to fill out Form I-765

  1. Part 1: Reason for Applying

    Select only one box. Item 1.a is for initial permission to accept employment. Item 1.b is for replacing a lost, stolen or damaged EAD, or correcting one when the error was not caused by USCIS. Item 1.c is for a renewal; attach a copy of your previous EAD.

  2. Part 2, Items 1-13: Your name, addresses and numbers

    Enter your full legal name in Items 1.a-1.c, as shown on your birth certificate or legal name change document, and any other names you have used (aliases, maiden name, nicknames) in Items 2.a-4.c. Items 5.a-5.f are your U.S. mailing address, where USCIS sends your EAD; answer Item 6, and give your physical address in Items 7.a-7.e if it is different. Then enter your A-Number (or "N/A"), your USCIS Online Account Number if you have one, your sex, marital status, whether you have filed Form I-765 before, and your Social Security number if known.

  3. Part 2, Items 14-26: Citizenship, birth and last arrival

    List each country where you are a citizen or national in Items 14.a-14.b; if you have no citizenship, type "stateless" and explain in Part 6. Give your place and date of birth in Items 15.a-16, naming the country as it was called when you were born. Items 17-26 ask for your Form I-94 number, passport and travel document details, the date and place of your last arrival, your status at that arrival, your current status, and your SEVIS number if you have one.

  4. Part 2, Items 27-31: Eligibility category

    Enter one eligibility category code in Item 27, taken from the Who May File section of the instructions, for example (c)(8). Then answer the follow-up items for your code: Items 28.a-28.c for the (c)(3)(C) STEM OPT extension (degree, employer's name as listed in E-Verify, and the employer's E-Verify Company or Client Company Identification Number), Item 29 for (c)(26) (the receipt number of your H-1B spouse's most recent Form I-797 Notice for Form I-129), Item 30 for (c)(8), and Items 31.a-31.b for (c)(35) and (c)(36). Items 30 and 31.b ask whether you have ever been arrested for or convicted of any crime.

  5. Part 3: Applicant's Statement, Contact Information, Certification, and Signature

    Select Item 1.a if you read and understood the form in English, or Item 1.b if the interpreter in Part 4 read it to you, and write the language. Select Item 2 if the preparer in Part 5 prepared it for you. Give your daytime phone, mobile phone (if any) and email (if any) in Items 3-5, and select Item 6 only if you are a Salvadoran or Guatemalan national eligible for benefits under the ABC settlement agreement. Read the certification, then sign and date in Items 7.a-7.b. The form notes that you must file it while you are in the United States.

  6. Parts 4 and 5: Interpreter and preparer

    Anyone who interpreted the form for you completes and signs Part 4. Anyone other than you who prepared it completes and signs Part 5, and selects Item 7.a or 7.b to say whether they are an attorney or accredited representative. If one person did both, that person completes both parts. An attorney or accredited representative may also need to attach Form G-28 and select the box at the top of page 1.

  7. Part 6: Additional Information

    Use page 7 for answers that did not fit, such as extra names, countries of citizenship or previously used SEVIS numbers. You may copy the page or attach separate sheets. Put your name and A-Number (if any) at the top of each sheet, give the page, part and item number each answer belongs to, and sign and date each sheet.

After you fill it out

To file on paper, print the completed form, sign it in ink, and send it to the filing location for your category with your photos, evidence and the filing fee if one applies. The filing location depends on your reason for applying and the eligibility category in Item 27, so check the Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-765 page, and check the fee on the USCIS Fee Schedule (Form G-1055). If your work permit depends on another form you are filing at the same time, such as Form I-485 or Form I-539, USCIS says to send both to that other form's filing location. For some eligibility categories, USCIS also accepts Form I-765 online through a USCIS online account.

Signing: USCIS does not accept a stamped or typewritten name as a signature and rejects an unsigned application. For a paper filing, print the form and sign Part 3, Item 7.a by hand in ink; a photocopy, fax or scan of that original handwritten signature is accepted, and a parent or legal guardian may sign for an applicant under 14.

Watch out for

  • Do not use Form I-765 if you are a lawful permanent resident, a conditional permanent resident, or a nonimmigrant authorized to work only for a specific employer under 8 CFR 274a.12(b).
  • Include all 7 pages, even pages that do not apply to you. All pages must be from the same edition, with the edition date and page numbers visible at the bottom, or USCIS may reject the form.
  • If you file under (c)(8) based on a pending asylum application, you must generally wait 150 days after filing that application, not counting delays you caused or requested. USCIS may reject a Form I-765 filed before then, unless you received a Recommended Approval notice.
  • USCIS sends your EAD to the mailing address in Items 5.a-5.f. The instructions say not to use your attorney's or representative's address unless you want the card sent there.

Questions about Form I-765

How do I know which eligibility category to enter?

The Who May File section of the Form I-765 Instructions lists the categories with their codes, such as (a)(3) for refugees or (c)(3)(B) for post-completion OPT. Enter only one code in Part 2, Item 27. A pending application and a granted one can have different codes: pending asylum is (c)(8), granted asylum is (a)(5).

My EAD has a mistake. Do I need a new Form I-765?

If the error was caused by USCIS, you do not need a new Form I-765 or filing fee; the Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-765 page explains what to do under Replacement for Card Error. If the error was not caused by USCIS, select Item 1.b in Part 1 and file a new application with the filing fee.

What photos do I need?

The instructions ask for two identical color passport-style photos, 2 by 2 inches, with a white to off-white background, unmounted and unretouched. Lightly print your name and A-Number (if any) on the back in pencil or felt pen.

Can I file Form I-765 online?

USCIS lets applicants in some eligibility categories file Form I-765 online through a USCIS online account; its Forms Available to File Online page lists those categories. Applicants in other categories file the paper form.

What if I do not have an A-Number or a Social Security number?

If you do not have an A-Number, type or print "N/A" in Item 8. Item 13 asks for your Social Security number only if you know it.

Official information

Page text last reviewed November 7, 2026.

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