Must Green Card holders still carry passports?

D

daihard

Registered Users (C)
Hi.

I realize that green-card holders usually do not carry their passports with them while in the U.S. What I am wondering is, will the green card suffice to fulfill the requirements of the U.S. immigration laws, or could a really nit-picky officer hassle you for not carrying both the passport and GC? I tried to google it, but couldn't find any useful information.

TIA,
Dai
 
For that matter, I never carried my passport when I travel within the US even when I was on H1B visa status. This is after 9/11 events only. The only proof you need to show is your Id (Dirver license, photo Id etc). I know that some of the people are over cautious and I do not belong to that group. The bottom line is whether or not to carry the GC, passport, ID all together is left to the individual's wisdom and his/her concerns about taking extra precautions.
 
Same here, never carried my Passport inspite of regular travel in the US both before and after 9/11/01. I still do not carry my Green Card either but just a Laminated Color copy of it. I do not intend to use it for Fraudulent purposes, so as long as I can provide the original if requested, I think I am fine. I'd rather face some hassles in not carrying the original rather than deal with USCIS to get a new Green Card.
 
Thanks guys. The reason I asked the question was because a green card holder was told by a local (Seattle) police officer that she as a foreigner was supposed to carry her passport at all times. It's not like she was here on a trip; she was just sitting in the passenger seat while a friend of hers was behind the wheel. That left me wondering whether us LPR's must still *legally* carry our passports in addition to our green cards?

I myself never carry my passport with me unless I go out of the country. :D
 
JoeF said:
That officer didn't have a clue.
What an alien has to carry with him or her at all times is the so-called registration. For a non-immigrant, this means the I-94. Since the I-94 is usually stapled in the passport, it is the easiest to carry the passport. During the infamous Texas raid a couple of years back, some people on H1 got arrested at their workplace because they didn't have the I-94 with them.
For PRs, the Greencard is the registration.
The relevant law is INA 264:
http://uscis.gov/lpBin/lpext.dll/in...?f=templates&fn=document-frame.htm#slb-act264

If that happened to me, I would ask the officer for the legal basis of his claim; and I would point him to INA 264...
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply, JoeF.

I did run into INA 264. It was pretty clear in terms of what a PR must carry in order to show his/her status. What I wasn't clear was whether there was a law that requires all foreign nationals to carry their passports with them and it simply was not mentioned in INA 264 because it was a given.

Again, I am thankful for your input.
 
http://uscis.gov/graphics/howdoi/PermRes.htm

Permanent Resident Card
The Permanent Resident Card, Form I-551, is issued to all Permanent Residents as evidence of alien registration and their permanent status in the US. The card must be in your possession at all times. While that does not require that you have on your person at all times, it does require that you have a currently valid card and that you know where it is and can show it to an immigration officer, if requested. The Permanent Resident Card currently is issued with a 10-year validity. You status as a Permanent Resident does not expire with the 10-year validity. Only the card expires. The card is only valid up to the expiration date and must be renewed before it expires.

:confused:
 
This issue has been debated before. I agree with JoeF that to do anything less than carry the original GC with you is taking an unecessary risk. The law is quite clear in what is required. As to the statement on the USCIS website - that has no legal standing and quoting that statement will not help you if you get in trouble.

As to the original purpose of this thread - my interpretation is that carrying the passport is not required - only your GC.
 
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