A lawful permanent resident (LPR) of the United States is required to present a valid Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card, if seeking readmission to the U.S. after a temporary absence of less than one year. A Transportation Boarding foil facilitates boarding by the airline to transport you back to the U.S.
How to apply for a transportation boarding foil
You must make an appointment to visit the Immigrant Visa Unit and apply in person. In order to be processed for a Transportation boarding foil by the U.S. Embassy in Stockholm, you will need to complete the following steps prior to your appointment date.
- Go to: https://www.uscis.gov/I-131A – Download and complete the Application for Travel Document (Carrier Documentation) – Form I-131A. You will need to know your Alien Registration Number in order to complete the form;
- Go to: https://www.uscis.gov/file-online/log-online-filing– to create an online USCIS account to pay the fee of $575.00 USD for the I-131A application. (Note: This is the only acceptable means of payment for the I-131A application). The Embassy cannot collect this fee on behalf of USCIS. Kindly note that this fee is non-refundable.
- Complete this request for a transportation boarding foil form.
- Please forward the payment confirmation and the completed request for a transportation boarding foil to stkivinfo@state.gov. Upon receipt, the Embassy will contact USCIS to confirm your status and then schedule your appointment. The office is closed on weekends as well as American and Swedish holidays. It is recommended that you make an appointment with our office at least 2 weeks before you intend to travel back to the U.S. Please note that we can only process applications for U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents who have been outside the United States for less than one year and who are intending to return to the U.S. within 30 days.
What should I bring to the appointment?
- Your valid passport (if you lost your passport or had your passport stolen, we will not be able to issue you a transportation boarding foil until you have obtained a new passport);
- Original Form I-131A completed and signed;
- Proof that the application fee of $575 has been paid;
- Police Report (if your Permanent Resident Card (I-551) was lost/stolen);
- Proof of being outside the United States for less than one year since last departure, such as flight ticket / electronic itinerary which shows your last departure from the United States and your upcoming return to the US;
- One passport photo in color 5×5 cm, full face, white background;
- Waybill. In order to return your passport, we must ask that you provide a waybill /fraktsedel per below instructions. The waybill is provided by the Swedish Postal Service (Posten – skicka direkt): https://portal.postnord.com/skickadirekt/#
- Choose your country (Sweden)
- Choose REK. For a secure and traceable shipment, we strongly encourage you to select Registered Service (REK). Your documents will be sent to the local post office, and the receiver must claim the parcel by showing a valid Government issued ID from country of residence or a valid passport. If you don’t have a valid identification document, you must address your waybill to someone you trust who can claim your parcel on your behalf.
- Choose weight: 100g
- Sender (Avsändare): Embassy of the United States, Dag Hammarskjölds väg 31, 115 89 Stockholm
- Email: Use your own email to receive a copy of the waybill and your receipt. This way you can have access to the tracking information.
- Receiver (Mottagare): The recipient (Till) should be the person and/or location to which you would like your passport to be delivered in Sweden.
- Please print out the waybill and bring for your interview. Alternatively, you may forward the waybill by email to stkivinfo@state.gov Please make sure to list your name in the subject line
Please note that the waybill is valid for 2 months. Due to limited validity we ask that you don’t purchase the waybill more than 5 days prior your appointment.
After clearing U.S. Embassy security, please proceed to the Immigrant Visa Unit window 7 in the consular waiting room to present your documents/forms.
What if I lost my Green Card when visiting Denmark/Norway?
Please contact the Consular Section at U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen/Oslo for assistance with a transportation boarding foil.