Your green card number, also known as the receipt number, is a 13-digit number that is printed on a permanent resident card. It’s also called a case number because it refers to your specific immigration case. In some situations, people may even call it a I-551 receipt number. (Form I-551 is the government’s internal name for a permanent resident card.)
The green card number generally begins with three letters followed by a series of 10 numbers. Each of these characters has a significance in your case. However, your green card number is different than your alien registration number (A-Number) and USCIS number.
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How to Find Your Green Card Number
Your green card number is printed on the back side of the current edition of the permanent resident card (pictured above). On prior editions of the card, the number may have been printed in different locations (or was not used at all).
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For most people, there’s no need to know your green card number. It’s a number that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) used to track your case. If you’re curious to know what your number means, we’ll explain. Each of the 13 digits in a green card number has a specific purpose. Here’s how to read it:
TSC 15 005 40816
Service Center (TSC 15 005 40816)
Every receipt number begins with three letters that represent the service center that received the case. There are several codes for USCIS service centers. They include:
CSC – California Service Center
EAC – Eastern Adjudication Center (now known as Vermont Service Center)
IOE – ELIS (efile)
LIN – Lincoln Service Center (now known as Nebraska Service Center)
MSC – Missouri Service Center (now known as National Benefits Center)
NBC – National Benefits Center
NSC – Nebraska Service Center
SRC – Southern Regional Center (now known as Texas Service Center)
TSC – Texas Service Center
VSC – Vermont Service Center
WAC – Western Adjudication Center (now known as California Service Center)
YSC – Potomac Service Center
Fiscal Year (TSC 15 005 40816)
The second set of digits represent the fiscal year that the case was received. Government agencies use a fiscal year that is different from the calendar year. It begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. So our example case number was opened between October 2014 and September 2015.
Computer Workday (TSC 15 005 40816)
The third set of digits indicates the computer workday that the case was opened. The computer workday is basically the same thing as a workday. Therefore it excludes most weekends and holidays. Our example case was opened on the 5th workday of the 2015 fiscal year (October 7, 2015).
Case Number (TSC 15 005 40816)
The final set of five digits is the case number.
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Whether you call it an I-551 receipt number, permanent resident card number or green card number, they are all the same thing to describe the specific case linked to your card.