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What Is A Green Card Number?2024-03-14T07:49:54-04:00
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What Is A Green Card Number?

Your green card number is specific to you. The green card number is called your “receipt number” or “permanent resident number” or “USCIS case number” by USCIS, but they are all the same number. The green card number is a combination of 3 letters and 10 numbers which we will explain in more detail later. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) uses this 13 character code to keep track of your case.

The front of your green card is simple to read, but the back can be confusing. On the back of your green card, at the bottom, there is a combination of 90 characters, in three rows. Each row has 30 characters and these have meaning. The first row has your green card number within it. Finding the meaning in these 90 characters is possible if you know how to read them.

In this guide we will cover these questions:

If you’re submitting any documents to USCIS you may need to submit a certified translation of documents that are not in English. Some documents that commonly need to be translated are these:

You can order a certified translation of these documents from our online store:

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Where Can I Find My Green Card Number?

Your green card number is on the back of your green card at the bottom. It is located in the first row of numbers, letters and symbols you see.

Your green card number is characters 16 – 28 in this first row if you start counting from left to right.

It is important to know that the “<” (less-than) symbol is only a space and has no meaning. There are 2 “<” ( less-than) symbols, after your green card number to make space. Your green card number will begin with three capital letters like “CSC”, “VSC” or “NBC” and then 10 numbers will follow it.

This is only an example but your green card number might look like this: “VSC2219712345”. These numbers do have meaning which we will explain later. First, let’s go over the numbers listed in the first row before your green card number.

What are the 15 characters before my green card number?

Let’s quickly talk about the 15 characters before your green card number. These 15 characters are not your green card number, but they have meaning. The first thing you will see is either “C1” or “C2”.

  • “C1” means you are a long-term permanent resident living in the U.S.
  • “C2” means you are a permanent resident commuting from Mexico or Canada.
  • The next thing you see is “USA”, which means that the United States gave you your green card.
  • After that, there is a 9 digit number which is your Alien Registration Number.

What Does My Green Card Number Mean?

USCIS Service Center

Your green card number begins with 3 letters. These 3 letters show which USCIS service center processed your green card application.

Here is a list of possible 3 letter codes for all the USCIS service centers:

  • VSC – Vermont Service Center
  • EAC – Eastern Adjudication Center (this is the previous code for VSC)
  • CSC – California Service Center
  • WAC – Western Adjudication Center (this is the previous code for CSC)
  • NSC – Nebraska Service Center
  • LIN – Lincoln Service Center (this is the previous code for NSC)
  • TSC – Texas Service Center
  • SRC – Southern Regional Center (this is the previous code for TSC)
  • MSC – Missouri Service Center
  • YSC – Potomac Service Center
  • NBC – National Benefits Center
  • IOE – Electronic Immigration System, ELIS (e-file)

Fiscal Year

After these 3 letters, the next two characters show the fiscal year that USCIS began processing your application. The US government’s fiscal year goes from October 1st – September 30th (not January – December).

This means any case received between October 1st and December 31st will have what seems like the next year’s code on it. So if the Vermont Service Center received your green card application on November 1st of 2021, your green card number will begin “VSC22…”

Workday

After the fiscal year, there are 3 numbers which represent the workday in the year that your application started to be processed. This number is not taken from 365 possible days in a year, it is taken from the 260 (sometimes 261) possible workdays in a fiscal year. This is because the government subtracts holidays and weekends from 365 days.

So if your green card number is “VSC 22 197…”, your case was opened on the 197th workday in the fiscal year.

Immigrant Case Number

The remaining 5 characters are numbers that USCIS gave only to you. These numbers are your immigrant case number and were generated when your application was processed.

All Together

So, if we take each part of the example we’ve looked at so far it would be VSC 22 197 12345.

  • VSC – Vermont Service Center
  • 22 – 2022 Fiscal Year
  • 197 – 197th work day in the fiscal year
  • 12345 – Unique immigrant case number

These numbers don’t have spaces between them and will actually look like this: VSC2219712345.

Are There Other Names For A Green Card Number?

USCIS calls your green card number either your “receipt number” or your “permanent resident number”. These different names all refer to the same 13 character code.

Are My A-Number and My Green Card Number The Same?

No, your A-Number, or Alien Registration Number, and green card number are two different numbers. The Alien Registration Number is a 7, 8 or 9 digit number that the Department of Homeland Security assigns to non-citizens.

When Should I Use My Green Card Number?

It’s helpful to know your green card number because it will appear on most of the documents you receive from USCIS. You can also use your green card number to check your case status online if you’ve sent any other applications to USCIS.

What Are The Other Numbers On My Green Card?

On the back of your green card at the bottom there are two more rows of characters. The second row contains your date of birth in a year/month/date format, your gender, the expiration date of your green card in year/month/date format, your country of birth and “<”(less-than) symbols as spaces.

The third row contains your last name, first name, your father’s first initial, your mother’s first initial and more “<” (less-than) symbols as spaces.

The content provided by U.S. Language Services is for general information and educational purposes only, not a substitute for professional legal or financial advice. Despite our efforts to ensure accurate and timely content, we do not guarantee the completeness, correctness, or suitability of the information on our site or any linked content.

U.S. Language Services is not a law firm; its content should not be taken as legal advice. For specific legal concerns, please consult a licensed attorney. Similarly, financial information on our site is for informational purposes only, not financial advice. Consult a certified financial advisor or tax professional for advice tailored to your situation.

By accessing U.S. Language Services, you acknowledge that it does not provide legal or financial advice. You agree not to rely on its content as such. U.S. Language Services and its contributors bear no liability for any inaccuracies, losses, or damages resulting from the use of information on our site.

Aaron Randolph

Author: Aaron Randolph | LinkedIn

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All our certified to English translations are accepted by the USCIS. Our translations follow the guidelines established by the USCIS and are also accepted by educational institutions.

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FAQs

You can order most translations 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through our online store. For large projects (more than 20,000 words or 50 pages), please request a quote.

General Questions

Can you expedite my translation?2023-05-15T10:03:00-04:00

We offer expedited service for Spanish, Russian and German to English.

With expedited service, your order is given priority and you can expect the turnaround time to be reduced by 50%.

Expedited service includes a 50% surcharge.

If you require expedited service for a document in another language, please inquire regarding availability. If we are able to accommodate your request, our staff will provide you with instructions on how to proceed.

Who will translate my document?2023-04-29T11:35:49-04:00

Our translators have years of experience in the translation industry and specialize in different areas of service. Many of them have graduate degrees and certificates in fields such as law and engineering.

How do you keep my information secure?2023-04-29T10:03:03-04:00

All your information is transmitted using SSL/TLS encryption.

We never receive, store or keep your credit card information. Your credit card information is processed externally by Stripe. The same company that manages payments for companies such as Uber, Lyft, Target, Blue Apron, SquareSpace, Slack and Spotify (to name a few).

U.S. Language Services has a strict confidentiality policy. We understand that in certain cases, given the sensitivity of the information to be translated, some clients require we sign a specific confidentiality agreement (NDA). We would be happy to sign your NDA.

How can I pay?2020-04-10T10:40:56-04:00

We accept all major credit cards, Apple Pay, PayPal and Google Pay.

In what currency are your prices?2022-02-25T08:57:58-05:00

All prices — both in the online store and in quotes sent via email — are indicated in U.S. dollars (USD).

Is my payment safe?2023-06-09T08:58:15-04:00
Yes. We use Stripe and PayPal as payment platforms. We never receive, store or keep your credit card information.

Certified Translation

What is a certified translation?2020-04-10T10:52:38-04:00

A certified translation is a word-for-word translation required for official use by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), universities, colleges, state or federal institutions and courts.

All our certified translations are issued in accordance with the regulations established by the USCIS, the institution that most frequently requires this type of document. A certified translation includes a certificate issued on our corporate letterhead signed by the translator and a U.S. Language Services representative in PDF format.

How much does it cost?2023-05-01T07:17:26-04:00

The price for a certified translation is $39.00 per page. No hidden fees.

Each page may contain up to 250 words or fewer including numbers. Pages may be letter size (8.5″ x 11″), A4 or smaller and one sided.

For languages that use logograms, such as Chinese, Korean and Japanese, each character is considered a word.

How are the pages counted?2022-06-28T09:54:53-04:00

When you order a certified translation, the most significant variable is how the pages of the document are calculated. We take into consideration both the number of physical pages in your original document and the total word count.

Each page may contain up to 250 words. Pages may be letter size (8.5″ x 11″), A4 or smaller and one sided.

For example: A project with 2 physical pages that each contain 500 words (1,000 words total), is calculated as 4 pages (1,000 words ÷ 250 = 4 pages).

What happens if I don’t count the number of pages correctly?2020-04-10T10:48:37-04:00

Don’t worry. Our team reviews each order individually. If the number of pages is greater, we’ll contact you with instructions on how to proceed. If you ordered pages in excess, we’ll issue you a refund using the same payment method.

How long will it take?2023-04-29T12:36:46-04:00

For most common languages, including Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian and Chinese you can expect to receive:

  • A 1-3 page translation in 2 business days
  • A 4-10 page translation in 4 business days
  • An 11-20 page translation in 6 business days
  • A 20+ page translation in 6+ business days

For orders in other language pairs, our team will review your document and provide you with the delivery date once you place your order.

Note: Orders placed after 2 p.m. EST (Eastern Standard Time) will be processed on the following business day. Delivery dates exclude weekends & holidays.

Do you offer expedited service?2023-05-15T10:04:06-04:00

We offer expedited service for Spanish, Russian and German to English.

With expedited service, your order is given priority and you can expect the turnaround time to be reduced by 50%.

Expedited service includes a 50% surcharge.

If you require expedited service for a document in another language, please inquire regarding availability. If we are able to accommodate your request, our staff will provide you with instructions on how to proceed.

Note: Standard terms apply for expedited service. Orders placed after 2 p.m. EST (Eastern Standard Time) will be processed on the following business day. Delivery dates exclude weekends & holidays.

Do you offer notarized translations?2021-11-10T14:29:32-05:00

No, we do not offer notarized translation services.

Standard Translation

How much does it cost?2023-04-29T09:57:10-04:00

The price for a standard translation is $0.12 per word. No hidden fees.

For languages that use logograms, such as Chinese, Korean and Japanese, each character is considered a word.

Is there a minimum?2023-04-29T10:08:08-04:00

Yes. The minimum per document is $24 or 200 words.

What is a standard translation?2020-11-11T11:14:07-05:00

A standard translation is a high-quality, professional translation of documents or text-based files delivered in an editable Word file. If you require a different format (pages, rtf, txt) just let us know when placing your order using the comments field. This service is perfect for:

  • Press releases, employee manuals
  • Websites, blog posts, emails, text messages
  • Financial statements, legal contracts
  • Online stores, e-commerce, product descriptions, etc.
What languages do you translate?2022-03-21T11:43:14-04:00

U.S. Language Services provides translation services in 35 languages. We translate both from English and into English:

  • Arabic
  • Bulgarian
  • Catalan
  • Chinese (Simplified & Traditional)
  • Czech
  • Danish
  • Dari
  • Dutch
  • Farsi
  • French
  • Georgian
  • German
  • Greek
  • Hebrew
  • Hindi
  • Hungarian
  • Indonesian
  • Italian
  • Japanese
  • Korean
  • Norwegian
  • Polish
  • Portuguese (Brazil & Portugal)
  • Romanian
  • Russian
  • Slovak
  • Spanish (Spain and Latin America)
  • Swedish
  • Tagalog
  • Turkish
  • Ukrainian
  • Vietnamese
How long will it take?2023-04-29T12:36:19-04:00

For most common languages, including Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian and Chinese you can expect to receive:

  • A 500 word translation in 2 business days
  • A 1,000 word translation in 3 business days
  • A 2,000 word translation in 4 business days
  • A 5,000 word translation in 6 business days

For orders in other language pairs, our team will review your documents and provide you with the delivery date once you place your order.

Note: Orders placed after 2 p.m. EST (Eastern Standard Time) will be processed by our team on the following business day. Delivery dates exclude weekends & holidays.

How do you ensure quality?2023-04-29T11:49:21-04:00

Each project is assigned to a translator with experience in that field to guarantee that the proper terminology is used. In addition, all translations undergo a careful revision process before they are delivered to the client.

We encourage you to take a look at any of the more than 300 reviews we have received from satisfied clients.

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