Alien Registration Requirement: Deadlines, Penalties, and Removal Risk

The alien registration requirement is a federal rule that obligates most non-citizens in the United States to be registered with the government, to carry proof of that registration, and to keep their address on file. It comes from the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 and applies to nearly everyone who is not a U.S. citizen, from tourists staying more than a month to lawful permanent residents. The rules are still enforced, and the consequences for ignoring them can reach as far as removal from the country.

Who Has to Register

Every non-citizen age 14 or older who stays in the United States for more than 30 days must be registered and fingerprinted before those 30 days expire. For a child under 14, a parent or legal guardian must file the registration within the same 30-day window. When a child already in the country turns 14, a fresh obligation begins: they must apply in person for registration and fingerprinting within 30 days of that birthday.¹

Two groups sit outside the standard rules. Holders of A-series visas (diplomats and their families) and G-series visas (employees of international organizations) are not subject to the general registration provisions; their presence is tracked through the Department of State.² Visitors admitted under the Visa Waiver Program are exempt from the address-reporting requirements.³

How You Actually Get Registered

Most non-citizens never fill out a separate registration form. Registration happens automatically as part of another process. Federal law provides that each person who applies for a visa is registered in connection with that application.⁴ If you later seek a green card from inside the country, Form I-485, the Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, serves the same dual purpose.⁵

Your registration is tied to an Alien Registration Number, commonly called an A-Number. It is a seven-to-nine-digit identifier that appears on your green card, Employment Authorization Document, or approval notices. On an Employment Authorization Card (Form I-766), the A-Number is printed under “USCIS #” on the front and again on the back. Keep the number somewhere you can find it, because you will need it every time you update your record with USCIS.

Carrying Your Registration Document

Every non-citizen who is 18 or older must carry their registration card or certificate on their person at all times. In practical terms, that means your green card, Employment Authorization Document, or other registration receipt card should be with you whenever you leave home.⁶

Failing to carry it is itself a misdemeanor. Each offense can bring a fine of up to $100, up to 30 days of imprisonment, or both.⁶ The statute requires the actual card or certificate in your personal possession, not a photocopy. If yours is lost, stolen, or damaged, file for a replacement promptly.

The 10-Day Rule for Address Changes

Every registered non-citizen who moves must notify the government of the new address in writing within 10 days. The clock starts on the day you physically relocate, not when you finish unpacking or set up mail forwarding. The obligation continues for as long as you remain in the country as a non-citizen, whether you hold a temporary visa or a green card.⁷

For a child whose parent or guardian filed the original registration, that adult is responsible for reporting address changes on the child’s behalf.⁷ The deadline does not pause because a family move is chaotic.

Filing Online

The fastest and most reliable method is the USCIS self-service change-of-address tool inside your online USCIS account. An online submission updates your information in USCIS case management systems almost immediately.⁸

Filing by Paper

You can also mail a paper Form AR-11 to USCIS. This satisfies the legal requirement, but a paper AR-11 does not automatically update your address in USCIS systems; the filing sits in a processing queue while your electronic records still show the old address. USCIS itself encourages the online tool for this reason.⁸ If you do file by mail, use certified mail with a return receipt so you can prove you met the 10-day deadline.

Groups That Use a Different Process

Some categories follow their own procedures instead of the general tool or paper AR-11:

F and J visa holders: if your school or program sponsor reports your address through SEVIS, that update satisfies the federal reporting requirement, so no separate AR-11 is needed. Confirm with your designated school official that they handle it.
Affidavit of support sponsors: anyone who signed Form I-864 must file Form I-865 within 30 days of moving. This is a separate obligation with its own fines.
Adoption cases, consular processing petitioners, and survivors of abuse or trafficking with VAWA, T, U, or I-751 abuse waiver filings: each uses program-specific procedures rather than the standard tool.³

One caution that catches many people: filing an address change updates your general record with USCIS. It does not update the address on any pending applications or petitions. If you have a case in progress, contact the office or service center handling that case separately.

Penalties

The penalties depend on which obligation was missed, and the differences matter.

Failing to Register

Willfully refusing or failing to register when required is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in prison, or both. The same penalty applies to a parent or guardian who willfully fails to register a child.⁹

Failing to Report an Address Change

Missing the 10-day address notification deadline is a separate misdemeanor carrying a fine of up to $200, up to 30 days in prison, or both. The statute punishes the non-citizen and any parent or guardian responsible for filing on behalf of a minor.¹⁰

Fraud or False Statements

Filing registration paperwork with information you know to be false is a misdemeanor with penalties of up to $1,000, up to six months of imprisonment, or both. A fraud conviction also triggers mandatory removal proceedings.⁹

The Bigger Risk: Removal

The criminal fines are often less consequential than the immigration fallout. Any non-citizen who fails to report an address change can be taken into custody and placed in removal proceedings, whether or not they are ever convicted of the misdemeanor.¹⁰ A late address update that feels like a paperwork slip can become the legal basis for deportation.

The statute provides one escape valve. You can avoid removal for a late address report if you establish to the satisfaction of the Attorney General that the failure was “reasonably excusable or was not willful.”¹⁰ The statute does not define reasonably excusable, and the burden falls entirely on you to prove it. A medical emergency, a natural disaster, or genuine confusion about whether a move was temporary might support a defense, but nothing is guaranteed. The safer course is to file within the 10-day window every time and keep proof that you did.

Registration lapses can also come back during naturalization. Applicants must show they have followed federal laws during their time in the country. A gap in your address-reporting history creates a record adjudicators can question, and a weak explanation can produce a denied citizenship application.

1
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1302 – Registration of Aliens
2
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1303 – Registration of Special Groups
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. How to Change Your Address
4
U.S. Government Publishing Office. 8 USC 1201 – Issuance of Visas
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-485 Instructions for Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status
6
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1304 – Forms for Registration and Fingerprinting
7
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1305 – Notices of Change of Address
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. AR-11, Aliens Change of Address Card
9
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1306 – Penalties
10
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1306 – Penalties