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Change of address: USCIS, immigration court and ICE, with your deadlines

Checked25 OCT 2026against source

By Romulo Felizola · Published

USCIS: 10 days (online or Form AR-11) · Immigration court: 5 days (Form EOIR-33) · ICE: before you move, and within 5 days. Pick your situation to get your own dates.

What describes you? Check all that apply.

The checklist is built in your browser. Nothing you choose or type is sent to us or saved. General information, not legal advice.

Short answer

Tell USCIS within 10 days, the immigration court within 5 working days, and ICE before you move. They are three different agencies with three different records: telling one doesn't update the others, and neither does the Post Office. Pick your situation above to get your own dates, the official links and, if you have an asylum application pending, a letter ready to print.

The deadlines, with where each one comes from

  • OfficialUSCIS: 10 days. Every noncitizen in the U.S. must report a change of address within 10 days of moving (not A and G visa holders or visa-waiver visitors). The USCIS online account meets the requirement and updates your case almost at once; a paper Form AR-11 meets it too but doesn't update automatically. USCIS, reviewed Aug 4, 2026.
  • OfficialAsylum office: 10 days, in writing. While an asylum application is pending, the asylum office must be notified on Form AR-11 or a signed, dated letter within 10 days. Form I-589 instructions, Jul 28, 2026.
  • OfficialImmigration court: five working days. Form EOIR-33/IC, to the court that has your case, with a copy to ICE's attorneys. For the Board of Immigration Appeals, Form EOIR-33/BIA, also within five working days. EOIR forms.
  • OfficialICE: before you move, and within 5 days. ICE's portal says to update your address with ICE and the court before you move, and ICE's FAQ says that within 5 days of an address change you must call the ICE Detention Reporting and Information Line, 1-888-351-4024. With Form I-220A you need written permission first; with Form I-220B, written notice 48 hours before. Who you must tell depends on your release paper: Notice to Appear (I-862), ICE and the court; Order of Expedited Removal (I-860), ICE and USCIS. ICE Portal and check-in page, updated Jun 1, 2026.
  • OfficialPost Office: separate. A USPS change of address does not change your address with USCIS and USPS will not forward mail from USCIS. USCIS.

Four mistakes that cost people their mail

  1. Thinking one notice covers everything

    USCIS, the immigration court and ICE don't share your address for this purpose. A person with a court case who only files an AR-11 keeps getting hearing notices at the old address.

  2. Counting on the Post Office

    Forwarding mail is not reporting an address. It also stops after a while, and USCIS mail isn't forwarded.

  3. Using the wrong form for the Board of Immigration Appeals

    The immigration court and the Board each have their own form (EOIR-33/IC and EOIR-33/BIA). If your appeal is pending, the court's form is not enough.

  4. Forgetting the receipt numbers

    In your USCIS online account you must enter the receipt number of each pending case to apply the change to it. A change without the numbers can leave a case at the old address.

Never skip a court hearing because a notice didn't reach you. The court uses the address on file, and if you don't show up the judge can order your removal without you. If you moved and aren't sure the court has your new address, file the EOIR-33 today and check your case on the EOIR case status page or at 1-800-898-7180. More in the Houston immigration court guide and Denver's.

If you have to find help or an office

Not sure which asylum office or field office has your case? Find them by ZIP code. Need a lawyer or an accredited representative for a court case? The same tool lists the recognized organizations near you and marks who can appear before a judge. Guides by city: Houston · Dallas · Atlanta · Chicago · Orlando · Miami. En español: cambio de dirección.

Questions people ask

How long do I have to report a change of address to USCIS?

Ten days from the day you move. Every noncitizen in the United States has to report it, except A and G visa holders and visa-waiver visitors. You can do it in your USCIS online account or with Form AR-11.

Does telling USCIS update my immigration court case?

No. The court only uses the address on Form EOIR-33, filed within five working days of moving, and USCIS needs its own notice. They are separate agencies with separate records, so report to each one.

Does changing my address with the Post Office change it with USCIS?

No. USCIS says a USPS change of address does not change your address with USCIS and that USPS will not forward mail from USCIS. File the change with both.

I have an asylum application pending. Is USCIS's online change enough?

USCIS's I-589 instructions say that while your asylum application is pending with the asylum office, you must notify the asylum office on Form AR-11 or with a signed, dated letter within 10 days of changing your address. The tool above makes the letter for you.

What if the deadline already passed?

Do it today. A late notice is better than none, and the notices the agency sends go to the last address you gave. If you have a court case, a missed hearing can end with an order of removal in your absence, so tell the court first.

Do I need to do this if I'm a U.S. citizen?

The 10-day rule is for noncitizens. But USCIS also says that if you are a U.S. citizen, national or permanent resident who signed an affidavit of support for someone, you must file Form I-865, Sponsor's Notice of Change of Address, within 30 days of your move.

I was released by ICE. Where do I report my new address?

Within 5 days of the change, call the ICE Detention Reporting and Information Line at 1-888-351-4024 (Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern), or use ICE's online change-of-address form (you need your A-Number, your name exactly as ICE has it and your country of birth). If you were released with a Notice to Appear, also tell the immigration court. ICE's portal says to update both before you move. If you were released with Form I-220A you need written permission before moving, and with Form I-220B you tell your case officer in writing 48 hours before.

Sources checked on October 25, 2026

  1. USCIS — How to Change Your Address (reviewed Aug 4, 2026)
  2. USCIS — AR-11, Alien's Change of Address Card (reviewed Jun 3, 2026)
  3. USCIS — Instructions for Form I-589 (Jul 28, 2026): change of address while the asylum application is pending
  4. EOIR — Form EOIR-33/IC, Change of Address/Contact Form, Immigration Court (rev. Feb 2026)
  5. EOIR — Form EOIR-33/BIA, Board of Immigration Appeals
  6. EOIR — Respondent Access (file the change online, no login needed)
  7. ICE — Portal: responsibilities and online change of address
  8. ICE — Online Change of Address
  9. ICE — Check-in and Change of Address FAQs (updated Jun 1, 2026): within 5 days, call DRIL 1-888-351-4024
  10. USCIS — Change of address procedures for VAWA, T and U cases and Form I-751 abuse waivers
  11. ICE — Addresses for immigration courts and ICE attorneys (OPLA)
  12. ICE — eService portal (copy of the EOIR-33 to ICE attorneys)
  13. USPS — Change of address

Something changed or looks wrong? Send us a correction. This guide is general information, not legal advice.

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