Where Can I Travel With My Green Card?

Understanding your travel rights as a permanent resident.

Within the United States

You can travel to all 50 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and Northern Mariana Islands without any restrictions.

To Canada & Mexico

Green card holders can visit Canada and Mexico, but you need your passport plus your green card. Canada may require an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) depending on your passport nationality. Mexico allows short tourist visits for most nationalities.

Important Reminders

Your green card is for U.S. re-entry only — it’s not a travel visa for other countries
Always travel with both your green card AND your passport
Check the specific visa requirements of your destination country
Some countries may give you easier visa access because of your U.S. residency
Keep trips under 6 months to protect your green card status

2026 Travel Ban — Does It Affect Me?

If you’re a green card holder, you are exempt from the 2026 travel ban. You can still travel to and from restricted countries. However, expect additional screening at U.S. ports of entry if traveling from one of the 39 banned countries.

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Countries that admit U.S. permanent residents without a visa

These countries currently allow entry with a valid U.S. green card and a valid passport from your home country, regardless of your nationality, for short tourist stays. Policies change without notice, so confirm with the destination’s embassy or official immigration website before booking.

Canada: no visa or eTA required for U.S. permanent residents; carry your passport and green card.
Mexico: visa-free for tourism; you complete the Multiple Migratory Form on arrival.
Central America: Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Belize accept a valid green card in place of a visa for most nationalities.
Caribbean: the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Aruba, Curaçao, and several other islands admit green card holders without a visa.
South America: Peru and Colombia admit U.S. permanent residents visa-free for tourism; other countries follow passport-based rules.
Elsewhere: Georgia, Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia are among the countries that accept a valid U.S. residence card for short visits, and Turkey allows many green card holders to apply for an e-Visa online.

Where your passport rules apply instead

The Schengen Area, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, China, India, and most of Africa and the Middle East decide based on your nationality, not your U.S. residence. If your passport requires a visa, you must obtain one. One advantage of the green card is that you can usually apply at the country’s consulate in the United States instead of traveling home to apply.

Traveling to your home country

Most permanent residents can return to their country of nationality freely with their passport. Two cautions: keep the trip well under six months to avoid presumptions of abandonment, and if you obtained your green card through asylum or refugee status, travel to the country you fled can be used as evidence that you no longer fear persecution, which can affect both your status and a later naturalization application. Consult an attorney before such a trip.

Returning to the United States

Your green card is your entry document. A U.S. visa is not needed and cannot be used. Airlines will check that your card is valid and unexpired before boarding, and Customs and Border Protection will inspect it on arrival. If your card is lost or stolen abroad, contact the nearest U.S. embassy about a boarding foil (Form I-131A) so you can return.

Trips that create problems

Any single trip of six months or longer, any trip of a year or more without a re-entry permit, and travel with an expired card or with a pending criminal matter are the situations that most often end in questioning, a Notice to Appear, or loss of status. Plan international travel around these rules, and if you are eligible to naturalize, consider doing so before a long stay abroad.

Last reviewed and expanded by the USCitizenTestPractice Editorial Team in September 2026, based on the USCIS Policy Manual, the official 2025 civics test materials, and current USCIS fee and form instructions. This is an independent study resource, not legal advice.

Where Can I Travel With My Green Card? Complete Country Guide