I am a refugee

or asylee

D4

How do I get a refugee

travel document?

A person with refugee or asylum status who wishes to travel

outside the United States needs a Refugee Travel Document in order

to return to the United States.

In most cases, a refugee or asylee may use the Refugee Travel

instructions on the form carefully. For further information please visit

our Web site or call Customer Service at 1-800-375-5283.

How long is a Refugee Travel Document valid?

A Refugee Travel Document is valid for up to 1 year.

I have been granted asylum or refugee status in the

United States, and I need to travel abroad. Can I file a

Form I-131 for a Refugee Travel Document after I leave

the United States?

You should file a Form I-131 for a Refugee Travel Document before

you leave the United States. We recommend that you file the form

exercise this discretion, particularly if it is evident that you could

have filed your Form I-131 before you left the United States.

If I file Form I-131 to get a Refugee Travel Document

while I am in the United States, will USCIS deny the Form

I-131 if I leave the United States while the form is still

pending?

States for USCIS to approve your Form I-131 and issue a Refugee

Travel Document if your biometrics (photograph, fingerprints) have

been obtained. You can indicate on your Form I-131 that you want

USCIS to send your Refugee Travel Document to a U.S. Embassy or

consulate, or a DHS office overseas, so you can pick it up from one

of those facilities.

You must provide your biometrics at the ASC while you are in the

United States. If you leave the United States before you have your

biometrics collected, USCIS may deny your application.

If a USCIS office overseas in its discretion permits you to file Form

I-131 for a Refugee Travel Document while you are abroad, that

office will advise you about the procedures for submitting biometrics.

a U.S. Embassy, consulate, or military installation for fingerprinting.

Can I travel back to the country where I experienced past

persecution or claim a fear of future persecution?

Yes. However, if you have been granted asylum, you should be

aware that your grant of asylum may be terminated if, among

other things, it is determined that you voluntarily availed yourself

of the protection of your country of nationality, you have acquired

a new nationality, or you are no longer eligible for asylum due to a

fundamental change in circumstances. Similarly, your asylum status

M-611B (October 2013) Y

that you may have re-availed yourself of the protection of your

country, you should be prepared to explain how you were able to

return to the country from which you fled.

If you have been admitted as a refugee, your status may be

terminated if the U.S. Government determines that you were not, in

fact, a refugee at the time you were admitted to the United States

as a refugee. As a result, if your travel patterns indicate that you

did not experience past persecution, that you did not have a well-

founded fear of persecution on account of a protected ground, or

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General

Information

New

Immigrants

U.S. Dept.

of State