US Green Card Absence Limits: Six Months and One Year

One long trip abroad can cost a lawful permanent resident their continuous residence, and eventually the card itself. Here is where the two lines fall and how the days are counted.

Last verified: September 2026

In short: USCIS draws two lines through a single absence. An absence of six months or more may disrupt the continuous residence required for naturalisation and invites questions about whether you abandoned your residence. An absence of one year or more breaks continuous residence outright, and without a re-entry permit applied for before you leave, returning means applying for a returning resident visa instead of presenting the card.

First threshold: 180 days away (six months)
Second threshold: 365 days away (one year)
Counting window: One absence, from departure to return
A day counts if: You spend none of it in the United States
Longer trips: Re-entry permit (Form I-131) filed before departure
Applies to: Lawful permanent and conditional permanent residents
Legal basis: INA 316(b); 8 CFR 316.5(c)(1)

The rule

A green card is not a visa with an expiry clock on each trip, so there is no stamped number to watch. What matters is the length of one continuous absence, and USCIS reads two lines into it.

Six months or more. An absence of more than 180 days but less than a year is presumed to break the continuity of residence required for naturalisation. The presumption is rebuttable: you can answer it with evidence such as employment kept in the United States, immediate family who stayed, and a home you kept access to. The same absence also puts the question of abandoned residence in front of the officer who inspects you on return.
One year or more. A continuous absence of 365 days or more automatically breaks continuous residence for naturalisation, with nothing to rebut, unless you hold an approved Form N-470. It is also the point at which the card alone stops being the plan: USCIS tells residents intending to be away longer than a year to file Form I-131 for a re-entry permit before departing, which lets you apply for admission during the permit's validity without obtaining a returning resident visa.

Neither line is about total time abroad across the years. Both measure one trip. Six short trips of two months each in a year do not cross either threshold, while one trip of seven months crosses the first.

This 180 is not the 180-day admission period a visitor typically gets on a B-1 or B-2 visa, which measures time in the country rather than time away: see the B-1/B-2 180-day limit for that one.

How to count it

Take the date your last stay in the United States ended, meaning the day you flew out.
Count every day after it on which you were not in the United States at all.
Stop the count on the day you return, which you spend partly in the country and so does not count as a day away.
Compare the running total against 180 days first, then 365.

Example. You leave the United States on 12 October 2025 and return on 20 April 2026. The days away run from 13 October 2025 to 19 April 2026.

19 days in October, then 30 + 31 + 31 + 28 + 31 in November to March, then 19 in April: 189 days. That is past six months by nine days and well short of a year, so continuous residence is presumed broken and the presumption is yours to answer. Returning on 10 April 2026 instead would have ended the absence at 179 days, below the line.

Departure and return days do not count as days away because you were in the country for part of each. If your count lands within a day or two of 180, treat it as close rather than clear.

Beyond the day count

Length is evidence of intent, not the test itself. USCIS looks at the reason for the trip, how long you intended to be away, the circumstances of the absence, and any events that prolonged it. That is why a re-entry permit matters beyond the paperwork: it shows you planned the absence as a temporary one. If you stay away for more than two years, a permit issued before you left will have expired, and the route back is a returning resident (SB-1) visa from a US consulate. Form N-470 is the separate remedy for naturalisation, and only for qualifying employment abroad with the US government, an American firm, a recognised international organisation, or a religious institution. Once your case turns on rebutting a presumption or on whether an absence was temporary, an immigration attorney is worth more than any day count.

AtlasDays tracks your green card absence automatically

Log your trips once and the US Green Card Absence Limit tracker counts the current absence for you, privately on your iPhone, and warns you as it approaches 180 days. The app tracks the day count; whether an absence still looks temporary is a judgement you make yourself.

Get AtlasDays

FAQ

How long can a green card holder stay outside the United States?

Short trips are fine. From six months, the absence is presumed to break the continuous residence needed for naturalisation and raises the abandonment question at the border. From one year, continuous residence is broken automatically and you should have obtained a re-entry permit before leaving.

Does a re-entry permit protect my path to citizenship?

No. A re-entry permit is about admission to the country, not about continuous residence for naturalisation. Form N-470 is the application that preserves residence for naturalisation, and only in the limited employment situations USCIS lists.

Does one absence of six months cost me my green card?

Not by itself. It creates a presumption you can answer with evidence of the ties you kept in the United States, such as continued employment, family who remained, and a home you still had access to.

About this article: AtlasDays provides general information, not legal, tax, or immigration advice. Rules change and outcomes depend on your circumstances, so never rely on it alone: check the linked official source or ask a qualified professional.