U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Edition 08/21/25 (OMB 1615-0040, expires 08/31/2027) 7 pages

Form I-765 — Application for Employment Authorization

The USCIS form noncitizens use to apply for a first, renewed or replacement Employment Authorization Document (EAD), often called a work permit.

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Form I-765 · Application for Employment Authorization
The official U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) form, edition 08/21/25 (OMB 1615-0040, expires 08/31/2027) — blank
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Fill this form online Blank PDF from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

What is Form I-765?

Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, asks U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). Whether you can apply depends on your eligibility category, a short code such as (c)(9) for a pending green-card application, (c)(8) for a pending asylum case, (c)(3)(B) or (c)(3)(C) for student OPT, (c)(26) for certain H-4 spouses or (a)(5) for asylees. The instructions list every category and the evidence each one needs. You must file the form while you are in the United States.

The edition in FileIt is dated 08/21/25. As of September 2026, the USCIS Form I-765 page says USCIS continues to accept this edition and is not accepting the newer 09/15/26 edition, because of a court order; check the page before you file. USCIS accepts Form I-765 on paper by mail, and some categories can also be filed online. The filing fee and the filing address depend on your category and are published on the USCIS Form I-765 page and in Form G-1055.

FileIt guides you through the paper form in plain English and prints your answers into the official USCIS PDF. It pre-fills your name, date of birth and email from the People records in your vault, shows the category-specific questions (items 28 to 31) only when your category needs them, and checks the rules the form sets, such as the STEM OPT employer details for (c)(3)(C). The finished PDF is saved to your vault. You print it, sign it by hand in ink and mail it yourself; FileIt never files anything with USCIS.

Who fills it
The applicant (a parent or legal guardian may sign for an applicant under 14). An interpreter and a preparer complete their own parts if they helped.
Given to
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The filing address depends on your eligibility category; see the Form I-765 page.
When
When you first become eligible to work under a category, to renew an EAD before it expires, or to replace a lost, stolen or damaged card.
Signatures
The applicant signs Part 3 in ink. An interpreter (Part 4) and a preparer (Part 5) also sign if used.
Edition
08/21/25 (OMB No. 1615-0040, expires 08/31/2027)
Agency
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Department of Homeland Security

Who needs to fill out Form I-765?

  • People with a pending Form I-485 green-card application who want to work while it is decided, usually under category (c)(9).
  • Asylum applicants with a pending Form I-589 who have passed the waiting period, under (c)(8), and people granted asylum, under (a)(5).
  • F-1 students applying for optional practical training (OPT), including the 24-month STEM extension, (c)(3)(C).
  • Certain spouses of H-1B workers (c)(26), and people with Temporary Protected Status, DACA, parole and many other categories listed in the instructions.
  • Anyone renewing an EAD that is about to expire, or replacing a card that was lost, stolen or damaged.
  • Not needed by U.S. citizens or green-card holders: they prove their right to work with other documents on Form I-9.

When to use Form I-765

  • When you first become eligible under a category, for example when you file Form I-485 (you can file Form I-765 together with it) or once your asylum case has passed the waiting period.
  • For OPT, within the windows the instructions set for your type. For the 08/21/25 edition, post-completion OPT can be filed up to 90 days before and no later than 60 days after your program end date, within 30 days of your school's recommendation, and the STEM extension up to 90 days before your current OPT expires.
  • To renew, before your current EAD expires. Attach a copy of your previous card.
  • To replace an EAD that was lost, stolen or damaged, or to correct one with an error that USCIS did not cause. A correction of a USCIS error doesn't need a new Form I-765 or fee.

What you need before you start

  • Your eligibility category code, from the 'Who May File Form I-765' section of the instructions.
  • Your A-Number and USCIS Online Account Number, if you have them, and your Social Security number if known.
  • Your U.S. mailing address (USCIS sends the EAD there) and your physical address if different.
  • Your Form I-94 number, passport or travel document number, issuing country and expiry date, and the date, place and status of your last arrival.
  • Your citizenship, place and date of birth, and every other name you have used.
  • Two identical color passport-style photos, 2 by 2 inches, taken recently, with your name and A-Number lightly written on the back.
  • A copy of your last EAD (front and back), or if you never had one, a government photo ID such as your passport.
  • The evidence your category requires, such as an I-797 receipt notice, a Form I-20 with the OPT recommendation, or your spouse's H-1B approval notice.
  • For STEM OPT: your degree, and your employer's name and E-Verify company ID number.

What’s on Form I-765

The 2025 edition has 7 pages. FileIt asks for it in 10 parts:

  1. Attorney or accredited representative (top of page 1)Preparer
  2. Part 1. Reason for applyingApplicant
  3. Part 2. Information about youApplicant
  4. Part 2. Other information, citizenship and place of birthApplicant
  5. Part 2. Information about your last arrival in the United StatesApplicant
  6. Part 2. Information about your eligibility categoryApplicant
  7. Part 3. Applicant's statement, contact information and signatureApplicant
  8. Part 4. Interpreter's contact information, certification and signatureInterpreter
  9. Part 5. Person preparing this application, if other than the applicantPreparer
  10. Part 6. Additional informationApplicant

How to fill out Form I-765, step by step

1 Part 1. Reason for Applying

Choose one reason: initial permission to accept employment (1.a), replacement of a lost, stolen or damaged EAD or correction of one not due to a USCIS error (1.b), or renewal (1.c). For a renewal, attach a copy of your previous EAD. If an attorney or accredited representative is filing a Form G-28 with the application, they complete the box at the top of page 1.

2 Part 2. Information About You: names and addresses

Give your full legal name as on your birth certificate or name-change document, and every other name you have ever used, including maiden names, aliases and nicknames. Three other names fit on page 1; list more in Part 6.

Your mailing address must be in the United States, because USCIS mails the EAD there. You may use a residence, APO, commercial address or P.O. box, and add an 'in care of' name if needed. If it differs from where you live, answer No to item 6 and give your physical address. The instructions allow a safe mailing address for people with VAWA, T or U cases.

3 Part 2. Other information, citizenship and place of birth

Enter your A-Number and USCIS Online Account Number if you have them, your sex, marital status on the day you file, whether you have filed Form I-765 before, and your Social Security number if you know it. List the countries where you are a citizen or national (not necessarily where you were born), then your city, state or province and country of birth, using the country's name at the time you were born, and your date of birth.

4 Part 2. Information about your last arrival in the United States

Give your Form I-94 number, the passport or travel document you used to travel to the U.S. (even if it has expired), the country that issued it and its expiry date, and the date and place of your last arrival. Then describe your status when you arrived and your current status in plain words, for example 'F-1 student' or 'B-2 visitor', and your SEVIS number if you have one.

5 Part 2. Information about your eligibility category

Item 27 is the heart of the form: the letter and number of your category, such as (c)(9), with a third part only if it has one, like the C in (c)(3)(C). Read the category descriptions carefully: your category decides the evidence you send and where you file.

Items 28 to 31 apply only to certain categories: STEM OPT (c)(3)(C) asks for your degree and your employer's E-Verify details, (c)(26) asks for your H-1B spouse's I-797 receipt number, (c)(8) asks whether you have ever been arrested for or convicted of any crime, and (c)(35) and (c)(36) ask for an I-140 receipt number and the same arrest question. FileIt shows these only when your category needs them.

6 Part 3. Applicant's Statement, Contact Information, Certification, and Signature

Say whether you read the form in English or had an interpreter (and in which language), and whether a preparer filled it in for you. Give your daytime phone number, and your mobile and email if you have them. Applicants under (c)(8) who are Salvadoran or Guatemalan nationals eligible under the ABC settlement tick item 6.

Read the certification, then print the form and sign item 7.a by hand in ink. A stamped or typed name is not accepted.

7 Part 4. Interpreter's Contact Information, Certification, and Signature

Only if someone interpreted the form for you. The interpreter gives their name, organization, address and contact details, confirms the language (the same one named in Part 3), and signs in ink.

8 Part 5. Contact Information, Declaration, and Signature of the Person Preparing this Application

Only if someone else prepared the form. The preparer gives their details, says whether they are an attorney or accredited representative and whether the representation goes beyond preparing the form (a Form G-28 may be needed), and signs in ink.

9 Part 6. Additional Information

Use this page for extra other names, a second citizenship, a 'stateless' explanation or anything that doesn't fit elsewhere. For each answer, give the page, part and item number it belongs to. FileIt prints your name and A-Number at the top. Sign and date the page, and add more sheets if needed.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Entering the wrong eligibility category in item 27, or writing it in the wrong format. Copy the letter and numbers exactly as the instructions list them.
  • Sending the wrong edition. Check the edition the USCIS Form I-765 page currently accepts; as of September 2026 that is 08/21/25.
  • Mailing the form to the wrong address. The filing address depends on your category and on whether you file with another form such as Form I-485.
  • Forgetting the two passport-style photos, or sending photos that are retouched or mounted.
  • Leaving out the copy of your previous EAD for a renewal, or a photo ID if you never had an EAD.
  • For STEM OPT, leaving out the employer's name as listed in E-Verify and its E-Verify company ID number.
  • Filing for OPT outside the time window, or more than 30 days after your school's OPT recommendation.
  • Typing your name in the signature box. Sign in ink by hand.

After you fill it out

Print the PDF, check every page, and sign Part 3, item 7.a, in ink. If an interpreter or preparer helped, they sign too. Put the package together in the order the instructions give: the fee (if one applies to your category), the signed application, then copies of your I-94 or passport, your last EAD or photo ID, the two photos and your category's evidence. Mail it to the address the USCIS Form I-765 page gives for your category. FileIt does not submit it for you.

USCIS may ask you to attend a biometrics appointment and may request more evidence. Keep your receipt notice safe: you'll need its receipt number to track your case, and your employer may need your EAD details for Form I-9.

The completed Form I-765 stays in your FileIt vault under the person's folder. When your EAD arrives, store a copy in the vault and set an expiry reminder so you have time to file the renewal before it runs out.

Fill out Form I-765 online with FileIt

  1. Pick the person. Choose someone from People and FileIt fills in their name, date of birth, address and other details it already knows.
  2. Answer plain-language questions. One part of the form at a time, with the official help text beside each question — 126 fields in all. Your answers save as you go.
  3. Check the live preview. Watch your answers land on the real U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) form, and let FileIt do any worksheet arithmetic.
  4. Generate the official PDF. FileIt prints your answers into the agency’s own PDF and files it in that person’s folder in your vault.

FileIt fills the form — it never files or submits anything for you. Deliver the finished form to whoever asked for it, the way the form’s instructions say.

Start Form I-765 now — it’s free

Form I-765: frequently asked questions

Can I fill out Form I-765 online with FileIt?

Yes. FileIt walks you through the paper Form I-765, shows the category questions only when they apply, and prints your answers into the official USCIS PDF. It is available on every FileIt account, including the free plan. You then print, sign and mail it yourself.

Where do I send Form I-765?

The filing address depends on your reason for applying and the eligibility category in item 27. USCIS lists the addresses on its Form I-765 page (uscis.gov/i-765). Some categories can be filed online with a USCIS online account instead. FileIt never sends the form to USCIS.

How much is the Form I-765 filing fee?

It depends on your category, and some categories pay no fee. USCIS publishes the current fees on the Form I-765 page and in Form G-1055. Check them on the day you file, because fees change.

Can I e-sign Form I-765?

Not for a paper filing. USCIS requires a handwritten signature and does not accept a stamped or typed name, so FileIt doesn't place e-signature boxes on this form. Print it and sign in ink.

What is my eligibility category?

It is the code for the reason you are allowed to apply, for example (c)(9) for a pending adjustment of status, (c)(8) for a pending asylum application or (c)(3)(B) for post-completion OPT. The 'Who May File Form I-765' section of the instructions lists every category and the evidence it needs.

Which edition of Form I-765 should I use?

Use the edition the USCIS Form I-765 page says it accepts. As of September 2026, because of a court order, USCIS continues to accept the 08/21/25 edition and is not accepting the 09/15/26 edition. FileIt fills the 08/21/25 edition.

Do I need photos for Form I-765?

Yes. The instructions ask for two identical color passport-style photos, 2 by 2 inches, taken recently, unmounted and unretouched, with your name and A-Number (if any) lightly printed on the back.

Can I file Form I-765 from outside the United States?

No. The form states that you must file it while you are in the United States.

My EAD has a mistake. Do I need to file a new Form I-765?

If USCIS caused the error, you don't need a new Form I-765 or fee; see the USCIS Form I-765 page for how to request a correction. If the error was not USCIS's fault, file Form I-765 and choose reason 1.b.

Official sources

FileIt is not affiliated with or endorsed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) or any government. This page explains the form in general terms and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Always read the official instructions, and check that you are using the edition the recipient accepts. Page last reviewed 2026-09-26.

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