If you are not a US citizen and you move inside the United States, the US government expects two separate notices if you have a case in immigration court, and they go to two different agencies on two different clocks. USCIS gets a change of address within 10 days. The immigration court (EOIR) gets Form EOIR-33 within five days. Filing one does not count as the other.
Quick summary: USCIS: within 10 days of moving, through your USCIS online account or on paper Form AR-11 by mail; the rule does not apply to A and G visa holders or visa waiver visitors. Immigration court: within five days of any change (EOIR’s page says five working days), on Form EOIR-33/IC to the court that has your case, or online through EOIR’s Respondent Access; one form per person. Board of Immigration Appeals: Form EOIR-33/BIA. Post office: a USPS change does not update USCIS. A Guatemalan with an asylum or removal case in court files both.
The wider registration duty behind the 10-day rule, including the penalties USCIS lists, is on our page about the US alien registration requirement. This page is only about the move itself.
The two obligations side by side
| USCIS (Form AR-11 or online) | Immigration court (Form EOIR-33) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who | Aliens in the US; not A or G visa holders or visa waiver visitors (USCIS) | A person whose charging document (Notice to Appear) was filed with an immigration court (8 CFR 1003.15(d)) |
| Deadline | Within 10 days of moving (USCIS) | Within five days of any change of address (8 CFR 1003.15(d)(2)); five working days on EOIR’s update page |
| How | USCIS online account (change-of-address tool) or paper AR-11 by mail | EOIR-33/IC to the court; EOIR-33/BIA to the Board; online through Respondent Access; online, in person or by mail per EOIR |
| Legal basis | INA section 265 (8 U.S.C. 1305), cited on the form | 8 CFR 1003.15(d) |
| Does it update the other agency? | No: the AR-11 form says it does not update the Immigration Court | No: the court form goes only to EOIR |
| Consequence named by the agency | The AR-11 says failure to report is punishable by fine or imprisonment and/or removal | The Notice to Appear must warn that failure to give the court your address may result in an in absentia hearing (8 CFR 1003.15(b)(7)) |
Sources: USCIS AR-11 page and How to Change Your Address page, Form AR-11 (edition 11/02/22), 8 CFR 1003.15 on eCFR, and EOIR’s Update Respondent or Alien Information page (updated May 18, 2026), all checked October 21, 2026.
Step 1: tell USCIS within 10 days
USCIS’s AR-11 page puts it plainly: “If you are a alien in the United States, you must report any change of address to USCIS within 10 days of moving.” The same page says the requirement “does not apply to A and G visa holders and visa waiver visitors” and adds that anyone who has filed an immigration benefit request must notify USCIS of any change of address as soon as possible.
Online (USCIS’s recommended route). USCIS says most people can use its Enterprise Change of Address (E-COA) tool, found in the USCIS online account under the My Account menu. Using the online account meets the legal requirement and, per USCIS, removes the need for a paper AR-11.
- If you have a pending, approved or previously filed case, you can change the address online even if you filed that case by mail.
- Enter the receipt number of each pending case. USCIS says you must do this to apply the address change to those requests.
On paper. USCIS says a paper AR-11 sent by mail also meets the legal requirement, but it does not update USCIS systems automatically, which is why the agency recommends the online tool. The form asks for your name, date of birth, A-Number if you have one, your new physical address (no PO boxes), your previous address and an optional mailing address, and it must be signed. Mail it to the address printed on the form:
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Citizenship and Immigration Services Attn: Change of Address 1344 Pleasants Drive Harrisonburg, VA 22801
USCIS’s AR-11 page lists edition 11/02/22 and says it will also accept the 08/31/21 edition. It warns it will reject an unsigned form. For the AR-11 filing fee, the page sends you to the USCIS Fee Schedule.
Special cases on USCIS’s page:
- VAWA, T or U cases and I-751 abuse waivers: USCIS has a separate change-of-address procedure; do not use the general AR-11 address.
- You petitioned for a relative who moved: contact the USCIS Contact Center or the office with jurisdiction over the case.
- You signed an affidavit of support: a sponsor who is a US citizen, US national or green card holder must file Form I-865 within 30 days of moving.
- Your relative’s petition is at the National Visa Center: the beneficiary abroad changes the address with the Department of State, and the petitioner also updates USCIS.
The post office is not USCIS. In USCIS’s words: “Changing your address with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) will not change your address with USCIS”. It adds that USPS will not forward your mail from USCIS.
Step 2: tell the immigration court on Form EOIR-33
If you are in removal proceedings, for example a defensive asylum case, the court needs your address separately. The AR-11 form itself says: “Filing Form AR-11 with USCIS does not update your address with the Immigration Court”.
The regulation, 8 CFR 1003.15(d)(2): “Within five days of any change of address, the alien must provide written notice of the change of address on Form EOIR-33 to the Immigration Court where the charging document has been filed, or if venue has been changed, to the Immigration Court to which venue has been changed.”
EOIR’s update page (updated May 18, 2026) says you must give the court or the BIA any address or contact change “within five working days of the change.” How to file:
- Immigration court: Form EOIR-33/IC, to the court where your case is currently being heard, or online through Respondent Access.
- Board of Immigration Appeals: Form EOIR-33/BIA, also available through Respondent Access.
- One form per person. When a change affects more than one person with a pending case, EOIR says each person needs their own EOIR-33.
- EOIR says the form can be submitted online, in person or by mail, following the instructions on the form.
If your Notice to Appear had no address or the wrong one, 8 CFR 1003.15(d)(1) says you must give the court a written address and phone number within five days of service of that document, and that filing Form EOIR-33 satisfies this.
Why it matters. Under 8 CFR 1003.15(b)(7), the Notice to Appear must include a statement that “failure to provide such information may result in an in absentia hearing in accordance with § 1003.26”. How to look up your hearing date after you move is on our page on checking your immigration court case.
Who files both
| Your situation | USCIS (10 days) | Immigration court (EOIR-33) |
|---|---|---|
| Asylum case in immigration court (defensive) | Yes | Yes |
| Any open removal case before an immigration court | Yes | Yes |
| Appeal pending at the BIA | Yes | Yes, on EOIR-33/BIA |
| Pending USCIS application only (for example I-130 beneficiary in the US, work permit, TPS), no court case | Yes | No court case, so no EOIR-33 |
| Green card holder, no court case | Yes | No court case, so no EOIR-33 |
| A or G visa holder, or visa waiver visitor | Not required (USCIS) | Only if they have a court case |
The USCIS column follows USCIS’s AR-11 page (all aliens in the US except A and G visa holders and visa waiver visitors). The court column follows 8 CFR 1003.15(d), which ties EOIR-33 to the court where the charging document was filed. For asylum, see asylum for Guatemalans in the US.
A checklist for moving day
- Update the USCIS online account (or mail an AR-11) and add every pending receipt number.
- If you have a court case: file EOIR-33/IC (or EOIR-33/BIA) for each family member with a case.
- File a USPS change of address too; it does not replace either notice.
- Keep proof: a screenshot or confirmation of the online change, or a copy of the mailed form and proof of mailing.
- If someone offers to do this for a fee and is not a lawyer or accredited representative, read our page on notario fraud and finding accredited help first.
More guides for Guatemalans in the US are on the diaspora hub.
Sources
- USCIS, AR-11, Alien’s Change of Address Card (last reviewed 06/03/2026): https://www.uscis.gov/ar-11
- USCIS, How to Change Your Address (last reviewed 08/04/2026): https://www.uscis.gov/addresschange
- USCIS, Form AR-11, edition 11/02/22 (PDF): https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/ar-11.pdf
- 8 CFR 1003.15, eCFR: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-8/chapter-V/subchapter-A/part-1003/subpart-C/section-1003.15
- EOIR, Update Respondent or Alien Information (updated May 18, 2026): https://www.justice.gov/eoir/update-respondent-or-alien-information
All sources checked October 21, 2026. General information, not legal advice; for your own case talk to an immigration attorney or an accredited representative.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many days do I have to report a change of address to USCIS?
10 days. USCIS’s AR-11 page says that if you are an alien in the United States, you must report any change of address to USCIS within 10 days of moving. It says the requirement does not apply to A and G visa holders and visa waiver visitors.
Can I change my address with USCIS without an online account?
Yes. USCIS says you may file a paper Form AR-11 by mail and that this meets the legal requirement. The form says to mail it to U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Citizenship and Immigration Services, Attn: Change of Address, 1344 Pleasants Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22801. USCIS still recommends the online account, because a paper AR-11 does not update your address automatically in its systems.
I have a pending application. Is the AR-11 enough?
Use the online account if you can. USCIS says that when you change your address in the online account you must enter the receipt number of each pending benefit request to apply the change to it, and that you can do this even if you filed the case by mail.
Does changing my address with USCIS update the immigration court?
No. The AR-11 form says that if you are in immigration proceedings you must separately notify the Immigration Court, and that filing an AR-11 with USCIS does not update your address with the court. The court’s form is EOIR-33.
How long do I have to tell the immigration court I moved?
The regulation, 8 CFR 1003.15(d)(2), says within five days of any change of address, on Form EOIR-33. EOIR’s own update page says five working days. File it with the court where the charging document was filed, or the court the case was moved to.
Does changing my address with the post office update USCIS?
No. USCIS says changing your address with the US Postal Service will not change your address with USCIS and that USPS will not forward mail from USCIS. Update both.
