How to Find Your A-Number? 90% of People Have One! ‼️

ZENG QI

3 days ago

2 min read

Except for people who were born in the United States, many immigrants—including green card holders, people who became U.S. citizens through naturalization, OPT holders, and H-1B holders—may have an A-Number.

And in most cases, a person has only one A-Number, which generally stays with them for life.

For example, the A-Number on your OPT EAD is generally the same A-Number you will use later when you obtain a green card or become a U.S. citizen.

✅ What Is an A-Number?

A-Number, short for Alien Registration Number, is a unique identification number used by the U.S. immigration system to identify and track an individual's immigration records.

It starts with the letter “A”, followed by 7–9 digits.

Important: When completing certain forms, if your A-Number has fewer than 9 digits, the system may add zeros after the letter “A” and before the first digit to make it 9 digits.

For example: A-001234567 (Figure 2)

✅ Does Every Foreign National Who Comes to the U.S. Have an A-Number?

No.

✅ Who Is Typically Assigned an A-Number?

Common situations include:

Having applied for or received an EAD work permit
Obtaining an immigrant visa through consular processing
Filing an Adjustment of Status application (Form I-485)
Holding a green card
Completing the naturalization process and receiving a Certificate of Naturalization
Obtaining U.S. citizenship through a parent and receiving a Certificate of Citizenship
Entering the U.S. as a refugee or having applied for asylum
Having been involved in immigration court or removal proceedings

✅ How Can You Confirm Whether You Have an A-Number?

The easiest way is to go through your immigration documents one by one:

USCIS notices: Such as an I-797 Receipt/Approval Notice, RFE, interview notice, and other USCIS correspondence. If your case has been assigned an A-Number, it can usually be found in the personal information section near the top of the document. (Figure 3)
EAD work permit: The USCIS# printed on the front of the card is your A-Number. (Figure 4)
Immigrant visa: The Registration Number shown on the visa page is your A-Number. (Figure 5)
Green Card (Permanent Resident Card): The USCIS# printed on the front of the card is your A-Number. (Figure 6)
Certificate of Naturalization / Certificate of Citizenship: The USCIS Registration No. shown on the document is your A-Number. (Figures 7 & 8)

✅ What If You Discover That You Have Two Different A-Numbers?

In principle, one person should have one A-Number.

However, duplicate immigration records, inconsistent information entered into the system, or other administrative issues can sometimes result in the same person being assigned two different A-Numbers.

If this happens, you should fully disclose every A-Number you have previously used on subsequent immigration forms.