WE LIVE IN USA
You must report a move to USCIS within 10 days: and not only if you have a case pending
Moving in together after the wedding makes a change of address look like a matter of telling the post office. But for foreign nationals in the US it carries a 10-day legal duty, and it applies more broadly than most people assume.
The USCIS 10-day reporting duty
The official wording:
"If you are a alien in the United States, you must report any change of address to USCIS within 10 days of moving."
❗ The key phrase is "If you are a alien in the United States". it isn't only people with a case pending; it's every foreign national in the US, green card holders included.
Many people assume that once the green card arrives they're done. That's wrong. As long as you aren't a US citizen, the duty persists.
Exceptions
- A and G visa holders
- Visitors admitted under visa-free entry
How to do it
Updating through your USCIS online account satisfies the legal duty. You don't also need to mail a paper AR-11.
Official page: USCIS AR-11 (that page was last updated 2026-06-03)
Why this one is so easily missed
Because it hides underneath the larger event of moving. You're busy packing, transferring utilities and ending a lease, and once mail forwarding is set up the address feels handled.
The consequence of missing it isn't a fine. It's immigration mail going astrayKeep in mind that interview notices, Requests for Evidence (RFEs), and the green card itself all arrive as physical letters. If you miss an RFE and fail to respond, your case can easily be delayed or even treated as abandoned.
It's the same class of risk as item 121 of the checklist: you never receive a notice telling you that you missed something.
On the USPS side: only go through usps.com
❗ There are a great many third-party sites whose domains and layouts closely mimic the official one, charging tens of dollars in "processing fees" for something the Postal Service does for almost nothing.
Their method is buying search ads that rank above the official site, with URLs that look like `usps-changeofaddress.com`.
Only go through usps.com.
The official online process charges a small identity verification fee (the amount is whatever the official site currently shows; this site doesn't hard-code it). If you'd rather not pay it, take your ID to a post office counterThe counter doesn't charge this verification fee.
Everywhere else the address needs changing
- IRS(Form 8822), otherwise refund checks and notices will go to your old address.
- USCIS (see above, within 10 days)
- DMVMost states have a statutory deadline, which is typically 10 to 30 days as well.
- Banks
- InsuranceYour address affects your auto and homeowner's insurance rates.
A suggested order
In the first week after moving, do USCIS and USPS (one has a legal deadline, the other decides whether your mail follows you); the rest can ride along with the name-change list (see item 66 of the checklist).
In one line
Anyone who isn't a citizen has a 10-day duty (green card holders included); go to USPS only via usps.com, and use the counter if you'd rather skip the verification fee.