What Is a USCIS Online Account Number and What to Do If You Can't Find It

Simple answer: stop looking. Select “I do not have a USCIS Online Account Number.”

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When submitting forms on the USCIS website (such as an I-539 extension application), you will encounter the question: 'What is your USCIS Online Account Number?' USCIS also 'thoughtfully' provides an explanation.

USCIS Online Explanation

The gist is: if you have previously submitted forms through this online system (for example, applied for an extension before), the system should have assigned you a 'USCIS Online Account Number'; please provide it. If you do not know what this number is, please log in to your USCIS account and look in your 'profile page.'

You eagerly open a new page and log in to your USCIS account, only to find that there is no 'profile' item under 'My Account,' and 'Settings' contains only email, phone, and 'notification preferences.' No matter where you look, you cannot find this 'Online Account Number.'

Yes, the USCIS online application system is just that incredible. I once tried leaving all information blank—name and documents all empty—and it still allowed me to click 'next' all the way to submission (of course, I did not actually submit). The one thing this system does exceptionally well is send verification codes very quickly. When logging in, after entering the password, the system requires two-step verification and sends a code to your email—I always receive it immediately, in what feels like less than a second, much faster than two-step verification on many other websites.

It is okay if you cannot find this 'USCIS Online Account Number,' also called the 'USCIS ELIS Number.' I have never found it. If you do find it, please leave a comment and let me know. Otherwise, just select 'I do not have a USCIS Online Account Number.' Many people have asked this question on Avvo, and lawyers generally advise the same: don't worry about it; see here, here, here, and here.

Good luck.