Most of the information on the card is self-evident.[1] The computer and human readable signature at the bottom is not. The format is (digit range: expected data (information contained)):
- First line:
- 1–2: C1 or C2 C1 = Resident within the United States C2= Permanent Resident commuter (Living in Canada or Mexico)
- 3–5: USA (issuing country, United States)
- 6–14: 9-digit number (A#, alien number)
- 15: not documented, assumed to be a check-number
- 16–30: immigrant case number that resulted in the approved green card. The "<" symbol represents a blank space
- Second line:
- 1-6: birth date (in YY/MM/DD format)
- 7: not documented, assumed to be a check digit
- 8: gender
- 9-14: expiration date (in YY/MM/DD format)
- 15: not documented, assumed to be a check digit
- 16-29: country of birth
- 30: not documented, assumed to be a check digit
- Third line:
- last name, first name, middle name, first initial of father, first initial of mother (this line is spaced with "<<" between the last name and first name). Depending of the length of the name, the father's and mother's initials may be omitted.
