Filling Out Your Application

The application is the first step. It provides USCIS with background information about you and shows that you are eligible to apply. Please ensure that you have completed the steps below:

1.      Fill out Form N-400 application for naturalization. Ensure that all responses are complete,

2.      Gather all the documents you need, and make copies of them for the application packet,

3.      Also include:

• Two identical color, passport-style photographs. Write your name and Alien Registration Number (A#, or the nine-digit Permanent Resident Card number) lightly in pencil on the back of each photo.
• A check or money order to cover the application and fingerprinting fee ($725, but $640 if you are 75 or older). Write your "A#" on the memo line.

4.      Mail your application to the P.O. Box address for your state (see the left column in each box, immediately below). If you are using courier or express mail, send it to the street address in the right column:

USCIS will mail you a receipt once it receives your application.

Filling Out the Application

The Naturalization Application Form (Form N-400) may seem fairly long, but in most cases it is not hard to complete. It will ask for information about:

Yourself

1.      Your current legal name

As it appears on your birth certificate, unless you have legally changed it (such as by marriage or court order).

2.      Your name as it appears on your Legal Permanent Resident Card

Copy it exactly, even if it is misspelled.

3.      Other names you have used

4.      Your U.S. Social Security Number

5.      Date of birth

Use numbers and write them with slashes in this order: Month/Day/Year. For example: write April 1, 1990 as 04/01/1990.

6.      Date you became a Legal Permanent Resident           

In most cases, this is the date on your Legal Permanent Residency card. Use numbers and write them in this order: Month/Day/Year. For example: 04/01/1990.

7.      Country of birth and nationality

Write the name of the country where you were born and where you are currently a citizen (your nationality).

8.      Current marital status

9.      Request for disability waiver (if applicable)

If you have certain physical or developmental disabilities or mental impairments, you may not need take the English and/or civics exams. To qualify, a medical professional must fill out and attach Form N-648 (Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions). Please understand that USCIS may not grant this request.

10.   Home Address

Provide the address where you currently live, that is, your permanent address.

11.   Mailing Address

Provide your mailing address if it is different from your home address.

12.   Telephone Number and Email Address

These will help USCIS contact you if they have information or questions about your application.

Your Residence

Provide every address where you have lived over the past 5 years.

• Be sure each address is complete.
• Include move-in and move-out dates (month/year). For example, write January 2009 to March 2009 as 01/09 to 03/09.

Your Employment

List your occupation titles, and the names and addresses of all employers (or if you are a student, the schools you attended) during the last 5 years.

• Begin with your most recent job.
• Write January 2009 to March 2009 as 01/09 to 03/09.
• If you are self-employed, write "self-employed."

Your Trips Outside the U.S. Since You Became a Legal Permanent Resident  

Provide the dates of all trips of more than 24 hours outside the U.S. since you became a Legal Permanent Resident, including all trips to border cities in Mexico or Canada.

• Begin with your most recent trip.
• Write the date you left and date you returned. For example, write January 2009 to March 2009 as 01/09 to 03/09.
• List all countries you visited.
• State the total number of days on each trip.

Your Marriages

Indicate the number of times you have been married. Provide the following information about your current spouse and any previous spouses:

Current Spouse

• Name
• Address
• Country and date of birth
• Legal date of marriage
• Social Security Number
• Alien Registration Number from his or her Permanent Resident Card (if applicable)
• Date and place of naturalization (if applicable)

Former Spouses

• Name
• Date of marriage
• Date marriage ended (you will need to provide copies of your divorce or your former spouse's death certificate)
• Same information is necessary if your former spouse was previously married.

Current Spouse's Former Marriages

• Name of each person
• Date of marriage
• Date marriage ended (you will need to provide copies of their divorce or their former spouse's death certificate)

Your Children

1.      Include all of your children, whether they are:

• Alive, missing, or deceased.
• Born here or in other countries.
• Under 18 or adults.
• Married or unmarried.
• Living with you or elsewhere.
• Stepsons, stepdaughters, or legally adopted.
• Born when you were married or unmarried.

2.      Provide the following information about each child:   

• First and last name
• Date of birth
• Alien Registration Number (A#), if applicable
• Country of birth
• Current address

 Your Criminal Record (if any)

1.      Date and location of arrest

2.      Nature of the offense

3.      Outcome of the case

Your Selective Service Registration (only if you are male)

1.      Selective Service Number and date registered

2.      If you did NOT register for Selective Service and you lived in the United States between the ages 18-26, you have to include a letter explaining why you did not register.

Providing Documents

In addition to the form, you have to supply the USCIS with a number of documents. They include:

Three forms of identification

You will need to provide copies of the following:

• Permanent Residency Card ("green card"). Make copies of both sides.

If your Permanent Residency Card is missing, please let the Immigration Officer know at the time of your interview. If it has expired, you can still apply for citizenship, but you cannot leave the country until you have been sworn in and received your naturalization certificate.

• Driver's license or state-issued identification card (I.D.).
• Social Security Card

If you fail to include copies of your state I.D. or Social Security Card in the application packet, you can still present them at the interview.

Evidence of Trips outside the United States since Becoming a Legal Permanent Resident

1.      Any passports and visas that may verify your trips.

2.      Any airline tickets that may provide dates of departure and return.

Marriages

1.      Current Spouse

Include a copy of the marriage certificate.

2.      Former Spouse

Include copies of all marriage, divorce, and death certificates.

3.      Spouse's Former Marriages

Include copies of all marriage, divorce, and death certificates.

Criminal Record

1.      If you have been arrested, cited, or detained and you had to pay a fine of more than $500, you must provide:

• A certified copy of the arrest report,
• Court dispositions, and
• Sentencing and any other relevant documents.

2.      If a traffic incident was related to alcohol or drugs, you need to submit documentation for traffic fines.

3.      If you were convicted of a crime such as driving while intoxicated (DWI) or domestic violence, you must first speak with an immigration attorney before submitting your application.

Selective Service

1.      If you registered but have lost your information, you can obtain it by calling (847) 688-6888 or visiting www.sss.gov.

2.      If you have not registered and are between the ages of 18 to 26, you should register immediately.

3.      If you lived in the United States between the ages of 18 to 26 and were born after 1960, you must have registered with Selective Service even if you were undocumented. If you did not register, you must include a written explanation with your application.

Fee

1.      Include a money order or check for $725, payable to:

Department of Homeland Security

2.      Include your Alien Registration Number (A#) on the money order or check.

3.      If you are 75 or older, you only pay the $640 application fee. (You do not have to have your fingerprints taken or pay the $85 fingerprinting fee.) Be sure to include a letter stating that you qualify for the lower fee because of your age.

 Translations

If you are providing any document in a foreign language such as Spanish, you must include a certified full English language translation. The translator must certify that the translation is complete and accurate, and that he or she is competent to translate from the foreign language into English.

MORE Become a Citizen »

• Determine Your Eligibility
• Filling Out Your Application
• Take Your Fingerprints
• Prepare for the Interview
• Take the Oath
• Register to Vote