How to Become a Naturalized Citizen: Form N-400, Tests, and Oath

To become a naturalized U.S. citizen, you must hold a Green Card for five years (or three if you are married to a U.S. citizen), meet residence and good moral character requirements, file Form N-400 with a fee of $710 or $760, complete biometrics, pass an interview that includes English and civics tests, and take the Oath of Allegiance at a naturalization ceremony.¹

Who Qualifies to Apply

You must be at least 18 years old.¹ Beyond that, three requirements do most of the work: how long you have held your Green Card, whether your residence and physical presence in the country meet the statutory minimums, and whether your conduct clears the good moral character standard.

Time as a Permanent Resident

Most people apply after five years as a lawful permanent resident. Over 90 percent of applicants fall into this category. The window shortens to three years if you are married to and living with a U.S. citizen, have been for the past three years, and your spouse has held citizenship for at least three years.¹

Continuous Residence and Physical Presence

Continuous residence means you have kept your home in the United States throughout the statutory period without long absences. On the five-year track, you must also have been physically inside the country for at least 30 months. On the three-year marriage track, the physical presence minimum is 18 months.¹

A single trip abroad longer than six months but less than a year creates a presumption that continuous residence has been broken. You can rebut it by showing you kept your job, your family remained in the U.S., and you maintained a home here. A trip of a year or more automatically breaks continuous residence, and you generally cannot reapply until four years and one day after you return, unless you filed and got approval on Form N-470 before you left.²

Good Moral Character

You must show good moral character throughout the statutory period and through the oath. A murder conviction is a permanent bar at any time. An aggravated felony conviction on or after November 29, 1990 is also a permanent bar. Convictions for crimes involving moral turpitude during the statutory period can trigger a temporary bar.³

USCIS also looks at whether you have filed your tax returns and paid what you owe, and whether you have kept up with any court-ordered child support or alimony.¹ If you have back taxes, USCIS guidance now places greater emphasis on full payment before you file, though an active IRS payment plan was sometimes accepted in past years.

Male applicants ages 18 through 25 must register with the Selective Service System within 30 days of turning 18 or entering the country, whichever is later. Men ages 26 through 30 who did not register may be asked for a Status Information Letter from the Selective Service explaining why. Men 31 and older no longer need to provide that letter.⁴

English and Civics Tests

At your interview, you read one of three sentences aloud and write one of three sentences correctly to satisfy the English requirement.⁵

For applications filed on or after October 20, 2025, the 2025 civics test applies. A USCIS officer asks up to 20 questions drawn from a list of 128, and you must answer at least 12 correctly.⁶ Fail either portion and USCIS reschedules you for a retest on the failed portion between 60 and 90 days later.⁵

Older applicants who have held a Green Card for many years get some relief. If you are 50 or older with 20 years as a permanent resident, or 55 or older with 15 years, you are exempt from the English test but still take civics in your native language. If you are 65 or older with 20 years as a permanent resident, you take a simplified civics test in your native language. Under any of these exemptions, you must bring your own interpreter.⁷ Applicants with a physical, developmental, or mental disability that prevents them from meeting the English or civics requirements can seek a medical exception by filing Form N-648 with their application.⁸

Filing Form N-400

Naturalization starts with Form N-400. You can file online through a USCIS account or on paper.⁹ The form asks for your addresses and employment history covering the full statutory period, plus every trip outside the country since you received your Green Card, with departure and return dates. Pulling passport stamps and travel records before you start helps you get the dates right.

Everyone submits a photocopy of both sides of the Permanent Resident Card. If yours is lost, send a copy of the Form I-90 receipt instead. If you are applying based on marriage, add your marriage certificate, proof of your spouse’s citizenship, proof that any prior marriages ended, and joint documentation such as tax returns or shared bank accounts.¹⁰ If your current legal name differs from the name on your Green Card, include the document that changed it.

Keep a personal copy of everything. The interviewing officer works from your N-400, and any gap between your answers and your supporting documents can trigger a request for evidence or a denial.

The 90-Day Early Filing Window

You can file Form N-400 up to 90 calendar days before you complete the five-year or three-year continuous residence requirement. You still need to satisfy the full residency period by the time USCIS decides.¹¹

Fees and Fee Waivers

The filing fee is $710 online or $760 on paper. Biometrics collection is included, with no separate fee.¹² If your household income is at or below 150 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines ($23,940 in 2026 for a single-person household in the 48 contiguous states), you may qualify for a full fee waiver on Form I-912. Between 150 and 400 percent of the guidelines ($63,840 for a single person), you can apply for a reduced fee of $380.¹¹ Alaska and Hawaii thresholds are higher.¹³

Biometrics

After USCIS receives your application, you get a receipt notice with a case number for tracking. You are then scheduled for a biometrics appointment at a local Application Support Center, where a technician captures your fingerprints, photograph, and signature to run a background check.¹⁴ Missing the appointment without rescheduling can lead USCIS to treat your application as abandoned.

The Interview

A USCIS officer at a field office conducts your interview. The officer walks through your N-400 to confirm the answers are still accurate and may ask about anything that has changed since you filed: travel, employment, address. You take the English and civics tests during the same appointment.⁵

Be truthful and consistent with what you wrote. If something has changed, bring it up before you are asked. The officer may give a preliminary decision at the end of the interview or mail a written decision later.

The Oath of Allegiance Ceremony

Once your application is approved, USCIS schedules you for a naturalization ceremony and sends Form N-445 with the date, time, and location.¹⁵ Bring your Permanent Resident Card, because you surrender it at the ceremony.

By taking the Oath of Allegiance, you pledge to support and defend the Constitution, renounce allegiance to foreign governments, and bear arms or perform national service when required by law. The oath can be modified if you have a religious objection to bearing arms or performing military service.¹⁶ Ceremonies are conducted by USCIS (administrative) or by a federal court (judicial).

The renunciation language in the oath does not force you to give up another country’s citizenship in practice. U.S. law does not require citizens to choose between U.S. citizenship and a foreign nationality; whether you can hold dual citizenship depends on the other country’s laws.¹⁷

What to Do After You Take the Oath

You receive your Certificate of Naturalization at the ceremony. Store it somewhere secure. It is your legal proof of citizenship.

Update your records with the Social Security Administration by applying for a replacement Social Security card. You can start online or call 1-800-772-1213, then bring proof of identity and your new citizenship status to an appointment; SSA mails a replacement within 5 to 10 business days.¹⁸

Apply for a U.S. passport by submitting Form DS-11 in person with your original Certificate of Naturalization, a valid photo ID, and a recent 2×2 inch color passport photo.¹⁹ A passport is worth getting quickly because it gives you a second proof of citizenship if your certificate is lost or damaged.

As a citizen, you can vote in federal elections, serve on federal juries,²⁰ and sponsor a broader range of family members for immigration than permanent residents can.²¹

If Your Application Is Denied

A denial notice explains the reasons and tells you how to request a hearing. File Form N-336 within 30 days of receiving the denial. A different USCIS officer reviews the case at the hearing.²² If that hearing also results in a denial, you can seek judicial review in federal district court.²³

The Military Service Path

Members of the U.S. Armed Forces have a separate route. Service members who apply during a qualifying period of military hostilities may be exempt from all residence and physical presence requirements and can naturalize regardless of age. No filing fee is charged for the application or the certificate.²⁴

If you are currently serving, submit Form N-426 along with your N-400, certified by a military official at pay grade O-6 or higher.²⁵ If you have already separated, submit your DD Form 214 or other official discharge document instead. Citizenship granted this way can be revoked if you are later separated under other than honorable conditions before completing five years of service.²⁴

1
USCIS. A Guide to Naturalization
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 3 – Continuous Residence
3
eCFR. 8 CFR 316.10 – Good Moral Character
4
Selective Service System. Request a Status Information Letter (SIL)
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The Naturalization Interview and Test
6
USCIS. 128 Civics Questions and Answers (2025 version)
7
USCIS. Naturalization for Lawful Permanent Residents Age 50 and Over
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Exceptions and Accommodations
9
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Apply for Naturalization
10
USCIS. Document Checklist
11
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. N-400, Application for Naturalization
12
USCIS. Fact Sheet – Form N-400 Application for Naturalization Filing Fees
13
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Poverty Guidelines
14
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 2 – Biometrics Collection
15
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Naturalization Ceremonies
16
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1448 – Oath of Renunciation and Allegiance
17
U.S. Department of State. Dual Nationality
18
Social Security Administration. Update Citizenship or Immigration Status
19
U.S. Department of State. Application for a U.S. Passport DS-11
20
United States Courts. Juror Qualifications, Exemptions and Excuses
21
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Green Card for Family Preference Immigrants
22
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 6 – USCIS Hearing and Judicial Review
23
eCFR. 8 CFR Part 336 – Hearings on Denials of Applications for Naturalization
24
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1440 – Naturalization Through Active-Duty Service in the Armed Forces During Periods of Military Hostilities
25
USCIS. Form N-426 Instructions – Request for Certification of Military or Naval Service