To check your U.S. citizenship status, start with the documents you already hold, then use the federal tools that show what the government has on file: E-Verify Self Check for work authorization, SAVE CaseCheck for a pending benefit verification, a FOIA request (Form G-639) to see your USCIS record, and a Social Security Numident record for what SSA shows. If no document exists but you were a citizen by law, apply for a Certificate of Citizenship on Form N-600; if you had a certificate and lost it, apply for a replacement on Form N-565.
Which path fits you depends on a simple question: does proof already exist somewhere, or does the government need to formally recognize a status that was never documented?
Documents That Already Count as Proof
Before filing anything, check whether you hold one of the documents the federal government accepts on its own:
- A certified U.S. birth certificate from a state or local vital records office showing birth in the United States or a U.S. territory.
- A current or expired U.S. passport or passport card. The State Department verifies citizenship before issuing one, so the passport itself is proof.
- A Certificate of Naturalization, issued to people who became citizens through the naturalization process.
- A Certificate of Citizenship, issued to people who acquired or derived citizenship through a U.S. citizen parent.
- A Consular Report of Birth Abroad (Form FS-240), issued by the State Department for children born abroad to U.S. citizen parents. It carries the same legal weight as a domestic birth certificate.
If you hold any of these, you generally don’t need to go further. The steps below are for people who never had documentation, lost it, or need the government to formally recognize citizenship that was never recorded.
Free Ways to See What’s on File
Several tools let you check federal records without filing a full application. Each answers a different question.
E-Verify Self Check
Self Check is the same system employers use, run by you instead of an employer. Create or log in to a USCIS online account through myAccount, enter your personal information and Social Security number, choose your citizenship or immigration status, and select the identity document you would present to an employer. The system returns an “Employment Authorized” result or instructions for resolving a mismatch.1E-Verify. How Self Check Works Self Check won’t issue a certificate, but it quickly reveals whether government databases recognize you as authorized to work.
SAVE CaseCheck
If you’ve applied for a public benefit or a license and the agency submitted a verification through SAVE (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements), CaseCheck tells you where that case stands. You’ll need your date of birth and either the SAVE case number the agency gave you or an immigration identifier such as your A-Number, naturalization certificate number, or Social Security number.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. SAVE CaseCheck CaseCheck shows whether verification is pending or a response has been sent back to the agency. It doesn’t display your actual status.
A FOIA Request to USCIS (Form G-639)
If you want to see the complete USCIS record on you before filing anything else, submit Form G-639, the Freedom of Information/Privacy Act Request.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form G-639, Freedom of Information/Privacy Act Request You can request specific items, such as a copy of a naturalization certificate or a record of your entry into the country, or your entire file. Specific requests process faster.
File through your USCIS online account for immediate electronic confirmation and a tracking number, or mail the form to the USCIS National Records Center at PO Box 648010, Lee’s Summit, MO 64064-8010. Processing typically takes several weeks to months, and the response arrives as a downloadable file or a mailed package. There is no upfront filing fee for a FOIA request on your own records, though USCIS will notify you if one applies after reviewing the request.4USCIS. USCIS Fee Schedule (Form G-1055)
Your Social Security Numident Record
The Social Security Administration maintains a record called the Numident (Numerical Identification System), which contains the information provided when your Social Security number was first assigned, including name, place of birth, and citizenship status on file.5eCFR. 20 CFR 402.10 – Definitions Visiting a local Social Security office to request this record can be a faster way to see what the government currently shows for you.
If your status changed after you first got your SSN — for example, you naturalized after receiving a number as a permanent resident — update the record. Apply online for a replacement Social Security card, which will prompt you to schedule an appointment, and bring proof of your identity and your new status.6Social Security Administration. Update Citizenship or Immigration Status
When You Need a Certificate of Citizenship (Form N-600)
If you were born outside the United States to a U.S. citizen parent, or you automatically became a citizen before turning 18 through a parent’s naturalization, Form N-600 is how you obtain a Certificate of Citizenship that formally recognizes your status.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form N-600, Instructions for Application for Certificate of Citizenship USCIS issues these certificates only to people who were already citizens by operation of law. The form documents citizenship; it doesn’t grant it.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. N-600, Application for Certificate of Citizenship Frequently Asked Questions
You can file N-600 online through a USCIS account or by mail. Online filing is not available if you are applying from outside the United States, requesting a fee waiver, or a current or former U.S. military member filing on your own behalf. Those applicants must file by mail.9U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. N-600, Application for Certificate of Citizenship
After USCIS receives your package, you’ll get a Form I-797 Notice of Action confirming receipt and providing a receipt number you can use to track the case online.10U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-797: Types and Functions The notice includes instructions for a biometrics appointment at a local Application Support Center. The median processing time for N-600 applications was 2.9 months in fiscal year 2025.11U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Historical National Median Processing Time for Select Forms By Fiscal Year
When You Had a Certificate and Lost It (Form N-565)
If you previously held a Certificate of Naturalization or Certificate of Citizenship that was lost, stolen, or destroyed, Form N-565 is the application for a replacement.12U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form N-565, Instructions for Application for Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Document The form also replaces a Declaration of Intention or a Repatriation Certificate. Attach a copy of the missing document if you have one, a police report, or a sworn statement explaining what happened and any attempts you made to recover it.
The filing fee is $505 online or $555 by mail.13U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Frequently Asked Questions on the USCIS Fee Rule One exception: if USCIS made a clerical error on the original certificate, or the certificate doesn’t match the facts in your application, you can request a corrected replacement at no charge.14U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 4 – Application for Replacement of Naturalization/Citizenship Document
Replacing a Consular Report of Birth Abroad
If your original proof was a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (FS-240) and you need a replacement or amended copy, request it from the State Department’s Passport Vital Records Section by mailing Form DS-5542 with a photocopy of your ID and payment.15U.S. Department of State. How to Replace or Amend a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) Applying for a U.S. passport is another route: the State Department verifies citizenship before issuing one, so a passport application produces proof and a travel document at once. You can track a passport application online at passportstatus.state.gov using your last name, date of birth, and the last four digits of your Social Security number.16U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passport Application Status
What to Gather Before You File
Every USCIS verification request depends on specific identifiers. The most important is the Alien Registration Number (A-Number), an eight- or nine-digit number found on permanent resident cards, immigrant visas, and other immigration documents.17U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Immigrant Fee Payment: Tips on Finding Your A-Number and DOS Case ID Without it, USCIS can search using your full legal name at birth, date of birth, and exact birthplace.
You’ll also need your parents’ full names and, where relevant, the dates they became U.S. citizens through naturalization. Parental citizenship often determines whether you derived citizenship automatically. Accurate dates for a parent’s marriage, your legal admission to the country, or a parent’s naturalization prevent processing delays.
If You Can’t Get a Required Document
If you cannot obtain something like a foreign birth certificate, explain why in writing and submit secondary evidence. USCIS accepts several substitutes with Form N-600:18USCIS. Form N-600, Instructions for Application for Certificate of Citizenship
- A baptismal certificate showing your place and date of birth, baptism date, and parents’ names under the church seal.
- An official letter from the earliest school you attended listing your admission date, birthplace, date of birth or age, and your parents’ names and addresses if available.
- A state or federal census record showing your name, birthplace, and date of birth or age.
- Sworn affidavits, allowed only when the above are also unavailable. Two people with personal knowledge must each provide a sworn statement including their own identifying information and a detailed account of what they know. They need not be U.S. citizens and may be relatives.
Fees and Waivers
Form N-600 is eligible for a fee waiver using Form I-912.19U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-912, Instructions for Request for Fee Waiver You qualify if your household income is at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. For 2026, that threshold is $23,940 for a single-person household, $49,500 for a family of four, and $83,580 for a household of eight in the 48 contiguous states, D.C., and most territories. Alaska and Hawaii thresholds are higher.20USCIS. Poverty Guidelines You can also qualify by receiving a means-tested government benefit or by showing extreme financial hardship. If you request a waiver, you must file by mail.
Current and former members of any branch of the U.S. armed forces are exempt from the N-600 filing fee when applying on their own behalf.21Federal Register. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Fee Schedule and Changes to Certain Other Immigration Benefit Request Requirements Military filers must also file by mail. USCIS periodically adjusts its fee schedule, so check the current amount before filing, and note that fees are generally non-refundable even if the application is denied or withdrawn.22U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Filing Fees
If USCIS Denies Your Application
A denial doesn’t end the process, but the clock is short. You have 30 calendar days from the date USCIS serves the denial notice to file an appeal, or 33 days if the decision was mailed.23U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-290B, Notice of Appeal or Motion Appeals go on Form I-290B, Notice of Appeal or Motion.
If the appeal window closes, you cannot simply refile a new N-600. You can file a motion to reopen the original case, asking USCIS to reconsider based on new facts or evidence that wasn’t available when the decision was made. Open any denial notice promptly, and consult an immigration attorney if you believe the denial was wrong.