Form N-426, Request for Certification of Military or Naval Service, is the document a currently serving military member uses to verify honorable service as part of a naturalization application. You complete Parts 1 and 2 yourself, route the form to an authorized military certifying official who signs Parts 3 and 4, and file the certified original as a supporting document with your Form N-400.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. N-426, Request for Certification of Military or Naval Service One threshold point before you start: N-426 is only for people still in uniform. If you have already separated, skip N-426 and submit a copy of your DD Form 214, NGB Form 22, or equivalent discharge document for every period of service instead.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Naturalization Through Military Service
Before You Start: Gather Your Records
Download the current version of the form directly from uscis.gov; older versions get rejected.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Request for Certification of Military or Naval Service Pull together the paperwork you will need to copy from: your current enlistment contract or commissioning documents, any DD Form 214 from prior enlistments, your military ID, your Permanent Resident Card, and your Social Security card. What goes on the form has to match what is in the military’s personnel system exactly, so working from the source documents rather than memory saves you a resubmission.
Filling Out Part 1
Part 1 collects your personal identifiers: full legal name as it appears on military records, Alien Registration Number (A-Number), Social Security Number, and Military Service Number if you have one.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Form N-426 – Request for Certification of Military or Naval Service These fields are what USCIS and the Department of Defense use to link your immigration file to your service record, so a transposed digit or a middle name that differs between the two systems can stall the whole application. Cross-reference every entry against a source document before moving on.
If a question does not apply to you, write “N/A.” Do not leave fields blank.
Filling Out Part 2
Part 2 is your service history. List every enlistment or commission you have had, and for each period include:
- The branch of service
- The specific component (for example, Regular Army, Navy Reserve, Air National Guard)
- Whether the period was Active Duty or Selected Reserve
- The exact start and end dates
Match the dates precisely to your official records. If you served under a different legal name in a prior enlistment, include that name where the form asks about other names used.
Accuracy here is not a formality. Knowingly providing false information on a federal form can bring fines or up to five years in prison under 18 U.S.C. ยง 1001.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1001 – Statements or Entries Generally
Who Certifies Parts 3 and 4
You do not fill out Parts 3 and 4. An authorized certifying official from your branch completes them, attests to the character of your service, confirms your dates, and notes any derogatory information in your record, including pending investigations, court-martial proceedings, and disciplinary actions.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Form N-426 – Request for Certification of Military or Naval Service The certified statement is treated as conclusive evidence of your service character, which means whoever signs this form is effectively deciding whether the military naturalization path stays open to you.
Not just anyone in your chain of command can sign. USCIS requires either a military official in pay grade O-6 or higher (Colonel in the Army, Air Force, or Marines; Captain in the Navy or Coast Guard) or a civilian employee at GS-15 or higher with proper authorization. Recruiters cannot certify the form.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Request for Certification of Military or Naval Service Each branch has its own internal policies about who holds certifying authority, so ask your personnel office who handles N-426 packets before you start routing anything.
This step is where most applicants lose time. Getting on an O-6’s calendar can take weeks, particularly at smaller installations. Start the certification process well before you plan to file the N-400, not after.
Filing the Certified Form With Your N-400
Once you have the signed N-426 back, it goes in with Form N-400, Application for Naturalization. Military applicants can file the N-400 online or by mail.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Military Personnel and Veterans Can Now File Their Form N-400 Naturalization Application Online The N-400 filing fee is $760 by paper or $710 online.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. N-400, Application for Naturalization There is no separate filing fee for the N-426 itself.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Request for Certification of Military or Naval Service
Keep the original certified N-426 after submitting copies with your application; you will need to bring it to your interview. If USCIS finds your supporting documentation incomplete, you may receive a Form N-14 asking for more evidence, and you will need to send the N-426 back to the office that originally certified it.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. N-426, Request for Certification of Military or Naval Service That kind of loop can push your oath ceremony back by months.
If You Cannot Find Your Service Dates
If you need to verify dates or details for Part 2 and cannot locate your records, request them from the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) using Standard Form 180 (SF-180). Download it from the GSA website, fill it out, sign it, and mail it to the NPRC at 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO 63138, or fax it to 314-801-9195. A separate SF-180 is required for each person whose records are requested, and the form must be signed and dated within the past year.9National Archives. Request Military Personnel Records Using Standard Form 180
If you cannot obtain an SF-180, the NPRC will also accept a signed written letter with your complete name as used during service, service number or Social Security Number, branch of service, and dates of service. Records requests can take weeks, so build that time into your schedule.
After Submission
As of early 2026, the median processing time for military N-400 applications is approximately 3.2 months, faster than the civilian track.10U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Historic Processing Times After USCIS accepts your application, you will be scheduled for biometrics if required, then an interview where an officer reviews the N-426, tests your English and civics knowledge, and makes a decision. Approved applicants take the Oath of Allegiance, sometimes at the interview itself or at a military ceremony held on base or overseas.
One caveat worth knowing before you file: citizenship earned through military service is conditional for the first five years. If you are separated under other-than-honorable conditions before completing a total of five years of honorable service, your naturalization can be revoked.11USCIS. Chapter 2 – Grounds for Revocation of Naturalization It is not fully locked in until you have five cumulative years of honorable service or an honorable discharge.