How you find citizenship records depends entirely on how the person became a citizen. A U.S. birth certificate sits with the vital records office in the state of birth. Naturalization files granted after September 27, 1906 are with USCIS. Older court naturalizations and federal court files live at the National Archives. Births abroad to a U.S. citizen parent are documented by the Department of State. Pick the wrong door and you can lose weeks, so the first job is figuring out which agency actually holds what you’re after.
Which Agency Holds the Record
Five common scenarios cover most requests.
- Born in the United States. The birth certificate is at the vital records office in the state of birth.
- Naturalized on or after September 27, 1906. USCIS holds a duplicate naturalization record for every person granted citizenship by any court since that date. You request it through the USCIS FOIA process, or through the USCIS Genealogy Program if you’re doing family research.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Researching Individuals
- Naturalized before September 27, 1906. Any local, county, state, or federal court could grant citizenship, and most of those records were never sent to a central federal repository. The National Archives has federal court naturalization records and some donated state and local court records, but you may have to contact the specific court or a regional NARA facility.2National Archives. Naturalization Records
- Born abroad to a U.S. citizen parent. The Department of State issues a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA), Form FS-240.3Travel.State.Gov. How to Replace or Amend a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA)
- Became a citizen automatically through a parent after birth. You may need a Certificate of Citizenship from USCIS, which uses Form N-600 and is a separate process from naturalization.
What to Gather Before You File
Every agency asks for roughly the same core details, and having them ready before you submit prevents the request from stalling. Collect the full legal name of the person (including maiden names and any aliases), the exact date and place of birth, and the parents’ full names. For a naturalization file, add the approximate date of naturalization, the court if you know it, and the Alien Registration Number (A-Number). For older or genealogical research, the approximate date of entry into the United States and country of origin help narrow the search.
Missing one piece doesn’t doom the request. An estimated naturalization date within a few years still helps.
Requesting Records From USCIS
As of January 22, 2026, USCIS requires all Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act requests to be submitted online through first.uscis.gov. You’ll need to create a USCIS account first.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Request Records through the Freedom of Information Act or Privacy Act The paper Form G-639 still exists, but online submission is the standard method and the most reliable way to keep processing on schedule.
There is no filing fee for a FOIA request itself. USCIS may charge for search time and duplication, but the Department of Homeland Security’s fee structure keeps duplication at 10 cents per page with clerical search charged at set rates per quarter-hour. For a single-file individual request, the total is usually minimal or waived.
Processing depends on the complexity of the request and the current backlog. USCIS notifies you by email when records are ready to download. Straightforward requests come back in a few weeks to a couple of months. Complex requests, or ones involving multiple people, take longer.
Researching a Relative Through the Genealogy Program
The USCIS Genealogy Program is a separate track for historical research into a family member’s immigration or naturalization history. It provides access to five series of historical records, including naturalization certificate files, alien registration forms, and visa files.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Requesting Records You submit an index search request on Form G-1041. If records turn up, you order copies with Form G-1041A. Fees for both forms appear on the USCIS fee schedule.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Genealogy
Getting Federal Court Naturalization Files From NARA
The National Archives holds federal court naturalization records, passenger arrival records, and some donated state and local court files. For anyone researching a relative who arrived or naturalized before the mid-twentieth century, NARA is often the best next stop after USCIS.
One distinction matters. NARA holds the declaration of intention (the “first papers,” where someone stated intent to become a citizen) and the petition for naturalization. It does not hold the actual certificate of citizenship handed to the new citizen. That certificate went home with the person; the court file stayed behind and eventually reached NARA.
You can order copies through NARA’s OrderOnline system.2National Archives. Naturalization Records NARA charges a reproduction fee per file. Online indexes exist for some regions, but coverage is uneven. If no online index covers your area, contact the regional NARA facility that serves the state where the person lived. Many indexes are only available in the research room at that facility.
Records From the State Department for Births Abroad
A U.S. citizen born in a foreign country to at least one U.S. citizen parent can receive a CRBA, which functions as proof of citizenship equivalent to a birth certificate. The State Department issues CRBAs to children under 18 who acquired citizenship at birth through their parents.7Travel.State.Gov. Birth of U.S. Citizens and Non-Citizen Nationals Abroad
To replace a lost CRBA or request additional certified copies, submit a notarized Form DS-5542 with a photocopy of the front and back of a valid photo ID, plus a $50 payment (check or money order payable to the U.S. Department of State) for each record requested.3Travel.State.Gov. How to Replace or Amend a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) Send it to:
U.S. Department of State
Passport Vital Records Section
44132 Mercure Cir.
PO Box 1213
Sterling, VA 20166-1213
Processing takes 4 to 8 weeks from receipt. There is no expedited service, and some documents take longer than 8 weeks to locate.
Birth Certificates From the State
If the birth was in the United States, the certificate is with the vital records office in that state. Most states accept requests online, by mail, or in person. You’ll need to prove your identity and show a direct relationship to the person named on the certificate, or be that person yourself.
Fees vary by state, generally in the $15 to $30 range per copy, with add-on charges for expedited processing or online convenience. Mail requests can take several weeks; in-person and online requests are often faster. Fees and turnaround times change often, so confirm current numbers with the state office before sending payment.
When No Birth Certificate Exists
Some births were never registered. Most states will issue a “Letter of No Record” confirming no certificate is on file. You can then use that letter with early public records from the first five years of life as secondary evidence of citizenship. Acceptable secondary documents include baptism certificates, hospital birth records, early school records, census records, and family Bible entries.8Travel.State.Gov. Get Citizenship Evidence for a U.S. Passport This route comes up most often in passport applications, but it works whenever you need to prove citizenship without a standard birth certificate.
Replacing a Certificate You Once Had
If an original naturalization certificate or Certificate of Citizenship was lost, stolen, or damaged, USCIS Form N-565 is the application for a replacement. You’ll provide a copy of the original document if you have one, or a police report or sworn statement explaining what happened.9U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Application for Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Document
Form N-565 also handles corrections. If USCIS made a typographical error, or if your legal name or date of birth changed, use the same form. Name or date-of-birth changes require the original certificate along with evidence of the legal change. Foreign-language documents must include a certified English translation.
The filing fee is on the USCIS fee schedule (Form G-1055), and online filing typically costs less than paper.10U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055 Fee Schedule Don’t send originals unless the form instructions specifically ask for them.
Getting a Certificate of Citizenship for Derivative Citizens
Not everyone who is a U.S. citizen went through naturalization or was born in the country. Some people automatically became citizens as children because a parent was a U.S. citizen and certain conditions were met. Form N-600 is the application for official documentation of that status.
The basic requirement is generally that, before turning 18, you were a lawful permanent resident living in the legal and physical custody of your U.S. citizen parent.11U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. N-600, Application for Certificate of Citizenship Frequently Asked Questions Specifics shift depending on which parent held citizenship, whether you were born in or out of wedlock, and whether the parents later divorced.
N-600 can be filed online or by mail. The fee differs by submission method, and it was adjusted for fiscal year 2026, so check the current schedule.12U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Filing Fees Processing currently runs from several months to over a year. Plan around that if you need the certificate by a deadline.
Proving a Record Does Not Exist
Sometimes the goal isn’t finding a record but proving one doesn’t exist. USCIS Form G-1566 lets you request a Certificate of Non-Existence, which formally confirms no immigration record for a person is in the USCIS database.13U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1566, Request for Certificate of Non-Existence If USCIS does find a matching record, it responds with that information rather than issuing the certificate. There is no filing fee. You’ll provide all possible names and aliases, dates of birth, country of birth, and proof of death (such as a death certificate) if the person was born less than 100 years ago.
Documents That Already Prove Citizenship
Before ordering anything, check what you already have. Several documents independently serve as proof of citizenship. A full-validity U.S. passport (one issued for 10 years for adults or 5 years for minors) is widely accepted as standalone proof, even after it has expired.8Travel.State.Gov. Get Citizenship Evidence for a U.S. Passport A U.S. birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, a Certificate of Naturalization, or a Certificate of Citizenship each stands on its own. If one of these is already in a drawer somewhere, the whole records request may be unnecessary.