How to Go From a Green Card to U.S. Citizenship

Moving from a green card to U.S. citizenship happens through naturalization: you file Form N-400 after meeting the residency and character rules, attend a biometrics appointment and an interview that includes English and civics tests, and take the Oath of Allegiance at a ceremony. The filing fee is $710 online or $760 on paper, and median processing time in fiscal year 2026 runs about six months from filing to ceremony.¹²

Who Qualifies

You must be at least 18 when you file Form N-400.³ The standard rule is that you’ve held a green card for five years. If you got your green card through marriage to a U.S. citizen and you’re still living together, that drops to three years.⁴ You also need to have lived in the state or USCIS district where you file for at least three months.⁵

You can file up to 90 days before your five- or three-year anniversary. Filing early puts you in the queue sooner but doesn’t change when you actually become eligible.⁶

Good Moral Character

USCIS reviews your moral character across the full statutory period, five years for most applicants and three for the marriage track.⁷ Aggravated felony convictions are an outright bar. Lying to get an immigration benefit and failing to pay court-ordered child support can also disqualify you. USCIS can consider conduct from before the statutory period, so an older conviction won’t automatically be ignored.⁸

Selective Service

Men between 18 and 26 must be registered with the Selective Service System. If you’re a man between 26 and 31 who didn’t register, you can still apply, but you’ll need to show the failure wasn’t willful. Men over 31 are generally past this issue because the failure sits outside the statutory period.⁹ If you’re still under 26 and haven’t registered, do it before filing.

Continuous Residence vs. Physical Presence

These are two separate requirements, and confusing them is a common reason applications go sideways.

p>Continuous residence means your primary home stayed in the United States throughout the statutory period. A single trip abroad of more than six months creates a legal presumption that you broke continuous residence, and you’ll need to rebut it with proof like a U.S. lease, employment records, or tax filings.⁴ A trip of one year or more automatically breaks it, and USCIS will usually deny. The narrow exception is if you filed Form N-470 before leaving, which is available to people working abroad for certain U.S. government agencies, qualifying employers, or religious organizations.¹⁰

Physical presence is a straight tally of days on U.S. soil. For the five-year track, you need at least 30 months of physical presence in the five years before filing. For the three-year marriage track, you need 18 months.⁴ Multiple short trips are fine so long as the total time inside the country hits the threshold.

Filing Form N-400

You file Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, either online through your USCIS account or on paper by mail.¹¹ The form asks for a detailed five-year history: every address, every employer, and every trip outside the country with exact departure and return dates. Gather this before you start.

Documents to Include

At a minimum, submit a clear photocopy of both sides of your green card. If you’re filing under the three-year marriage rule, include your marriage certificate and proof your spouse is a U.S. citizen. Acceptable proof of the spouse’s citizenship includes a birth certificate, Certificate of Naturalization, Certificate of Citizenship, or the photo and signature pages of a current U.S. passport.¹² IRS tax return transcripts help show both residence and tax compliance.

Any document in another language needs a complete certified English translation. The translator signs and dates a statement certifying that the translation is accurate and that they are competent in both languages. USCIS doesn’t require a specific credential, but the certification itself must be there.

Fees and Fee Relief

The filing fee is $710 online or $760 on paper, and fingerprinting is included.² A full fee waiver is available if your household income is at or below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines, and a reduced fee applies at or below 400%. For a single-person household in the contiguous 48 states, the 2026 thresholds are $23,940 for a waiver and $63,840 for the reduced fee. Both are requested with Form I-912.¹³

Biometrics and the Interview

Once USCIS accepts your application, you’ll get Form I-797C confirming receipt.¹⁴ A biometrics appointment follows, where you provide fingerprints, a photo, and a signature for identity verification and a background check. Then you wait for your interview notice.

At the interview, a USCIS officer walks through your N-400 answers, asks about your background, and administers the English and civics tests. Bring originals of everything you submitted as a copy. The officer may recommend approval on the spot, ask for more evidence, or schedule a follow-up.

If you need a disability accommodation, request it when you file or by contacting your local field office ahead of the interview. USCIS provides sign language interpreters for applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing, and applicants who can’t travel to an office can request an off-site examination.¹⁵

The English and Civics Tests

The English portion tests reading, writing, speaking, and understanding at a basic everyday level. Noticeable errors in pronunciation or spelling are fine as long as you can communicate.¹⁶

The civics test depends on your filing date. If you filed on or after October 20, 2025, you’re on the redesigned test: 20 oral questions from a pool of 128, with 12 correct needed to pass. The officer stops once you reach 12 correct or 9 wrong. If you filed before that date, you take the older version, which is 10 questions from a pool of 100 with 6 correct to pass.¹⁷

Age-Based Exemptions

Age 50 with 20 years as a resident: no English test; civics test in your native language with an interpreter.
Age 55 with 15 years as a resident: same terms.
Age 65 with 20 years as a resident: no English test, and a simplified civics test in your language.¹⁶

Disability Exception

If a physical, developmental, or mental impairment prevents you from learning English or civics, you can request an exception with Form N-648, Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions. A licensed medical doctor, osteopath, or clinical psychologist must evaluate you in person or by telehealth where state law allows, and certify that your condition prevents you from meeting the educational requirements. There’s no filing fee for Form N-648, though the medical professional may charge for the evaluation.¹⁸

If You Fail

Failing part or all of the test at the interview isn’t the end. USCIS schedules a second attempt 60 to 90 days later, and you only retake the portions you failed. The officer must use different test materials the second time.¹⁶ Failing again results in denial. From there, you can either request a hearing with Form N-336 or start fresh with a new N-400.

The Oath and the Ceremony

After approval, USCIS sends a notice with your ceremony date and location. Turn in your green card when you check in. If your card was lost and you reported it during the interview, this requirement is waived.¹⁹

You are not a citizen until you take the Oath of Allegiance at the ceremony. The oath is a public declaration that you renounce allegiance to foreign governments, will support and defend the Constitution, and will bear arms or perform civilian service when required by law.²⁰ You’ll receive your Certificate of Naturalization at the ceremony. Check it for errors before you leave; correcting mistakes later takes a separate process.

If Your Application Is Denied

You have 30 calendar days from the date you receive the decision to file Form N-336, Request for a Hearing on a Decision in Naturalization Proceedings. If USCIS mailed the denial, the deadline extends to 33 days. A different USCIS officer reviews the case from scratch.²¹ Miss the deadline and USCIS will typically reject the request without refunding the filing fee.

You can also skip the hearing and file a brand-new N-400, paying the filing fee again. For a denial based on failing the test, this gives you time to study. For a denial based on insufficient physical presence, you may just need to wait until you meet the requirement.

After You Take the Oath

The Certificate of Naturalization is your proof of citizenship, but a few follow-ups turn that status into something usable.

Update your record with the Social Security Administration. Schedule an appointment and bring your Certificate of Naturalization. SSA updates your citizenship status and issues a replacement card, typically within 5 to 10 business days.²²
Apply for a U.S. passport. Your Certificate of Naturalization lets you apply at any acceptance facility, and a passport is a more convenient proof of citizenship for daily use and required for international travel.
Register to vote. You can register online in most states, by mail using the National Mail Voter Registration Form, or in person at your local election office. Some ceremonies offer on-site registration. Deadlines vary by state. Do not register before your naturalization is complete; registering before you are officially a citizen can create serious immigration consequences.²³

1
USCIS. Historic Processing Times
2
USCIS. Fact Sheet Form N-400 Application for Naturalization Filing Fees
3
USCIS. Naturalization for Lawful Permanent Residents Age 50 and Over
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Continuous Residence and Physical Presence Requirements for Naturalization
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Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1427 – Requirements of Naturalization
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USCIS. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 12 Part D Chapter 6 – Jurisdiction, Place of Residence, and Early Filing
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 12 Part F Chapter 2 – Adjudicative Factors
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 12 Part D Chapter 9 – Good Moral Character
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USCIS. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 12 Part D Chapter 7 – Attachment to the Constitution
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USCIS. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 12 Part D Chapter 3 – Continuous Residence
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. N-400, Application for Naturalization
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. M-477 Document Checklist
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Poverty Guidelines
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-797C, Notice of Action
15
USCIS. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 12 Part C Chapter 3 – Types of Accommodations
16
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 12 Part E Chapter 2 – English and Civics Testing
17
USCIS. Study for the Test
18
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. N-648, Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions
19
USCIS. Naturalization Ceremonies
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Naturalization Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America
21
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. N-336, Request for a Hearing on a Decision in Naturalization Proceedings
22
Social Security Administration. Update Citizenship or Immigration Status
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Vote.gov. Voting as a New U.S. Citizen