What to Do If You Lost Your Naturalization Certificate

If you lost your naturalization certificate, file Form N-565, Application for Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Document, with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The fee is $505 online or $555 by mail, and processing can take anywhere from several months to more than a year. Losing the document does not change your citizenship status — you are still a U.S. citizen, and the certificate is only evidence of that fact.¹ Because the wait is long, most people who need proof of citizenship sooner apply for a U.S. passport at the same time.

First Steps: Lost Versus Stolen

If the certificate was stolen, file a police report before anything else. USCIS asks about the theft on the replacement application, and the report creates a paper trail if someone later tries to misuse your identity. A naturalization certificate contains your full legal name, date of birth, and USCIS registration number, so placing a fraud alert with the three major credit bureaus is a reasonable precaution.

If the certificate was simply misplaced or damaged, skip the police report and go straight to the replacement application.

Filing Form N-565

Form N-565 is the only form USCIS accepts for replacing a naturalization certificate, a certificate of citizenship, a declaration of intention, or a repatriation certificate.¹ Download the current version from the USCIS website or file through your online USCIS account. The form asks for your personal details, whatever you remember about the original certificate, and an explanation of how it was lost, stolen, or destroyed. USCIS pulls your original naturalization record on its end, so you do not need to recall every number on the missing document.

What to Include

A copy of your driver’s license, state ID, or passport.
Two identical passport-style photographs, but only if you live outside the United States.¹
A copy of the police report if the certificate was stolen. If you do not have one, USCIS accepts a sworn statement instead.²
A copy of the old certificate if you happen to have one. Not required, but it helps USCIS locate your record faster.

Biometrics

USCIS may require you to appear at a local office for fingerprints, a photograph, and a signature. Not every applicant is called in. If USCIS does schedule biometrics, you will receive a notice with the date, time, and location, and missing that appointment without rescheduling can lead to a denial.³

Fees and Payment

The filing fee is $505 if you file online and $555 by mail. There is no fee if you are asking USCIS to correct a typographical or clerical error the agency itself made on the original certificate.⁴

As of October 28, 2025, USCIS no longer accepts personal checks, cashier’s checks, or money orders. All payments must be electronic.⁵ Mail filers pay by credit, debit, or prepaid card using Form G-1450, or from a U.S. bank account using Form G-1650. Online filers pay through Pay.gov during submission.

If the fee is out of reach, you can submit Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver, attached to your N-565. Waivers are available if you (or a qualifying family member) receive a means-tested benefit like Medicaid or SNAP, if your household income is at or below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines, or if you can document extreme financial hardship.⁶⁷

How to Submit

You can file online or by mail. Online filing saves $50 and lets you track your case, receive notifications, and respond to evidence requests directly through your account.¹ If you are replacing a damaged certificate, you still have to mail the original to the USCIS Nebraska Service Center separately even after filing online.

Mail filers send the complete package to the USCIS Phoenix Lockbox:

U.S. Postal Service: USCIS, Attn: N-565, P.O. Box 20050, Phoenix, AZ 85036-0050.
FedEx, UPS, or DHL: USCIS, Attn: N-565 (Box 20050), 2108 E. Elliot Rd., Tempe, AZ 85284-1806.

USCIS will send a receipt notice (Form I-797C) confirming submission and giving you a receipt number for tracking.⁸ Mail filers also receive instructions for setting up an online account.

After You File

Check your case status on the USCIS website using the receipt number. Processing times run several months and can exceed a year depending on the workload at the service center handling your file.

USCIS may issue a Request for Evidence (RFE) if something is incomplete or the officer needs more information to verify your identity or eligibility. Respond quickly and completely; an ignored or partial response is the fastest route to a denial.⁹ In some cases USCIS also schedules an in-person interview at a field office.

Once approved, the replacement certificate arrives by mail at the address on your application. Check every detail as soon as it arrives. If anything is wrong, you can file another N-565, and if the mistake is on USCIS’s end there is no fee for the correction.

Proving Citizenship While You Wait

A long processing window is a real problem if you need proof of citizenship for a job, government benefits, or travel. You have a couple of workable options.

Apply for or Renew a U.S. Passport

A U.S. passport is legally equivalent proof of citizenship. If you have held a passport before, you can renew it or request a file search from the State Department, which will look up your prior passport record as citizenship evidence.¹⁰ Records from 1994 onward are electronic and the search is generally free; searches of older paper records cost $150.

If you have never held a passport and your naturalization certificate is missing, it gets harder. The certificate is normally the primary citizenship evidence for a first-time passport application. Contact the State Department or a local passport acceptance facility about what secondary evidence they will accept.

Starting a New Job (Form I-9)

If you are hired while your replacement application is pending, the Form I-797C receipt notice from your N-565 filing works as a temporary document for Form I-9 purposes, and your employer must accept it. The receipt is valid for 90 days from your hire date.¹¹ By the end of that window, you need to present the replacement certificate or another acceptable document. A valid U.S. passport by itself satisfies I-9 requirements.

When N-565 Is Not Just for a Lost Certificate

Two situations use the same form but work differently, and it is worth knowing which one you are in before you file.

If USCIS made a typographical or clerical error on the original certificate, there is no filing fee, but you must return the original certificate with the error and include supporting records showing the correct information, such as a birth certificate. Explain the mistake in Part 4 of the form.¹²³ If the error was yours on the original application, the standard fee applies.

If you have legally changed your name through marriage, divorce, or a court order, you can also use N-565 to get a certificate reflecting the new name. Submit the original certificate with a copy of the marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order.³ The standard fee applies. If your certificate is both lost and your name has changed, handle both on a single N-565 and include the name-change documentation.

Keeping the Replacement Safe

When the new certificate arrives, make high-quality copies or scans and store them separately from the original. Keep the original in a fireproof safe or a bank safe-deposit box. A photocopy is not official proof of citizenship on its own, but having one makes any future replacement application faster to complete and helps USCIS locate your record.

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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. N-565, Application for Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Document
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form N-565, Application for Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Document
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form N-565, Instructions for Application for Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Document
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055 Fee Schedule
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Transition to Electronic Payments – Policy Alert
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Additional Information on Filing a Fee Waiver
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-912, Request for Fee Waiver
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-797C, Notice of Action
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Request for Evidence (RFE)
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U.S. Department of State. Get Citizenship Evidence for a U.S. Passport
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Handbook for Employers M-274 – 4.4 Acceptable Receipts
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Immigration Documents and How to Correct, Update, or Replace Them