Your Certificate of Citizenship number is printed in the upper right-hand corner of the certificate. It’s an alphanumeric code (letters and digits) at least six characters long, and it’s the identifier USCIS uses to track the document itself.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Introduction to SAVE and the Verification Process for SAVE Users
Where the Number Appears on the Certificate
Look at the top-right area of the document. On older certificates the number is often printed in red ink, which makes it stand out against the surrounding black text. USCIS has redesigned the certificate over the years, but the number has stayed in that same upper-right position across versions.
Don’t confuse the certificate number with the other identifier on the document. Your certificate also shows a USCIS Registration Number, usually called an A-number. The A-number is strictly numeric, always nine digits, and begins with the letter “A” followed by the digits.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Immigrant Fee Payment: Tips on Finding Your A-Number and DOS Case ID If your A-number has fewer than nine digits, add a zero between the “A” and the first digit to bring the count to nine. The certificate number, by contrast, mixes letters and numbers and identifies the certificate document, not you as an individual.
When You’ll Need It
The most common reason to look up this number is a passport application. When applying for a new adult passport, you submit original proof of citizenship along with a photocopy, and the Certificate of Citizenship qualifies.3USAGov. Apply for a new adult passport
You’ll also need it for employment verification. Form N-560 or N-561 is an acceptable List C document for the I-9, and the employer records the certificate number from the document.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. List C Documents That Establish Employment Authorization Agencies verifying citizenship for benefits like Medicaid recognize the certificate as primary evidence as well.5eCFR. 42 CFR 436.407 – Types of Acceptable Documentary Evidence of Citizenship And if you file a family-based petition for a relative, USCIS uses the number to tie the filing to your citizenship record.
If You Can’t Find Your Certificate
Losing track of the document is common, especially since many people received it as children and their parents stored it. Start with the easiest options.
Check Your USCIS Online Account
If you filed the original Form N-600 online, or if USCIS has since digitized your record, the certificate information may be visible through your account at my.uscis.gov. Log in and look at your case history. Older paper filings often won’t show up, but it takes a minute to rule out.
Contact USCIS
Call the USCIS Contact Center at 1-800-375-5283, or schedule an InfoPass appointment at a local USCIS office. Bring government-issued photo ID and any details you have, such as your A-number or the approximate date the certificate was issued. Whether an officer can look up the number depends on how your records were digitized.
File Form N-565 for a Replacement
When the other paths don’t work, file Form N-565, Application for Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Document, online or by mail.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Application for Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Document If your certificate was stolen, include a police report or a sworn statement describing what happened.7USCIS. Application for Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Document
Fees change, so check the current USCIS fee schedule (Form G-1055) at uscis.gov/forms before you file. If you can’t afford the fee, you can request a waiver with Form I-912.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Request for Fee Waiver Household income generally has to fall at or below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines to qualify. For 2026, that’s $23,940 or less for a single-person household in the contiguous United States, scaling up to $83,580 for a household of eight; Alaska and Hawaii thresholds are higher.9U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Poverty Guidelines
You’ll get a receipt notice within a few weeks of USCIS accepting the application. Processing can run several months, and USCIS may schedule a biometrics appointment for fingerprints, a photo, and a signature.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Application for Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Document Current processing times are posted at egov.uscis.gov/processing-times.
If You Never Had a Certificate
Some people who derived or acquired citizenship through a parent never applied for the certificate at all. If that describes you, there is no certificate number to find yet. You’d need to file Form N-600, Application for Certificate of Citizenship.10U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Application for Certificate of Citizenship The application requires documentation proving the chain of citizenship from your U.S. citizen parent to you: your birth certificate, evidence of the parent’s citizenship (naturalization certificate, U.S. passport, or U.S. birth certificate), your green card if applicable, the parents’ marriage certificate where relevant, custody documents for a post-birth derivation claim, and any adoption decree. Foreign-language documents need a certified English translation. Once USCIS approves the application and you take the Oath of Allegiance if required, the certificate is issued with its number in the upper right corner.11U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 12 Part K Chapter 2 – Certificate of Citizenship
One boundary worth noting: the Certificate of Citizenship (Form N-560, replaced by N-561) is not the same document as the Certificate of Naturalization (Form N-550), which goes to people who naturalized themselves.12USCIS. Commonly Used Immigration Documents If you were naturalized, the number you’re looking for is on that certificate instead, in the same upper-right location.
Once you have the number, photograph the certificate or make a clear photocopy and store it somewhere separate from the original. Replacing the document takes months, so a backup of the number spares you the trouble the next time a form asks for it.