Before you start
- Use the current edition. USCIS lists the edition date on the Form N-400 page. At the time of writing it is 01/20/25. If you mail a paper form, every page must show the same edition date and page numbers at the bottom, or USCIS may reject it.
- Online or paper. You can file online through a USCIS online account or mail a paper form. If you are asking for a reduced fee or a fee waiver, USCIS says you must file on paper.
- Check your date. Most people can file up to 90 days before they reach the 5-year (or 3-year, through marriage) mark. USCIS rejects applications filed too early. Our early filing calculator follows the published rules.
- Gather your history first. You'll need addresses, jobs or schools, and trips abroad for the last 5 years (3 years for most marriage-based applicants). Old passports, leases and pay records make this much easier.
General rules from the instructions
- Type or print in black ink.
- If a question doesn't apply to you, write "N/A". If a number answer is zero, write "None", unless the form says otherwise.
- Write your A-Number at the top right of every page. If the A-Number on your green card has fewer than nine digits, add zeros at the front (A1234567 becomes A001234567).
- Don't use correction tape or fluid. USCIS scanners may read through it; for big corrections, USCIS recommends starting a new form.
- Out of space? Use Part 14, and label each entry with the page, part and item number.
- Include every page, even blank ones, and sign by hand. A typed or stamped name is not accepted as a signature.
Part 1: Your eligibility
You choose one basis for applying. Selecting more than one box, or none, can delay or get your form rejected. The options are:
- A. General provision: a permanent resident for at least 5 years.
- B. Spouse of a U.S. citizen: generally 3 years as a permanent resident, married to and living in marital union with a U.S. citizen spouse who has been a citizen for those 3 years.
- C. VAWA: for people who got permanent residence as the spouse or child of a U.S. citizen who subjected them to battery or extreme cruelty.
- D. Spouse of a U.S. citizen in qualified employment abroad (INA 319(b)).
- E. and F. Military service: during a designated period of hostilities, or at least 1 year of honorable service at any time.
- G. Other reason not listed.
This choice matters later: it sets how many years of addresses, jobs and trips you list in Parts 4, 7 and 8. The top of the form also notes that if a parent was a U.S. citizen before your 18th birthday, you may already be a citizen and may need Form N-600 instead.
Part 2: Information about you
- Legal name: the name on your birth certificate unless it changed by marriage, divorce or court order. Not a nickname.
- Other names: the instructions ask for every other name you've used, including maiden names, aliases, nicknames, spelling variations, and names used in immigration or criminal records.
- Name change (optional): you can ask to legally change your name as part of naturalization. It isn't final until you are naturalized.
- USCIS Online Account Number: you only have one if you received a receipt number starting with "IOE." It is not your A-Number.
- Date of birth and date you became a permanent resident: use mm/dd/yyyy. USCIS will reject the form without a date of birth. Other dates of birth you've ever used go in Part 14.
- Country of citizenship: if you hold more than one, list the country that issued your last passport here and the others in Part 14.
- Item 11, disability exception: this asks whether a disability or impairment prevents you from meeting the English or civics requirement. The instructions say a "Yes" should come with Form N-648, which only a licensed medical doctor, doctor of osteopathy or clinical psychologist in the United States can certify. The age-based exceptions (50/20, 55/15, 65/20) are different and are explained in the instructions' testing section.
- Item 12, Social Security update: optional. If you want a new or replacement Social Security card after you naturalize, you must answer "Yes" to both 12.a and the consent in 12.c.
Part 3: Biographic information
Ethnicity, race, height, weight, eye and hair color. USCIS uses these for background checks. Height goes in feet and inches and weight in pounds, not metric units.
Part 4: Your residence
List every place you have lived during the required period, starting with your current address. This part, together with Parts 7 and 8, helps USCIS decide whether you meet the continuous residence, physical presence and 3-month state or district residence requirements. The instructions allow survivors of domestic violence to give only the city and state of a shelter, and to use a "safe" mailing address. If your mailing address is incomplete or invalid, USCIS may reject the application.
Part 5: Marital history
The count of marriages includes all of them: annulled, civil, religious and customary marriages, in any country, whether or not they were registered. Marrying the same person twice counts as two. If you apply through marriage, you'll give your spouse's details and when they became a citizen, and send proof of their citizenship and that any earlier marriages ended.
Part 6: Your children
List all children under 18, including stepchildren, adopted children, children living elsewhere and children born outside marriage. The form also asks whether you support each one. The instructions explain why: willfully failing to support dependents can prevent you from showing good moral character, so bring proof of support if a child lives apart from you.
Part 7: Employment and schools
Cover the whole period with no gaps, most recent first. The form says to write "self-employed," "unemployed" or "retired" for those periods, and to include foreign government employment such as military, police or intelligence service.
Part 8: Time outside the United States
List every trip during the required period, most recent first. Day trips completed within 24 hours are not listed. USCIS counts the day you leave and the day you return as days in the United States. Trips of more than 6 months raise questions about continuous residence, and the instructions list evidence you can provide, such as tax transcripts, lease or mortgage records and pay statements. An absence of 1 year or more generally breaks continuous residence. Try the calculator to check your days.
Part 9: Additional information about you
This is the longest part: yes/no questions about voting, taxes, organizations, crimes, removal proceedings, Selective Service, military service and your willingness to take the Oath. The answers help USCIS decide good moral character and attachment to the Constitution. Two rules from the form and instructions to read carefully:
- When a question says "EVER," it covers anything, anywhere in the world, at any time.
- The crimes questions cover offenses that were expunged, pardoned or happened before age 18. The instructions warn that leaving something out can lead to denial even if the offense itself would not have.
A "Yes" to Items 1–14 needs an explanation in Part 14. The officer will go over these questions with you at the interview. Our N-400 interview practice explains what each Part 9 question means in simple English. If any of them apply to you, especially arrests, taxes or time abroad, talk to an immigration attorney or a DOJ-accredited representative before you file.
Part 10: Fee reduction
As of this writing, the USCIS N-400 page lists the filing fee as $760 on paper or $710 online. Check the current amount on the USCIS N-400 page or Form G-1055 before you pay, because USCIS rejects applications that pay the wrong amount, including paying too much.
There are two ways to pay less. Both require filing on paper, not online:
- Reduced fee ($380): the instructions say your household income must be at or below 400% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines at the time you file, based on your household size. Answer “Yes” in Part 10, fill in your household size and income, and send proof, such as each household member's latest federal tax return.
- Fee waiver (no fee): instead of paying, you submit Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver (or a written request) with supporting documents. USCIS decides whether you qualify.
Parts 11 to 16: Signatures and the rest
- Part 11: your contact details and signature. By signing, you certify under penalty of perjury that everything is complete, true and correct.
- Part 12: filled in only if someone interpreted the form for you.
- Part 13: filled in by anyone who prepared the form for you.
- Part 14: extra space for any answer that didn't fit.
- Parts 15 and 16: leave these blank. The officer will ask you to sign them at your interview.
Common reasons for rejection or delay
- No signature, or a typed signature
- Wrong fee amount or payment method
- Missing date of birth, missing pages, or pages from different editions
- No box, or more than one box, selected in Part 1
- Filing more than 90 days early
- No complete, valid mailing address
After you file
Keep a full copy of what you sent. At your biometrics appointment you will be asked to confirm, under penalty of perjury, that the application is complete and true, and the officer will review it with you at the interview. If you move, you must update your address with USCIS within 10 days. Meanwhile, study for the civics test and the English test, and see what to bring to your interview.
Sources: Form N-400 and Form N-400 Instructions (edition 01/20/25); USCIS: N-400, Application for Naturalization (edition date, online filing, initial evidence checklist); USCIS Form G-1055, Fee Schedule; USCIS: Form N-648. Always read the official instructions for your edition of the form. This is general information, not legal advice.