With 20 pages of questions (and another 18 pages of instructions), filling out the application for U.S. citizenship can be intimidating for many applicants.
Officially known as Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, the majority of applicants can prepare the application without extensive help from an attorney. If you have a straight forward case, you can probably do it yourself.
Table of ContentsIf you’re ready to tackle the application for U.S. citizenship by yourself, go to the website for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) at www.uscis.gov/n-400/ to download Form N-400 and the filing instructions.
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When filling out the application for U.S. citizenship, Part 1 is one of the most important sections of Form N-400 because it dictates how you will move forward in your application. For most candidates, you will apply as “a lawful permanent resident of the United States for at least 5 years.” But some applicants will be eligible to file the application for U.S. citizenship in fewer than 5 years. For example, individuals that have been permanent residents for at least 3 years and have been married to and living with the same U.S. citizen spouse for the last 3 years may qualify to file Form N-400. The three most common eligibility categories are:
This section of the application covers mostly general information. It’s important that you accurately fill out items 1-4 about your name. USCIS asks for variations of your name. It's important that you provide all versions of your name to avoid confusion, maintain consistency with other legal documents, and facilitate the background check.
Your legal name is your current full name. It’s generally the name on your birth certificate unless it has been changed after birth by a legal action such as a marriage or court order.
The name on your permanent resident card may be slightly different than the legal name that you use. Enter your name exactly as it appears on your card (even if your name has changed or your name is misspelled).
Your other names include any additional names that you have used in the past. Usually this includes maiden names or a name that you used before a legal name change. It includes any name (including nick names) that you have used in various legal documents, bank accounts, ID cards (e.g. driver’s license, work permit), criminal records, and school records. If you have been publicly known by another name, you should include it here.
Don’t let your disability or impairment be an obstacle to naturalization. USCIS will make reasonable accommodations at your appointments. You just need to ask. Therefore, if you need assistance with a wheelchair, sign language or anything else, use Part 3 to describe the impairment and need.
Although USCIS will generally contact you by mail only, leave at least one reliable phone number where USCIS can reach you.
Most applicants will need to list five years of address history in Part 5. However, if the basis of your application for U.S. citizenship is marriage to a U.S. citizen for three years, you’ll only need to document three years of address history. List all of your addresses. USCIS uses Part 5 to help determine if you’ve met your continuous residence requirement. In other words, it’s evidence that you’ve actually maintained a residence in the U.S. for the past five years.
Generally, every period of time over the last five years should be accounted for when you are finished. In some cases, the applicant may have traveled between residences. For example, an individual may move out of a residence, travel to India for three months, and return to a new residence. In this example, the applicant made a temporary trip outside the U.S., but he always maintained permanent residence in the U.S. However, "moving" to another country and establishing residence (even just for a short period) is considered abandonment. This could result in an N-400 denial and even loss of permanent resident status.
Your mailing address should be a place that you can reliably receive mail. The U.S. Postal Service will not forward official mail from USCIS. So if you change mailing address after filing Form N-400, call USCIS at 1-800-375-5283 to update your application.
