How to Do the N-400 Application for Naturalization

Permanent residents can become naturalized U.S. citizens after completing the N-400 Application for Naturalization.

Form N-400 is a ten-page document that requests information about your activity and behavior over the five years preceding the filing of the application in order to prove your eligibility for citizenship. Legal permanent residents who have resided in the United States for five consecutive years, or three consecutive years if married to an U.S. citizen, are the only legal permanent residents eligible to apply for citizenship. Completing form N-400 is straightforward and is guided with step by step questions and instructions.

Instructions

1. Download and complete the N-400 Application for Naturalization form from the website of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS instructions ask you to complete all sections of the application document except for parts 13 and 14. These will be completed at the time of your interview. Do not leave any other section blank or your application will be denied. Once the form is completed, print and sign part 11. Refer to the Resources section below for a link to the application form.

2. Remain truthful throughout the application form. The FBI will use your application to run a criminal record check, so you are likely to be found out if you conceal any criminal history. If you have been convicted of any felonies, you must include certified copies of all police records and arrest reports. Speeding tickets that did not result in arrest and were not drug or alcohol related do not need to be reported on the application form.

3. Gather the additional documents to be mailed with your form N-400. You must include two identical passport style photographs of 2 inches by 2 inches, set against a white background with no obstructions of the face, and with your name and alien registration number written on the back of each photo in pencil, plus legible photocopies of both the front and back of your green card. Based on your individual case, you may be required to include additional documents such as proof of residency with your spouse if applying for marriage-based citizenship. For all situation-specific required documents, refer to the Resources section below for a document checklist.

4. Submit the form along with all required documents and a check or money order for the filing fee to the appropriate USCIS filing center based on your state of residence. As of June, 2010, the filing fee is $675. There are two filing centers; one in Phoenix, AZ and the other in Dallas, TX. If you are a resident of the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, DC, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands, you must send your application to:

   USCIS
   P.O. 660060
   Dallas, TX 75266

   Residents of all other states must send their application to:

   USCIS
   P.O. Box 21251
   Phoenix, AZ 85036

References

• USCIS: N-400 Instructions

Resources

• USCIS: N-400
• USCIS: N-400 Document Check List