How to Apply for Citizenship Through Marriage

Your U.S. citizenship status provides you with more rights and privileges.

One of the easiest ways of becoming a United States citizen is through marriage to a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Nonetheless, as provided in U.S. immigration law, your marriage must be “bona fide.” The “bona fide” requirement means that you did not marry solely for the purpose of obtaining an immigration benefit. U.S. immigration law also imposes a residency requirement. The residency requirement for foreign nationals married to U.S. citizens is three years, while those married to permanent residents must wait for five years.

Things You'll Need

• Form N-400
• Form N-400 fee
• Photocopy of your green card
• Certified copies of your arrest report or court documents, if applicable
• Two two-inch-by-two-inch photographs
• Copy of your marriage certificate
• Citizenship test study guide

Instructions

1. Marry a United States citizen or permanent resident and then meet the residency requirement.

2. Go to the U.S. Citizenship abnd Immigration Services homepage and download Form N-400, Application for Naturalization (see Resources).

3. Type your information directly into the fields provided and then print the completed Form N-400; date and sign the form.

4. Pay the Form N-400 fees by making a check or money order payable to “U.S. Department of Homeland Security.” The fee, as of June 2010, was $675 ($595 for the processing fee and $80 for the biometrics fee)

5. Gather supporting materials for your application. This includes a front and back photocopy of your green card; certified copy of your arrest report or court documents for any prior convictions or arrests, if applicable; two two-inch-by-two-inch photographs; and a copy of your marriage certificate.

6. Mail your completed form and supporting documents to the appropriate USCIS Lockbox facility. Locate the USCIS facility that has jurisdiction over your area by visiting the “Application for Naturalization” page (see Resources) and then looking under “Where to File.”

   Once USCIS receives your application, it will direct you to an application support center, where your biometric data is collected. After the collection of the data, USCIS will notify you of your interview location and date by mail.

7. Study for your citizenship test. Go to the “Study Materials for the Naturalization Test” page and download the study guide.

8. Pass the citizenship test. A USCIS representative will preside over your oath of citizenship ceremony. Depending on the workload of the USCIS office, the ceremony may be done on the same day as your test or on another date. Once you complete your oath of citizenship, a USCIS representative will hand you your Certificate of Citizenship, which is a proof of your U.S. citizenship.

References

• ExpertLaw: Applying for U.S. Citizenship
• USCIS: Citizenship through Naturalization
• USCIS: Form N-400 Instructions
• USCIS: The Naturalization Test

Resources

• USCIS: Form N-400
• USCIS: Application for Naturalization
• USCIS: Study Materials for the Naturalization Test