US Citizenship and Naturalization

Take control of your legal status and secure the benefits and protections you deserve.

Passport, green card, and application form

Who is Eligible?

An applicant is eligible for naturalization where he or she can meet the following requirements:

1 Must be 18 years old
2 Must have permanent residence status (Green Card) for five years after application. If married to a U.S. citizen, the permanent residency requirement is three years.
3 Must have resided for at least three months within the state the petition was filed.
4 Must be physically present in the U.S. for at least one-half of the five years (one-half of the three years for a spouse of a citizen).
5 Must have resided continuously within the U.S. from the date the application was filed up to the time of admission to citizenship
6 Must not be absent for a period of more than one year during the period residence is required. (Five years or three years)
7 Must be a person of good moral character.

Common Reasons for Denial of Citizenship

Applicant Cannot Speak/Write English

Applicants are required to speak, understand, and write in the English language. An exception exists where the applicant is at least 50 years old and has maintained permanent residency for at least 20 years or is at least 55 years old and has maintained permanent residency for at least 15 years. Here, the applicant may have the examination performed in his or her native language. The applicant may also apply for a waiver if he or she is unable to learn English due to a medical condition.

Arrests

An applicant may be denied citizenship if he or she is on probation for any crime committed at the time of the interview. An applicant may also be denied citizenship if he or she committed a crime involving moral turpitude.

Application Procedure

The application should be filed at the regional service center where the applicant is permanently residing. The application is submitted on an N-400 form with three photos. Fingerprints are no longer submitted with the application. The applicant will be scheduled for a fingerprinting appointment after filing the application. Applicants can file up to three months before he or she meets the residency requirement. The current filing fees for naturalization are $320.00 for N-400 and $70.00 for fingerprints.

All applicants for citizenship will be interviewed by the Immigration and Naturalization Service. The applicant may request one re-examination. An attorney may accompany the applicant to his or her naturalization interview.