Filling Out Naturalization Application Form N-400 (2024)

The application to become a citizen of the United States is made on U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Form N-400, “Application for Naturalization.” (But before submitting it, double check whether the time is right for you to apply and whether you can meet the good moral character and other eligibility requirements.)

You can fill out Form N-400 on your computer or by hand and mail it to USCIS, or you can fill it out and submit it using USCIS’s online system. This article describes how to fill out Form N-400 on your computer or by hand with the intention of mailing it to USCIS. It describes the version dated 04/01/2024.

If you are filling out the form using USCIS’s online filing system, the experience will be different. Follow the instructions the online system gives you.

General Rules for Filling Out Form N-400

If you have a computer with pdf-filling software, the easiest way to fill out Form N-400 is by downloading the latest version from the USCIS website and filling it out on your computer. The form was created in such a way that you can type only certain information into the boxes. If you find that you cannot type what you want into a box, you can leave it blank and then add the information by hand after printing the form.

Filling out the form on your computer allows you to take advantage of some “drop-down” boxes—with a little down arrow on the right side that you can click to select options that will automatically fill the box.

USCIS will accept an N-400 that is filled out completely by hand. If you do that, use black ink and make sure your writing can be clearly read.

You might find that the form does not give you enough space to answer a question. In that case, you can use Part 14 of the form, or add an extra sheet. At the top of each extra sheet, put your name and alien registration number (A-number, found on your green card). Indicate the page number, part number, and item number to which your extra information refers.

You might also find that a particular question on Form N-400 does not apply to you. An example would be when you don’t have a middle name and the form asks for a middle name. USCIS instructs you to put “N/A” (which means “not applicable”) in the box, except where the form makes it clear you don’t have to. For example, the form might instruct you to skip a section or ask for information only if you have a foreign address. If you see “(if any)” next to a question and you don’t have any, put “N/A.” If a question asks for a numeric response and your answer is zero or none (for example, “How many children do you have?” or “How many times have you departed the United States?”), put “None” rather than “0” or “N/A.”

Keep your answers within the boxes provided. USCIS doesn’t like to see highlighting, crossed out answers, or the use of “white-out” (correction tape or fluid). Redo the page if you make a mistake.

The N-400 has a space for your A-number on the top right corner of each page. If your A-number has fewer than nine digits after the “A”, place enough zeros before the first number to make a total of nine digits. (For example, type or print number A12345678 as A012345678.) If you fill the form out on your computer, your A-number will automatically appear on every page after you enter it on the first page.

When providing any date, always use two digits for the month, two digits for the day, and four digits for the year, and type or write them in that order, separated by a slash.

N-400 Part 1. Information About Your Eligibility

There are several different laws governing eligibility for naturalization, and in Part 1 of the N-400, USCIS asks for information so it can determine which one applies to you (and thus whether you qualify for any exceptions regarding timing or fees).

Choose only one box. If unsure which box to choose or whether you can take advantage of a different basis for eligibility, consult with an immigration lawyer before filling out Part 1.

N-400 Part 2. Information About You

Part 2 is where you provide information to identify yourself. Question 3 gives you the option to legally change your name at the time you become a U.S. citizen, if you want to. (USCIS can’t do this if you’re naturalizing outside the United States, however, or if your swearing-in ceremony is not held in front of a judge, which some districts don't offer at all.)

Question 4 asks for your USCIS online account number. (This is not your A-number, which goes on each page!) If you don’t remember signing up for a USCIS online account or getting a notice in the mail saying one was created for you, you probably don’t have such a number, and can leave this blank.

Question 5 asks for gender, and there's now a third option, for those for whom "Another gender identity" is the most fitting choice.

Question 7 asks for the date you became a permanent resident—you can find that date on your permanent resident card (your green card).

For Question 8, if the name of the country you were born in changed after you were born, don’t give the new name—give the name as it was when you were born. For Question 9, however, give the current country name. If the country you were born in no longer exists, give the name of the country with current authority over the place where you were born. If you are stateless (have no current citizenship anywhere and no nationality), give the name of the country (as it is currently exists) where you were last a citizen or national. If you are a citizen of more than one foreign country, give the name of the country that last issued you a passport (or renewed one for you).

Question 10: If you have a U.S. citizen parent, USCIS asks some questions about them to determine whether you might already be a U.S. citizen and not need to go through the naturalization process.

Question 11 is for people who need to claim a medical exemption from the English and/or civics testing, and will be submitting an N-648 from their doctor explaining the situation.

Social Security Update

Here, you can ask USCIS to communicate with the Social Security Administration (SSA) in order to request a new or replacement Social Security card (assuming you are approved for naturalization), or to let it know your new U.S. citizen status. This can be particularly helpful if, for instance, your first Social Security card had a notation saying “Valid for Work Only With DHS Authorization,” as is issued to some temporary visa holders.

N-400 Part 3. Biographic Information

Part 3 asks for some information about you so the Department of Homeland Security knows it has the right person when it conducts background checks on you.

For Question 1, “Hispanic or Latino” means a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race.

In Question 2, you can choose more than one race. “White” means a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa. “Asian” means a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam. “Black or African American” means a person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. “American Indian or Alaska Native” means a person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America), and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment. “Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander” means a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.

N-400 Part 4. Information About Your Residence

For purposes of the continuous residence requirement for naturalization, USCIS wants your address history going back five years from the time you file the N-400. If you have lived somewhere different than your current address in the past five years, list your previous addresses starting with the address where you lived before your current address.

N-400 Part 5. Information About Your Marital History

Part 5 asks for information about whether you are or have been married. If you select “Single, Never Married” in Item 1, you are done with Part 5 and can move on to Part 6.

Question 3 asks how many times you have been married. If you were married to the same person more than one time, count each time as a separate marriage. And count your current marriage.

You will then be asked to provide more information about your current, existing marriage and spouse. Some of the questions assume that your spouse is either a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Leave these blank if that isn't the case. (It certainly isn't required, unless you plan to rely on your spouse's U.S. citizenship as a basis upon which to apply to naturalize after three years rather than the usual five.)

N-400 Part 6. Information About Your Children

Part 6 asks for information about your minor children (under 18). Read the definition of “children” within the instructions to make sure you are including everyone; it's a broad definition, including biological and adopted children, stepchildren, and so on.

Where the N-400 asks for the child’s residence, you can put “With Me” or "Does not reside with me" or an actual address.

If your son or daughter is missing or deceased, put “Child Missing” or “Child Deceased” in the “Residence” box.

N-400 Part 7. Information About Your Employment and Schools You Attended

Part 7 asks for information about where you worked, were self-employed, were unemployed, or studied during the five years before filing the N-400. Start with your current situation and go backwards in time. If you worked for yourself, write “self-employed” in the Employer or School Name box and leave the address box blank. If you were unemployed, write “unemployed” in the Employer or School Name box and leave the address box blank.

N-400 Part 8. Time Outside the United States

Part 8 is where you tell USCIS about all the time you spent outside the United States in the five years right before filing the N-400 (or three years, if filing on the basis of an exception). When counting “days spent outside the United States,” don’t count any day that you were in the United States for any part of that day. That means most travel days won’t count.

N-400 Part 9. Additional Information About You

Part 9 is a series of questions that go towards your eligibility for U.S. citizenship. It is important to answer these accurately. If any part of a question applies to you or has ever applied to you, you must answer “Yes” (though in most cases this could create problems for your eligibility).

If you answer “Yes” to any of the questions from 1 through 14, you will have to separately explain why the answer is “Yes,” using Part 14 of the form.

For Question 15, regarding past arrests, citations, or detentions, there's a box within the question area to fill in details. Don't assume that a crime that was later sealed, expunged, or otherwise removed from your record doesn't "count." For immigration law purposes, it probably does.

With regard to arrests, you can safely consider that a traffic stop in which you were given a ticket was not an arrest, unless you were taken into custody at some point. Consult with an attorney specializing in criminal law if you are not certain whether an incident was an arrest or not.

Yes answers to Questions 17 through 21 will also require adding explanations in Part 14.

The obligation of young men in the United States to register for the Selective Service (draft list) or to follow through on military service is the subject of Questions 22 through 29.

Question 30 addresses the possibility that you are considered nobility in a foreign country. You must agree to give up your title.

Also consult an attorney if you need to answer “No” to any question from 31 through 37.

N-400 Part 10. Request for a Fee Reduction

If your household income is under or equal to 400% of the U.S. Poverty Guidelines, you might qualify to pay a reduced filing fee for Form N-400. You'll need to enter your household size and income.

N-400 Part 11. Applicant's Contact Information, Certification, and Signature

Part 11 asks for your phone numbers and email (if you have one), but USCIS rarely calls applicants.

Part 11 is also where you sign and date the form. Make sure you read what you are certifying by your signature. You do not have to sign your name in any particular way, so long as what’s in the box is identifiable as your own personal signature that you customarily use. This is the only place you sign the N-400 before mailing it to USCIS.

N-400 Part 12. Interpreter's Contact Information, Certification, and Signature

You complete Part 12 only if you used an interpreter to be able to understand and provide answers on the Form N-400. USCIS needs the interpreter’s contact information and signature certifying competency to translate.

N-400 Part 13. Contact Information, Declaration, and Signature of the Person Preparing This Application, if Other Than the Applicant

You complete Part 13 only if you had help filling out the form, including if someone else filled everything out for you. USCIS needs the preparer’s contact information and signature certifying that you requested the preparer’s help, you supplied all the information, and that after the form was filled out, the preparer showed the completed form to you for your approval.

N-400 Part 14. Additional Information

If information didn't fit elsewhere, or Form N-400 asked you to provide explanations for questions, here's the place to do it.

N-400 Parts 15, 16, and 17

Do not do anything with these final parts. Leave them blank for now. You’ll see them again at your interview.

Accommodations for Applicants With Disabilities and/or Impairments

In the past, applicants could use Form N-400 to request an accommodation at your interview because of a disability. For example, a deaf person could request a sign language interpreter. Someone who is low vision or blind could ask for large print or braille in any written portion of the examinations. Now, however, you must contact USCIS directly with such requests, via its online request portal.

Do You Need to Hire an Immigration Attorney?

Many people successfully apply for U.S. citizenship without consulting an attorney. But as mentioned above, if any complications arise, you're much safer consulting an attorney than turning in an application and hoping for the best. Check out Applying for U.S. Citizenship: How Much Do Lawyers Cost and Are They Worth It?.