Fill out Form N-400 online

Who uses Form N-400

• Lawful permanent residents who have been permanent residents for at least 5 years (the general provision)
• Permanent residents who are married to and living with a U.S. citizen, who can generally apply after 3 years as a permanent resident
• People who became permanent residents as the spouse or child of a U.S. citizen who subjected them to battery or extreme cruelty (VAWA)
• Permanent residents whose U.S. citizen spouse works outside the United States for a qualified employer
• Current and former members of the U.S. armed forces applying on the basis of their service

Before you start

• Your Permanent Resident Card (green card), which shows your A-Number and the date you became a permanent resident; USCIS asks for a copy of both sides
• Your addresses, jobs and schools, with dates, for the period that applies to your Part 1 box (5 years under the general provision, 3 years for box B or C; the instructions give the period for the other boxes)
• The dates and countries of each trip outside the United States in that period that lasted more than 24 hours, if your Part 1 box asks for trips
• Your current marriage certificate and any divorce decrees, annulment decrees or death certificates for earlier marriages, plus your spouse's details and proof of U.S. citizenship if you apply under box B or D
• The name, date of birth and address of each of your children under 18
• Records of any arrests, citations, charges or convictions, your Selective Service details if they apply to you, and Form N-648 if you are asking for a disability exception to the tests

How to fill out Form N-400

1. 1

   Part 1: Information About Your Eligibility

   If you have an A-Number, enter it as 9 digits at the top right of each page. If the number on your green card is shorter, add zeros in front to make nine digits. Then select only one box, A through G, for your basis: the general provision, spouse of a U.S. citizen, VAWA, spouse of a U.S. citizen in qualified employment outside the United States, military service during a period of hostilities, at least one year of honorable military service, or another reason. Selecting more than one box, or none, can delay or reject the form. If you choose box D and live outside the United States, pick the USCIS field office for your interview.

2. 2

   Part 2: Information About You

   Items 1-9 ask for your current legal name, every other name you have used since birth, an optional legal name change (Item 3), your USCIS Online Account Number if you have one, sex, date of birth, the date you became a lawful permanent resident, and your countries of birth and citizenship. Item 10 asks whether a parent was a U.S. citizen before your 18th birthday. Item 11 asks whether a disability prevents you from meeting the English or civics requirements; a "Yes" means you file Form N-648 with the application. Items 12.a-12.c let you ask the Social Security Administration for a card and a status update; to get a card you must answer "Yes" to both 12.a and 12.c.

3. 3

   Parts 3 and 4: Biographic Information and Residence

   Part 3 asks for your ethnicity, race, height in feet and inches, weight in pounds, and eye and hair color. In Part 4, Item 1, start with your current physical address and list every place you lived during the period that applies to your eligibility basis. Item 2 asks whether your physical address is also your mailing address. If it is not, give your mailing address in Item 3, which can be a safe mailing address.

4. 4

   Parts 5 and 6: Marital History and Children

   Part 5 asks your marital status, whether your spouse is a current member of the U.S. armed forces, and how many times you have been married, counting every marriage. The form tells applicants filing under box B or D in Part 1 to answer Items 4.a-8 about the current spouse: name, dates, address, citizenship, A-Number and prior marriages. Item 8, the spouse's employer, is only for box D. In Part 6, give the number of your children under 18 and list each child's name, date of birth, residence, relationship to you, and whether you support them.

5. 5

   Parts 7 and 8: Work, School and Time Outside the United States

   In Part 7, list where you worked or went to school during the period that applies to your Part 1 box, starting with the most recent. Cover the whole period, writing "self-employed", "unemployed" or "retired" where that applies. In Part 8, list your trips outside the United States, most recent first, for the period the instructions give for your box (boxes D and E do not have to list trips). Leave out day trips completed within 24 hours. A trip that lasted more than 6 months calls for evidence that you kept your continuous residence.

6. 6

   Part 9: Additional Information About You

   Answer each question Yes or No. A question that uses the word "EVER" covers anything you did anywhere in the world at any time, unless the question says otherwise. The items cover claims to U.S. citizenship and voting, taxes, membership in certain groups, weapons and armed groups, crimes and offenses (Items 15.a-16, with a table for each offense), removal proceedings, Selective Service (Items 22.a-22.c), the draft and U.S. military service (Items 23-29), titles of nobility (Items 30.a-30.b), and your support for the Constitution and willingness to take the Oath of Allegiance (Items 31-37). Where the form asks, explain a "Yes" in Part 14.

7. 7

   Parts 10 to 14: Fee Reduction, Signature and Extra Space

   Part 10, Item 1 asks whether your household income is at or below 400% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines; answer Items 2-5.b only if you are asking for a reduced fee. In Part 11, give your phone numbers and email address, then sign and date Item 4. Parts 12 and 13 are for an interpreter and a preparer, if someone helped you. Use Part 14 for answers that did not fit, giving the page, part and item number for each one; on any extra sheet, add your name and A-Number and sign and date it. Leave Parts 15 and 16 blank.

After you fill it out

A paper Form N-400 is mailed to USCIS with your evidence and the fee, or with a fee waiver or reduced fee request. USCIS also offers online filing through a USCIS online account, but a reduced fee or fee waiver request must go with a paper Form N-400. Check the current mailing address on the Direct Filing Addresses for Form N-400 page and the fee on the USCIS Fee Schedule (Form G-1055) before you send it. USCIS may then schedule a biometrics appointment and will ask you to come to an interview.

Signing: USCIS rejects an unsigned application and does not accept a stamped or typewritten name in place of any signature. Print the form and sign Part 11 by hand in ink; a photocopy, fax or scan of the original handwritten signature is accepted.

Questions about Form N-400

Official information

• Form N-400, Application for Naturalization (USCIS)
• Instructions for Form N-400 (PDF)
• Direct Filing Addresses for Form N-400
• USCIS Fee Schedule (Form G-1055)

Page text last reviewed November 7, 2026.

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