Naturalization Documents
What are naturalization documents and what kind of supporting documents are needed to become a U.S. citizen? Are there specific citizenship required documents? If you want to know the list of documents to submit for US citizenship and the list of documents to bring to the citizenship interview, check this article!
Anyone who applies to become a U.S. citizen must have to complete the Form N-400. However, Form N-400 alone is not enough. You will have to gather necessary supporting documents based on each applicant’s situation. These documents, naturalization documents, are for example, documents to prove citizenship of spouse, green card, marriage certificate, driver’s license, birth certificate, etc. Here, we will guide you through as to what supporting documents are needed besides to completing the Form N-400.
- What documents to submit with the Form N-400
- What supporting documents to bring to your Naturalization interview
- What additional supporting documents you will need
Let's find out the detailed rules and regulations about naturalization documents.
I. What naturalization documents to submit with Form N-400
The following list of documents must be included and submitted together with Form N-400.
Document Type | Examples of Documents | Who is Required? |
---|---|---|
(1) Proof of Permanent Resident Status | Copy of your Green Card (Permanent Resident Card or Form I-551) | All Applicants |
(2) Application Fee(s) | Choose only one of the following:
| All Applicants, Except those who are exempt or requesting for fee waiver. |
(3) Proof of Your Current Marital Status | Send all of the following, if applicable:
| All currently married or previously married applicants |
(4) Proof of Your Identity | TWO Passport Style Photo (2” x 2”) | Applicants living and applying from abroad |
(5) Proof of Your Military Service | Form N-426, Request for Certification of Military or Naval Service (https://www.uscis.gov/n-426) | Applicants filing based on Military Service |
(6) Proof of Any Medical Disability | Form N-648, Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions (https://www.uscis.gov/n-648) | Applicants requesting an exemption from the Naturalization Two-Part Test based on qualifying medical condition |
(7) Fee Reduction Application | Form I-942, Request for Reduced Fee (https://www.uscis.gov/i-942) | Applicants who qualify for fee reduction |
(8) Fee Waiver Application | Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver (https://www.uscis.gov/i-912) | Applicants who qualify for fee waiver, including those who only qualify for Biometric Service Fee Waive |
(9) Request for Representation at the Naturalization Interview | Form G-28, Notice of Appearance as Attorney or Accredited Representative | Applicants who wish to be represented by an attorney |
II. Supporting documents to bring to your naturalization interview
You must bring the following supporting documents to your naturalization interview.
Document Type | Examples of Documents | Who is Required? |
---|---|---|
(1) Proof of Permanent Status | Copy of your Green Card(Permanent Resident Card or Form I-551) | All Applicants |
(2) State-Issued Identification | Either One of the Following:
| All Applicants |
(3) Travel Records | Bring All of the Following:
| All Applicants |
(4) Proof of Current Marital Status and/or Termination of Your Previous Marriages | Bring original copies of all of the following, if applicable:
| All currently or previously married applicants |
(5) Proof of Termination of Your Spouse’s Previous marriages, if any | Bring original copies of all of the following for your spouse, if applicable:
| All currently married applicants who is applicable |
(6) Proof of Official Name Change, if any | Bring as many of the following, if applicable:
| All Applicants who is applicable |
III. Additional supporting documents
The following naturalization documents can either be included and submitted along with the Form N-400 or can be brought to the naturalization interview. However, we recommend bringing the following lists of naturalization documents to your interview rather than submitting it with the Form N-400 because any changes that occur between filing N-400 and taking the Oath of Allegiance, you will have to submit new supporting document reflecting the change in which event it will cause delay to your process.
Document Type | Examples of Documents | Who is Required? |
---|---|---|
(1) Documents to prove citizenship of spouse for the past 3 years prior to filing Form N-400 |
| Applicants filing based on their marriage to a U.S. citizen |
(2) Proof of termination of your previous marriage(s) at the time of filing Form N-400 | Bring original copies of all of the following:
| Applicants filing based on their marriage to a U.S. citizen |
(3) Proof of an authentic marriage for the past 3 years prior to filing Form N-400 | Bring as many as possible of the following:
| Applicants filing based on their marriage to a U.S. citizen |
(4) Proof of parental rights over your child(ren) | Bring one of the following for each child:
| Applicants listing their children or dependents on Form N-400 |
(5) Proof that you have fulfilled your financial support obligations, if applicable | Bring the following for each dependent child who does not live with you and for other dependents (Spouse and/or ex-spouse(s)):
| Applicants listing their children or dependents on Form N-400 |
(6) Proof of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax payments or overdue tax obligations | Bring copies of the following:
| All applicants, but especially those who apply based on their marriage to a U.S. citizen or who have taken trips abroad of at least 6 months |
(7) Proof that you have maintained permanent residence in the United States | Bring as many as possible of the following:
| All applicants who have taken any trips outside the United States lasting over 6 months but less than 1 year |
(8) Proof of Selective Service Registration (If you are a male between 18 and 26 years of age, you need to provide proof of your registration with the Selective Service. If you are 26 years of age or older, you need to provide proof that you registered with the Selective Service when you were required to do so between 18 and 26 years of age (This does not include living in the United States as a lawful nonimmigrant). If you were required to register and did not, you need to provide a statement explaining why you did not register and provide a status information letter from the Selective Service. For more information, please visit www.sss.gov or call 1-888-655-1825. | If you registered for Selective Service, bring the following:
| Male applicants of a certain age |
(9) Records of previous encounters with law enforcement | If you have ever been arrested or detained anywhere in the world, and no charges were filed, bring both of the following:
| All applicants who have ever been:
|
IV. Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. I lost my marriage certificate. What should I do?
A. The marriage certificate proves two people are married. For a certified copy of your marriage certificate, contact the vital records office in the state where you were married. Even though the guidelines vary by state, all requests should include:
- Full names of both spouses at the time of marriage
- Month, day, and year of the marriage
- Place of the marriage (city or town, county, and state)
- Purpose for requesting the copy of the marriage certificate
- Relationship to the people whose marriage certificate is being requested
- Your daytime telephone number (include area code)
Q2. My spouse lost the birth certificate. What should I do?
The birth certificate proves the holder’s identity and age. It may be the most important document. Even if the holder lost it, don’t worry and contact the vital records office in the state where the holder was born to get a copy of the birth certificate.
Q3. What are documents to prove citizenship?
Applicants filing based on their marriage to a U.S. citizen are required to submit documents to prove U.S. citizenship of their spouse. The documents can be one of Birth Certificate (for Spouses who have been U.S. Citizen since birth), Certificate of Naturalization, Certificate of Citizenship, Consular Report of Birth Abroad of a U.S. Citizen (Form FS-240), etc.
Q4. What are naturalization documents?
Naturalization documents are for example, documents to prove citizenship of spouse, marriage certificate, driver’s license, birth certificate, etc. A Form N-400 is the official application but it is not enough to proceed naturalization. It is important to submit necessary supporting documents based on each applicant’s situation.