U.S. Citizenship Application
Become an American citizen
Becoming a US citizen has been a life-changing dream for many throughout the years.
After going through the naturalization process you will gain all the benefits an American citizen has, which include:
- To live, study and work permanently in the United States
- Become part of the American army
- Travel freely and live abroad without loosing the American citizenship
- Receive protection from US Embassies and Consulates abroad, after having received an American passport
Once having received back an approved Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, you may also apply for an American passport. When granted, you become a true US citizen and gain all the rights a passport brings to its holder.
If certain requirements are met, you may become an American citizen at birth or obtain the same right after birth.
Form N-400 General Information
Citizenship Requirements
The general requirements to become a citizen at birth are:
- To be born on the territory of the United States or on any of the countries, subjects to the laws and jurisdiction of America
- To have at least one biological parent who was an American citizen at the time when you were born
To become a citizen after birth you must:
- Have American parents and apply for derived or acquired citizenship through your parents
- Apply for naturalization - the naturalization test includes English and US history and government questions
Information about Form N-400
The Form N-400, Application for Naturalization and the Form N-600, Application for Certificate of Citizenship represent two of the most important and seeked out citizenship forms.
The purpose of the Form N-400 is to apply to become a naturalized American citizen. The process starts with filling the form out correctly, attaching all the required documentation along with two recently made identity photos and sending all of this USCIS (the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services).
The Citizenship Application
Once your application has been received and reviewed, you will be contacted in written form regarding the Biometrics Service Appointment. This part is obligatory, since the USCIS requires to have your fingerprints taken. If you fail to attend the appointment it is very probable to have your application rejected. Furthermore, after the initial review of our application you may be requested to send additional documentation in order to verify or justify a statement made by you the USCIS have doubts about. Make sure not to fail delivering those documents in order to prevent any further delays to your application. After having your fingerprints taken, you will be invited to an interview by a letter from USCIS. At the interview you are supposed to bring the additional documentation, which was requested from your previously. Furthermore, the purpose of the interview is to verify your eligibility and to test your English and Civics knowledge.
The Naturalization Ceremony
After having passed all of the above-mentioned procedures successfully, the USCIS will contact you once again by letter, informing you of the citizenship ceremony. The ceremony must be attended together with your current Green Card since you will be asked to give it up in order to receive your new Naturalization Certificate. Receiving the Certificate of Naturalization represents the final stage of your N-400 application and its official successful ending.
Apply Online for your Certificate of Citizenship, Form N-600
The Form N-600 is the American citizenship certificate application. Please, bear in mind that this certificate does not give any additional rights to its holders and it will be only granted to those who are already American citizens and wish to claim their citizenship by law.
Form N-600 General Information
Who can file the Form N-600?
You may file this form if:
- You are requesting the Certificate to prove your citizenship by law if you were born outside of the territory of the United States to at least one American parent
- You are requesting the Certificate to prove your citizenship by law if you became an American citizen automatically after birth, before you turned 18 years of age.
Note: Parents or legal guardians can also file the form on behalf of their minor child.
The Form N-600 Process
When starting the application process you have to bear in mind that the application itself is 9 pages long and requires a lot of attention to detail. You will be asked to provide extensive information regarding your biological/adoptive parents. Further, you will be required to provide documentation as evidence of:
- Marriage
- Divorce
- Birth of adoption certificates
- Citizenship/residency history
All of the above is information required from the applicant as well as the applicant's parents. You will also need to submit two recently taken photos.
www.usimmigration.org is here to help you go through the application process successfully and provide you with a step-by-step guide throughout all the 9 pages of the N-600 Form in both English and Spanish language.