Who can apply for U.S. citizenship?

What are the basic requirements to apply?

Becoming a citizen after being born outside the United States is called naturalization. You apply with Form N-400, Application for Naturalization. Most people apply under the general path, which has these requirements:

It is up to you to show that you meet each requirement. An officer from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reviews your application and interviews you before making a decision.

Which path to citizenship applies to me?

The requirements above are the general path. Some people qualify sooner or under different rules. This table compares the main paths.

Your path also changes which time periods an officer looks at. The sections below explain each one.

Can I apply after 3 years if I'm married to a U.S. citizen?

Yes, if you meet all the rules for this path. The 3-year marriage path has these added requirements:

• You have been a permanent resident for at least 3 years.
• You have been married to and living with the same U.S. citizen for the 3 years before you file. USCIS calls this living in "marital union."
• Your spouse has been a U.S. citizen for that whole time.
• You have been physically in the U.S. for at least 18 months (548 days) of those 3 years.

The age, state or district, English and civics, and Constitution requirements are the same as the general path. Good moral character is reviewed for the 3 years before you file, up to the oath.

The marriage must also last until you take the oath. If your spouse dies, or if you divorce or your marriage is annulled before then, you no longer qualify for this path. A legal separation generally ends marital union too. An informal separation is looked at case by case.

If you don't qualify for this path, being married does not stop you from applying. A spouse of a citizen can still use the general 5-year path.

What if I served in the U.S. military?

Military service has two separate paths. Both require you to show good moral character, English and civics, and attachment to the Constitution.

One year of service. You may qualify after at least one year of honorable service at any time. You must be at least 18 and a permanent resident when you are interviewed. If you file while you are serving, or within 6 months of an honorable discharge, the residence and physical presence requirements do not apply. If you file later, they apply again, though honorable service during those years counts toward them.

Service during hostilities. If you served honorably for any length of time during a designated period, you may qualify without the residence and physical presence requirements, and there is no minimum age. One designated period began on September 11, 2001, and is still open. You may not need to be a permanent resident, depending on where you were when you enlisted or reenlisted.

What's the difference between continuous residence and physical presence?

These two rules are easy to mix up, and you need to meet both.

Continuous residence is about whether the U.S. stayed your home. Physical presence is about how many days you were actually here. A short trip doesn't break your continuous residence, but those days away do not count as physical presence, except that USCIS counts the day you leave and the day you return as days in the U.S.

Long trips can affect your continuous residence:

If your continuous residence was broken, you usually have to build up a new period before you can apply. Trips taken after you file count too.

When can I file my application?

You can file up to 90 days before you complete your 5-year or 3-year period. You still cannot become a citizen until that period is complete. USCIS says it will reject an application that is submitted too early, so it is worth checking your date:

1. Find the date on your green card

   Form N-400 asks for the official date your permanent residence began, as shown on your Permanent Resident Card.

2. Add your required period

   Add 5 years for the general path, or 3 years for the marriage path.

3. Count back 90 days

   The result is about the earliest day you can file. USCIS counts back from the day before you first meet the requirement.

4. Check your other time rules

   Early filing only applies to the continuous residence period. You must meet all the other requirements on the day you file. For example, on the marriage path you must already have been married to a U.S. citizen for 3 years, and for an English test exemption you must already have the required age and years as a permanent resident.

What does good moral character mean?

Good moral character means your conduct measures up to the standards of average citizens in your community. It does not mean a perfect life. USCIS reviews your record, your application, and what you say at the interview.

Since August 2025, USCIS has told officers to look at the whole picture. That includes positive things, such as contributions to your community, as well as the absence of bad conduct. Conduct from before the 5-year or 3-year period can also be considered.

Some things are permanent bars, which means they rule out good moral character for good. These include murder and aggravated felonies. Other acts during the review period can also count against you, including false claims to U.S. citizenship and unlawful voting.

Do I have to pass an English and civics test?

Most applicants do. Both tests are part of the naturalization interview.

As of November 2026, if you filed on or after October 20, 2025, you take the 2025 civics test. An officer asks you up to 20 questions from a list of 128, and you need 12 correct answers to pass. People who filed earlier take the 2008 version.

Some people are exempt from the English test because of their age and time as a permanent resident:

• 50/20: you are 50 or older and have been a permanent resident for at least 20 years.
• 55/15: you are 55 or older and have been a permanent resident for at least 15 years.

They still take the civics test but can use an interpreter and their preferred language. People who are 65 or older with at least 20 years as a permanent resident also get a shorter civics test. A person with a qualifying medical disability may be exempt from English, civics, or both, using Form N-648.

When should I talk to an attorney?

Many people can understand these rules on their own. But some situations can change your application or even put your status at risk. Get legal advice before you file if any of these apply to you:

• You have ever been arrested, charged, or convicted, even if the case was dropped or happened long ago.
• You have been in deportation or removal proceedings.
• You have had a past immigration violation.
• You took a long trip abroad, or many trips.
• You ever claimed to be a U.S. citizen or voted in a U.S. election.