How long can I travel outside the U.S. before applying for citizenship?

What does a long trip affect?

A long trip is judged in two separate ways, and it helps to keep them apart.

• Your citizenship timeline. Long trips can break your continuous residence, so you may have to wait longer before you can apply.
• Your green card itself. Long absences can lead an officer to decide you abandoned your permanent residence, which is a more serious problem.

Here is how U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) generally treats one trip, depending on its length.

Coming back can also be different after a long trip. Under immigration law, a permanent resident who has been away for more than 180 days in a row can be treated as seeking admission to the U.S., rather than simply returning.

If you are close to one of these limits, or unsure how a trip counts, get legal advice before you file.

Do short trips add up?

Yes, in two ways, even when no single trip is long.

Your total days. You must be physically in the U.S. for at least half of your required period: 30 months (913 days) on the 5-year path, or 18 months (548 days) on the marriage path. USCIS says that if frequent short trips keep you abroad more than half the time, you are not eligible. Our guide to continuous residence and physical presence shows how to count.

Your pattern of travel. Even if every trip is under 6 months, an officer can review whether your main home was really in the U.S. USCIS sets no number of trips that is too many.

How does USCIS decide if I abandoned my green card?

Abandonment is about whether you still intend to live in the U.S. as a permanent resident. There's no single length of absence that decides it, and an officer can look at things like:

USCIS may find abandonment even on a trip of less than 1 year, if it believes you did not intend to keep the U.S. as your permanent home.

What should I do before a long trip?

If you may be gone for more than 6 months, plan before you leave. Some of these steps can't be done once you are abroad.

1. Work out what the trip will do to your timeline

   Check how it affects your filing date, and count your days against the physical presence rule.

2. Apply for a reentry permit if you may be gone 1 year or more

   File Form I-131. You must be physically in the U.S. when you file and when you complete biometrics, so you can't start this after you leave.

3. Check whether your job qualifies for Form N-470

   If you will work abroad for certain employers, this form may protect your continuous residence. It must generally be filed before you have been abroad for 1 year in a row.

4. Keep your ties and your records

   Your U.S. job, home, bank accounts, and tax filings can all help show that you kept your residence. Keep copies.

What's the difference between a reentry permit and Form N-470?

People often assume a reentry permit protects them for citizenship. It does not.

A green card is generally good for reentry only after an absence of less than 1 year. If you stay abroad past that and don't have a valid reentry permit, you may need a returning resident visa from a U.S. embassy or consulate. To get one, you must show that you left intending to return and that your long stay was caused by reasons beyond your control. The process also includes showing you are eligible for an immigrant visa and having a medical exam.

What if I already took a long trip?

It doesn't necessarily mean you can't become a citizen. It depends on how long you were gone.

• More than 6 months, less than 1 year. You can try to overcome the presumption with evidence, such as keeping your U.S. job and home. Our guide lists the records to keep.
• 1 year or more. You generally need to build up a new period. On the 5-year path, you can apply after 4 years and 1 day back in the U.S., if you can overcome the presumption, or after 4 years and 6 months without having to. On the 3-year marriage path, those periods are 2 years and 1 day, or 2 years and 6 months.

Can I travel after I file my application?

You can, but the rules still apply. Long trips count until the day you become a citizen, and a trip of 1 year or more breaks your residence even after you file.

Also plan around your appointments. USCIS may deny your application if you miss your biometrics appointment, and you generally must be in the U.S. for your interview. If you need to retake part of the test, the retest is usually 60 to 90 days after your first interview.

The officer reviews your travel history at the interview. Before your oath ceremony, you also complete a questionnaire on Form N-445, which an officer reviews when you arrive.

When should I talk to an attorney?

Get legal advice before you file, or before a long trip if you can, if any of these apply to you:

• You took a trip of more than 6 months, or you are planning one.
• You spend a large part of each year abroad, even in short trips.
• You were questioned at the border about your absences or your status.
• You signed a form giving up your permanent residence, such as Form I-407.
• You filed U.S. taxes as a nonresident.