Form N-400, Application for Naturalization is the application for citizenship. Naturalization is the process by which green card holders become citizens of the United States.
Check if you are eligible to apply for naturalization.
Completing the Application for Citizenship
The application for citizenship consists of 14 parts out of which 10 need to be filled. The 11th section has the sign and date. If some one else prepared the application on your behalf, you need to fill part 12. Section 13 and 14 are to be filled during the interview. So generally, you have to fill ten sections in the application for citizenship.
The first part is about your legal name. It is the name on your birth certificate unless it has changed legally through marriage or court order. While filing the application for citizenship, you can also opt for a name change. But that will be final only if a court naturalizes you. The second part consists of your eligibility as a legal permanent resident (green card holder). Then you will be required to give information about date of birth, social security number and about your green card. Additional information (the country of nationality and marital status) also needs to be entered.
Part 4 of the application is about your contact information. This is followed by details of your address you lived during the past five years that also includes your stay abroad and details of your employment. In case you were a student, you have to list out all the schools where you studied during the past five years. Coming to part 7 of the application, you have to list out all the trips you took outside of the US during the past five years. Part 8 solicits information about your marital status. If you are married, you have to list details of all your prior marriages, whether divorced or annulled and also prior marital details of your spouse. Next, you have to list details of all your children in part 9 of the application. Ensure that you list details of all you children whether they are biological, illegitimate, alive, dead or missing.
A few sets of questions are asked in Part 10. These are important questions that you need to answer honestly as they seek to understand your moral conduct. There are many questions about crimes. If applicable to you, you should be truthful and provide information about all offenses you had committed including the ones that were removed from your record and if any such incident occurred before your 18th birthday. If you do not inform or bring to notice these offenses and if the USCIS comes to know about it, your case may be denied even if the original offense was not a crime that deserves to be cause of your application getting rejected.
Additionally, in order to qualify for US citizenship, you should be able to read, write, and speak basic English. You should also have some knowledge of U.S. history and government. However, certain applicants, because of age or disability, have different requirements and the English and civics test can be waived at times.
Supporting Documents & Submission Fees
Certain supporting documents has to be sent along with the citizenship application. Documents that are in a foreign language submitted to USCIS should also have a full English language translation and the translator should certify it as complete and accurate. The translator’s certification should state that he/ she is competent enough to translate from the foreign language to English.
The submission fee for the application for citizenship is $595.00. Additionally, a biometric fee of $85 is charged when filing this application. You may submit one check or money order for $675 for both the application and biometric fees. All citizenship applicants filing under the military provisions do not require a filing fee.