N-400 Application for Citizenship
Eligible Lawful Permanent Residents (green card holders) have to file Form N-400, Application for Naturalization with the USCIS. After completing the application, they have to mail the application with the necessary supporting documents and the appropriate filing fee to the concerned Application Service Center serving their area.
Though the USCIS revised the fees for many applications/petitions, the N 400 application fee remains unchanged. The current fee for processing a naturalization application is $595. Applicants under 75 years of age should also pay a fee to have their fingerprints taken
It is important that you send the N 400 application fee along with your Naturalization application. Else your application will be sent back to you. You can pay the fee with a check or money order drawn on a U.S. bank and it should be payable to the Department of Homeland Security. Make note NOT to use the initials DHS or USDHS and also do not send cash.
If you are residing in Guam, you have to make the fee payable to the “Treasurer, Guam,” and if you residing in U.S. Virgin Islands, you have to make the fee payable to the “Commissioner of Finance of the Virgin Islands.”
Fees for fingerprinting which include your photograph and signature, are separate from the $595 application fee. Also keep in mind that the $595 application fee will not be refunded even if you withdraw your application or if your application is rejected.
Are All Applicants Required to Pay the N 400 Application Fee?
You need not pay the filing fee if you are applying for naturalization based on your own service in the Armed Forces of the US. If you are aged 75 years or older, or if you are filing on the basis of your service in the Armed Forces of the US, or if you are filing the citizenship application from outside the US, you need not send the biometric services fee with your citizenship application.
Apart from the fee, you should also send a photocopy of both sides of your Permanent Resident Card (Green Card). If you have lost the green card, you have to submit a photocopy of the receipt of your Form I-90, “Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card;” In addition to these, two identical color photographs, with your name and “A-number” written lightly in pencil on the back of each photo should also accompany the application. The supporting documents to be sent are user specific and differs from applicant to applicant.
If you send all the required documents with the fee and if your application is perfect, you will be informed to appear to get your fingerprints taken. Subsequently, you should attend an interview where you will be questioned about the details found in the application you submitted. As part of the application process, you should take an English and Civics test. The final decision on your application will be taken based on the completeness of your application and your performance in the English and Civics test. Some applicants, depending on age and health factors can claim a waiver for the tests.