Form N-400 Instructions 2026: How to Complete Each Part

Quick Answer: How Do You Complete Form N-400?

Form N-400 has 16 parts, but you should complete only the parts and questions that apply to your filing basis and circumstances. This guide follows the current Form N-400, Edition 01/20/25, and explains how to complete each section accurately.

Answer every applicable question fully and review your information before filing. If you need more space for an answer, use Part 14, Additional Information. Leave Parts 15 and 16 blank until a USCIS officer instructs you to complete them at your naturalization interview.

Depending on your circumstances and filing method, Form N-400 may be filed online or by mail.

Before You Start Form N-400

Before completing Form N-400, confirm which naturalization basis applies to you and use the edition currently accepted by USCIS. The current Form N-400 and Form N-400 Instructions are Edition 01/20/25. Check the current Form N-400 page before filing in case USCIS updates the edition.

If you are unsure whether you qualify to apply, review our U.S. Citizenship Eligibility guide before selecting your filing basis in Part 1.

Eligible applicants may file Form N-400 online or by mail, although some filing options require a paper application. When completing the form:

• answer every applicable question fully and accurately;
• enter N/A when a question does not apply, unless USCIS directs otherwise;
• enter None when a required numeric answer is zero, unless directed otherwise;
• use Part 14, Additional Information if you need more space;
• sign the form where required;
• include supporting evidence that applies to your filing basis or answers; and
• keep a complete copy of the application and evidence you submit.

Review the entire form before filing so that names, dates, addresses, travel history, and other information are consistent with the records you intend to provide. You can also review the official Form N-400 Instructions before completing the application.

Form N-400 Instructions, Part by Part

The current Form N-400 contains 16 parts. Not every question or field applies to every applicant. The eligibility basis you select in Part 1 affects some later instructions, including how much residence, employment, school, and travel history you must provide. Follow the skip instructions on the form as you complete each part.

Part 1. Information About Your Eligibility

Part 1 asks you to select one basis for filing Form N-400. The current form provides seven choices:

1. General Provision
2. Spouse of U.S. Citizen
3. VAWA
4. Spouse of U.S. Citizen in Qualified Employment Outside the United States
5. Military Service During Period of Hostilities
6. At Least One Year of Honorable Military Service at Any Time
7. Other Reason for Filing Not Listed Above

Your selection affects instructions in later parts, including the periods you must report for residence, employment, school, and travel.

If you are unsure which category applies to you, confirm your naturalization basis before completing the rest of the form. See our U.S. Citizenship Eligibility guide for more information about the different eligibility paths.

Part 2. Information About You

Part 2 collects identifying and immigration information about you. Complete each field using your current information and the records that apply to you.

1. Current legal name: Enter your full legal name. Do not use a nickname.
2. Other names used: List other names you have used since birth, including maiden names, aliases, nicknames, and alternate spellings when applicable.
3. Optional name change: You may request a legal name change through the naturalization process where this option is available. Enter the new name you want only if you are requesting a change.
4. USCIS Online Account Number: Enter your USCIS Online Account Number if you have one.
5. Sex: The current Form N-400, Edition 01/20/25, provides Male and Female as the available selections.
6. Date of birth: Enter your actual date of birth. If you have used another date of birth, provide that information in Part 14.
7. Lawful permanent resident date: If you are an LPR, enter the date you became a lawful permanent resident. USCIS uses this information when reviewing your naturalization eligibility.
8. Birth and citizenship: Provide your country of birth and current country of citizenship or nationality. List additional nationalities in Part 14 if needed.
9. Parent citizenship: Answer whether your mother or father, including an adoptive parent, was a U.S. citizen before your 18th birthday. A Yes answer may mean you should first determine whether you already acquired U.S. citizenship.
10. Disability exception: If a qualifying physical or developmental disability or mental impairment prevents you from meeting the English or civics requirements, Part 2 asks about the medical exception associated with Form N-648. This is different from requesting a disability accommodation for an appointment.
11. Social Security update: You can authorize USCIS to share information with the Social Security Administration to issue an original or replacement Social Security card and update your status after naturalization.

Part 3. Biographic Information

Part 3 asks for biographic information that USCIS uses for identity and background-check purposes. Complete the categories shown on the form, including:

• ethnicity;
• race;
• height;
• weight;
• eye color; and
• hair color.

Select the options that accurately describe you and follow the units requested on the form. For example, height is reported in feet and inches and weight in pounds. Use the choices provided by USCIS rather than creating your own categories.

Part 4. Information About Your Residence

Part 4 asks for your current physical address, your mailing address if different, and the residence history required for your filing basis. If you need more space for prior addresses, use Part 14.

The reporting period depends on the eligibility category selected in Part 1:

If your physical and mailing addresses are different, provide a mailing address where you can reliably receive USCIS notices. Follow USCIS instructions if a safe mailing address applies to your circumstances.

Part 5. Information About Your Marital History

Part 5, Information About Your Marital History, begins by asking about your current marital status and the number of times you have been married. If you are currently married, it also asks whether your spouse is serving in the U.S. armed forces.

If you are single and have never married, the current form directs you to skip the remaining marital-history questions and go to Part 6.

The detailed current-spouse questions in Items 4.a. through 8 do not apply to every applicant. Complete them if you selected:

• Spouse of U.S. Citizen in Part 1; or
• Spouse of U.S. Citizen in Qualified Employment Outside the United States.

These fields ask for information such as your spouse’s name, date of birth, marriage date, address, U.S. citizenship information, A-Number if any, and number of marriages.

If you did not select one of those two filing bases, the current form directs you to skip the detailed spouse questions and continue to Part 6.

Item 8, your spouse’s employer or company, applies only to applicants filing based on a U.S.-citizen spouse in qualified employment outside the United States.

Part 6. Information About Your Children

Part 6 asks for the total number of your children under age 18 and information about each child listed.

Depending on your circumstances, this includes biological children, current stepchildren, legally adopted children, children living with you or elsewhere, missing children, and children born when you were not married or were in a civil, customary, or religious marriage.

For each child, the form asks for information such as:

• name;
• date of birth;
• whether the child lives with you;
• relationship to you; and
• whether you provide support.

Do not leave out a child simply because the child lives at another address. If a child does not live with you, the current form instructs you to provide the child’s address in Part 14.

Part 7. Information About Your Employment and Schools You Attended

Part 7 asks where you worked, attended school, or had other activity such as unemployment during the period required for your filing basis. Begin with your most recent activity and account for the full reporting period.

Include full-time and part-time employment or study where required. The form also instructs applicants to identify periods of self-employment, unemployment, or retirement rather than leaving unexplained gaps.

Part 8. Time Outside the United States

Part 8 asks you to report trips outside the United States during the period that applies to your filing basis. For each required trip, provide the date you left, the date you returned, and the country or countries you visited.

Start with your most recent trip and work backward. USCIS says not to include trips completed entirely within 24 hours. If a required trip lasted more than six months, additional continuous-residence evidence may be relevant. See our dedicated continuous-residence guidance for those rules rather than relying only on the travel table.

Part 9. Additional Information About You

Part 9 contains detailed background and eligibility questions. Read every question carefully and answer based on your actual history. When a question uses the word EVER, USCIS generally requires you to consider conduct anywhere in the world at any time unless the question states otherwise.

Current Part 9 covers topics including:

• claims to U.S. citizenship and voting;
• overdue taxes and nonresident-alien tax treatment;
• involvement with Communist or totalitarian parties;
• violence, persecution, weapons, armed groups, or security-related conduct;
• military, police, or armed-group service;
• criminal conduct, arrests, citations, charges, convictions, and other case outcomes;
• false or misleading information given to U.S. government officials;
• immigration and removal or deportation history;
• Selective Service;
• U.S. military service and related history;
• hereditary titles or orders of nobility; and
• support for the Constitution and willingness to take the Oath of Allegiance.

Some Yes answers require additional explanations or evidence. A Yes answer does not have the same effect in every case, so do not use a general answer key.

For explanations of common Part 9 and Yes/No questions, see our N-400 Interview Questions guide.

Part 10. Request for a Fee Reduction

Part 10 is used if you are requesting the reduced Form N-400 filing fee based on household income. The current form asks whether your household income is at or below 400% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines and requests information about household income and household size.

A reduced fee is different from a full fee waiver. If you request the reduced fee, USCIS requires you to file a paper Form N-400 with the required supporting documentation; the reduced-fee option is not available through online N-400 filing.

See our N-400 Cost and Filing Fee guide for current fees and eligibility details.

Part 11. Applicant’s Contact Information, Certification, and Signature

Part 11 asks for your telephone numbers, email address, certification, and signature. By signing, you certify that the information you provided is complete, true, and correct.

Do not omit the required signature. Where USCIS rules allow it, a legal guardian, surrogate, or designated representative may sign for an applicant.

Part 12. Interpreter’s Information

Complete Part 12 if an interpreter helped you understand the application and its questions. The interpreter must provide identifying and contact information, certify that they interpreted the form in a language you understand, and sign and date the section.

This section concerns assistance with Form N-400 and is separate from interpreter procedures at the naturalization interview.

Part 13. Preparer’s Information

Part 13 must be completed when someone other than you prepared Form N-400 at your request. The preparer provides their name, organization and contact information, certification, signature, and date.

If the same person served as both your interpreter and preparer, complete the applicable information in both Parts 12 and 13.

Part 14. Additional Information

Use Part 14 when you need more space to complete an answer elsewhere on Form N-400. Clearly identify the page number, part number, and item number that your additional information relates to.

If you need more space than Part 14 provides, USCIS allows additional sheets. Follow the form instructions for identifying, signing, and dating those pages. Part 14 does not replace supporting evidence that USCIS requires.

Part 15. Signature at Interview

Leave Part 15 blank when you file Form N-400. Complete it only when a USCIS officer instructs you to do so during your naturalization interview.

By signing Part 15, you certify that your Form N-400, including any corrections made during the interview, and the evidence you submitted are complete, true, and correct.

Part 16. Oath of Allegiance

Leave Part 16 blank when you file Form N-400. USCIS instructs applicants not to complete this part until an officer tells them to do so during the naturalization interview.

Signing Part 16 acknowledges your willingness to take the Oath of Allegiance. It does not make you a U.S. citizen. If USCIS approves your application, you must later take the Oath at a naturalization ceremony before you become a naturalized U.S. citizen.

How to File Form N-400

Eligible applicants may file Form N-400 online or by mail. The filing method you can use may depend on whether you are paying the standard USCIS filing fee or requesting a reduced fee or fee waiver.

If you request a reduced fee or qualifying fee waiver, you must file Form N-400 on paper with the required supporting documents. Before mailing a paper application, check the current USCIS Form N-400 page for the correct filing address and instructions because USCIS filing locations can change.

When you file:

• include the evidence required for your filing basis and answers; For a detailed list of supporting documents based on your circumstances, see our N-400 Checklist.
• pay the correct USCIS filing fee or submit the required request for a reduced fee or fee waiver;
• review the application for missing answers and signatures; and
• keep a complete copy of Form N-400 and everything you submit.

For current government filing costs and reduced-fee or fee-waiver information, see our N-400 Cost and Filing Fee guide. Any ImmigrationDirect service fee is separate from the USCIS government filing fee.

What Happens After You File Form N-400?

After USCIS accepts your Form N-400, you will receive a receipt notice and can use your receipt number to track the case.

USCIS will notify you if biometrics are required. Later, USCIS generally schedules a naturalization interview, where you may also complete the English and civics tests unless an exception applies. After reviewing your application, USCIS will issue a decision.

If your application is approved, the final step is the Oath of Allegiance at a naturalization ceremony. For the full process from filing through naturalization, see our N-400 Guide.

Form N-400 Instructions FAQs