Every year, hundreds of thousands of people become new naturalized citizens of the U.S. and begin to enjoy the benefits of their new status. Obtaining a U.S. passport, voting in federal and state elections and bringing family members to live in the U.S. are some of the benefits that are exclusive to U.S. citizens and just some of the reasons why U.S. citizenship is highly valued.
How to Become a U.S. Citizen
A person can be eligible for U.S. citizenship through different ways. The main ones are:
- By being a permanent resident for a certain period of time
- By being a U.S. national
- By currently being in the military or having been discharged less than six months ago
- By being employed in a specific field or working for a U.S. organization that offers special naturalization benefits
- By being the spouse of a military member or the spouse of someone employed in a specific field/working for a U.S. organization that offers special naturalization benefits
Depending on which situation best applies to you, the general eligibility requirements for U.S. citizenship will be different.
What Are the General Eligibility Requirements for U.S. Citizenship?
To apply for U.S. citizenship, you must file Form N-400, Application for Naturalization with USCIS.
Below we offer a list of the general requirements for U.S. citizenship with a brief explanation on how the requirement may be different depending on the type of applicant you are. As you read through the list, it’s important to know that USCIS reviews every citizenship application on a case-by-case basis. The following are just some general guidelines.
- General requirement 1: Be 18 years old
- This is required of all applicants except those who are underage and currently serving in the military.
- General requirement 2: Meet the permanent residency (green card) requirements
- For 90% of applicants, the requirement is five years of permanent residency.
- For applicants who are married to U.S. citizens, the requirement is three years of permanent residency.
- For U.S. nationals, there is no permanent residency requirement.
- For certain members of the military, there may not be any permanent residency requirement.
- For the spouses of certain members of the military or spouses of someone employed in a specific field or working for a U.S. organization that offers special naturalization benefits, the permanency requirement may be 1 day.
- General requirement 3: Meet the continuous residence requirements
(continuous residence means living in the U.S. without leaving the country for a trip that was longer than 6 months)
- For 90% of applicants the requirement is five years of continuous residence.
- For applicants who are married to U.S. citizens, the requirement is three years of continuous residence.
- For certain members of the military, there may not be any continuous residence requirement.
- For certain employees in specific fields or working for a U.S. organization that offers special naturalization benefits, there may not be any continuous residence requirement.
- For the spouses of certain members of the military or spouses of someone employed in a specific field or working for a U.S. organization that offers special naturalization benefits, there may not be any continuous residence requirement.
- General requirement 4: Meet the physical presence requirements
(physical presence means being physically inside the U.S.)
- For 90% of applicants the requirement is 30 months of the last five years.
- For applicants who are married to U.S. citizens, the requirement is 18 months of the last three years.
- For certain members of the military, there may not be any physical presence requirement.
- For certain employees in specific fields or working for a U.S. organization that offers special naturalization benefits, there may not be any physical presence requirement.
- For the spouses of certain members of the military or spouses of someone employed in a specific field or working for a U.S. organization that offers special naturalization benefits, there may not be any physical presence requirement.
- General requirement 5: Have lived in the state or USCIS district where filing for at least 3 months
- This is required of almost all applicants except for certain members of the military and certain employees in specific fields or working for a U.S. organization that offers special naturalization benefits as well as their spouses.
- General requirement 6: Be a person of good moral character
(good moral character means not breaking the laws or committing any serious crimes)
- This is required of all applicants.
- General requirement 7: Be able to speak, read and write English
- This is required of all applicants, but some exceptions or special considerations can be made based on age and/or disability.
- General requirement 8: Have knowledge of U.S. history and government
- This is required of all applicants, but some exceptions or special considerations can be made based on age and/or disability.
