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Naturalization is how a lawful permanent resident becomes a U.S. citizen. Almost everyone who naturalizes does so under one of two rules: five years as a permanent resident, or three years if you are married to and living with a U.S. citizen. Everything else on this page is an exception to those two rules.
| Five-year rule (INA 316) | Three-year marriage rule (INA 319(a)) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | Most permanent residents | Married to and living with the same U.S. citizen, who has been a citizen for those 3 years |
| Green card held for | 5 years | 3 years |
| Continuous residence | 5 years | 3 years |
| Physical presence in the U.S. | 30 months | 18 months |
| In your state or USCIS district | 3 months | 3 months |
| Good moral character shown for | 5 years | 3 years |
| Minimum age | 18 | 18 |
| English and civics test | Required | Required |
| Earliest you can file | 90 days before you complete 5 years | 90 days before you complete 3 years |
You may submit Form N-400 up to 90 days before you complete your three or five years of continuous residence. This is the single most useful piece of timing in the whole process, and also the most commonly misunderstood.
What it does not do is make you eligible sooner. You still cannot be naturalized until you have actually completed the full residence period, and every other requirement must already be satisfied on the day you file. If you are applying under the marriage rule, that means you must already have three full years of living in marital union with your citizen spouse, and your spouse must already have been a citizen for those three years. The 90-day allowance does not shorten either one. Your physical presence total, 18 or 30 months, must also already be met.
Counting the date correctly matters, because USCIS does not count back from the anniversary itself. It counts back 90 calendar days from the day before you would first satisfy the residence requirement. If your five years is complete on June 10, the count starts June 9, and the earliest you may file is March 12.
Filing even one day early can get the application rejected or denied, and you lose the filing fee. Use the USCIS Early Filing Calculator, or ask us to confirm the date before you submit.
Whichever path you take, you must be 18 or older when you file, show good moral character, demonstrate attachment to the principles of the U.S. Constitution and be well disposed to the good order and happiness of the United States, pass the English and civics tests unless an exception applies, and take the Oath of Allegiance. The one age exception is wartime military service under INA 329, which has no minimum age.
This is where most otherwise-eligible applicants run into trouble, so it is worth being precise. Trips of under six months are generally fine. A single absence of more than six months but less than a year is presumed to break your continuous residence, but that presumption can be rebutted with evidence such as keeping your U.S. job, your home, and your immediate family here. An absence of a year or more breaks continuous residence automatically, unless you obtained an approved Form N-470 first. Frequent shorter trips can also cause problems if they make it hard to show that the United States is your principal dwelling place.
Which civics test you take depends on when you filed. Applications filed before October 20, 2025 use the 2008 test: up to 10 questions drawn from a bank of 100, with 6 correct to pass. Applications filed on or after October 20, 2025 use the 2025 test: 20 questions drawn from a bank of 128, with 12 correct to pass. The English portion is unchanged. You read one of three sentences, write one of three, and the officer assesses your spoken English during the interview.
Several exceptions exist. If you are 50 or older with 20 years as a permanent resident, or 55 or older with 15 years, you are exempt from English and may take civics in your own language with an interpreter. If you are 65 or older with 20 years as a permanent resident, you take civics from a specially designated shorter question set. An applicant who cannot meet either requirement because of a physical or developmental disability or mental impairment may be exempt from one or both, with a Form N-648 completed by a licensed medical professional.
Military service. Different and generally faster rules apply to service members and veterans, and to some of their families. See Naturalization Information for Military Personnel.
Children. Children of U.S. citizens, including adopted children, may acquire citizenship automatically rather than through naturalization. See Adopted Children and Citizenship.
Everyone else. The categories below have modified requirements. Contact us to discuss which one applies to you.
| Category | Permanent resident required? | Residence and presence |
|---|---|---|
| Spouse of a U.S. citizen employed abroad for at least 1 year (INA 319(b)) | Yes, at interview | None required; interview and oath must be in the U.S. |
| Surviving spouse, child, or parent of a citizen who died in honorable active duty (INA 319(d)) | Yes | None required |
| Spouse living abroad with a service member on official orders (INA 319(e)) | Yes | Time abroad counts as U.S. residence and presence |
| U.S. national who has become a resident of a State (INA 325) | No | Standard rules; time in American Samoa or Swains Island counts |
| Employee of the U.S. government, an American research institution, an American firm developing foreign trade, or a public international organization | Yes, 5 years | Standard rules; an approved Form N-470 preserves residence during a long absence |
| Minister or religious worker for a qualifying denomination | Yes, 5 years | Standard rules; an approved Form N-470 preserves residence |
| Employee for 5 or more years of a U.S. nonprofit promoting U.S. interests abroad through media (INA 319(c)) | Yes, 5 years | None required |
| Crew member on a U.S.-operated or U.S.-registered vessel (INA 330) | Yes, 5 years | Standard rules; time aboard counts as physical presence |
This page describes general rules and is not legal advice. Requirements are current as of [DATE]. Verify against USCIS before filing.