Instructions Table of Changes

TABLE OF CHANGES – INSTRUCTIONS

Form N-400, Instructions for Application for Naturalization

OMB Number: 1615-0052

12/06/2023

Reason for Revision: Final Fee Rule

Phase: OPS Review

Legend for Proposed Text:

• Black font = Current text

• Red font = Changes

Expires 11/30/2025

Edition Date 11/02/2022

Current Page Number and Section	Current Text	Proposed Text
NEW	[Page 1] Table of Contents/Page What Is the Purpose of Form N-400?/2 List of General Eligibility Requirements/2 Early Filing/3 General Instructions for Filing Form N-400/3 Disability Accommodations/Modifications/5 How to Complete Form N-400/5 Specific Instructions by Item Number/5 Part 1. Information About Your Eligibility/5 Part 2. Information About You (Person applying for naturalization)/6 Lawful Admission for Permanent Residence/7 Time as a Lawful Permanent Resident/7 Conditional Permanent Residents/8 Naturalization Testing and Exceptions/8 Legal Guardian, Surrogate, or Designated Representative/9 Part 3. Biographic Information/9 Categories and Definitions for Ethnicity and Race/9 Part 4. Information About Your Residence/10 Physical Address/11 Mailing Address/11 Part 5. Information About Your Marital History/11 Eligibility and Evidence for the Spouse of a Member of the U.S. Armed Forces/11 Eligibility Based on Marriage to a U.S. Citizen/12 Eligibility for the Spouse, Former Spouse, or Child of a U.S. Citizen under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)/13 Eligibility for the Spouse of a U.S. Citizen Working for a Qualified Employer Outside the United States/13 Part 6. Information About Your Children/15 Part 7. Information About Your Employment and Schools You Attended/15 Part 8. Time Outside the United States/16 Continuous Residence/16 Preserving Residence Through Form N-470/17 [Page 2] 3-Month Residency in a USCIS District or U.S. State/18 Residence of Students/18 Physical Presence/18 Part 9. Additional Information About You/20 Good Moral Character/20 Eligibility and Evidence for Current and Former Members of the U.S. Armed Forces/23 Oath of Allegiance/25 Part 10. Request for a Fee Reduction/26 Part 11. Applicant’s Contact Information, Certification, and Signature/26 Part 12. Interpreter’s Contact Information, Certification, and Signature/26 Part 13. Contact Information, Declaration, and Signature of Person Preparing this Application, if Other Than The Applicant/27 Part 14. Additional Information/27 Part 15. Signature at Interview/27 Part 16. Oath of Allegiance/27 What Is the Filing Fee?/27 Re-filing Form N-400/28 Where to File?/28 Address Change/29 Processing Information/29 USCIS Forms and Information/29 Penalties/29 USCIS Compliance Review and Monitoring/30 DHS Privacy Notice/30 Paperwork Reduction Act/31
Page 3, General Instructions	[Page 3] General Instructions for Filing Form N-400 … Validity of Signatures. USCIS will consider a photocopied, faxed, or scanned copy of an original, handwritten signature as valid for filing purposes. The photocopy, fax, or scan must be of the original document containing the handwritten ink signature. [new] …	[Page 3] General Instructions for Filing Form N-400 … Validity of Signatures. USCIS will consider a photocopied, faxed, or scanned copy of an original, handwritten signature as valid for filing purposes. The photocopy, fax, or scan must be of the original document containing the handwritten ink signature. Filing Fee. See Form G-1055, available at www.uscis.gov/forms, for specific information about the fees applicable to this form. …
Page 5-10, Specific Instructions	[Page 5] Specific Instructions by Item Number … [Page 26] Part 10. Request for a Fee Reduction You may be eligible for a fee reduction. To qualify for the reduced fee, your household income must be greater than 150 percent and not more than 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, at the time of filing, based on your household size. The Federal Poverty Guidelines are established by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services annually. To obtain information on the current Federal Poverty Guidelines, visit www.aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines. In Part 10., indicate whether you are requesting a fee reduction for Form N-400 and provide all the required information. Item Numbers 5.a. - 5.b. The head of household is the person who filed the most recent Federal tax return on which you are listed as a dependent or the person who provides the majority of the household’s income. Required Evidence - Reduced Fee A copy of each household member’s most recent Federal tax return; If the household member did not file a Federal tax return, or if the tax return does not properly reflect their current income, submit copies of consecutive pay statements (stubs) for a minimum of the past month, a recent Form W-2, Form SSA-1099, or employer statements on business stationery showing salary or wages paid; or If you are a student and not living with your parents or are not claimed as a dependent on your parents’ Federal tax return, do not include your parents’ incomes. You should only provide proof of your income or documentation that shows you are not required to file a Federal or state tax return, such as proof that you are a full-time student as supporting documentation. There is no reduction available for the biometric services fee. If your request for reduced fee is approved, you will pay half the filing fee plus the biometric services fee. Part 11. Applicant’s Contact Information, Certification, and Signature … We recommend that you review your copy of your completed application before you go to your biometric services appointment at a USCIS ASC. At your appointment, USCIS will allow you to complete the application process only if you are able to confirm, under penalty of perjury, that all of the information in your application is complete, true, and correct. If you are not able to make that attestation in good faith at that time, we will require you to return for another appointment.	[Page 5] Specific Instructions by Item Number … [Page 26] Part 10. Request for a Fee Reduction You may be eligible for a fee reduction. To qualify for the reduced fee, your household income must be less than or equal to 400% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, at the time of filing, based on your household size. The Federal Poverty Guidelines are established by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services annually. To obtain information on the current Federal Poverty Guidelines, visit www.aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines. In Part 10., indicate whether you are requesting a fee reduction for Form N-400 and provide all the required information. The head of household is the person who filed the most recent Federal tax return on which you are listed as a dependent or the person who provides the majority of the household’s income. [no change] [deleted] Part 11. Applicant’s Contact Information, Certification, and Signature … We recommend that you review your copy of your completed application before you go to your biometric services appointment at a USCIS ASC. At your appointment, USCIS will allow you to complete the application process only if you are able to confirm, under penalty of perjury, that all of the information in your application is complete, true, and correct. If you are not able to make that attestation in good faith at that time, we will require you to return for another appointment.
Page 14, What Is the Filing Fee?	[Page 27] What Is the Filing Fee? The filing fee for Form N-400 is $640. A biometric services fee of $85 is also required, regardless of where the applicant lives and whether the applicant is filing from inside or outside the United States. The total payment is $725. Certain applicants may be eligible for a fee reduction or fee waiver. See the Form G-1055, Fee Schedule, at www.uscis.gov/g-1055. NOTE: Current and former members of the U.S. armed forces filing under INA section 328 or 329 are not required to pay the filing fee or the biometric services fee. Rejected Applications USCIS will reject your Form N-400 if you submit the incorrect fee or an incorrect payment method. USCIS also will reject your Form N-400 if you include payment for more than what you are required to pay. In the event USCIS rejects your application, we will return any filing fees with your application. Payments by Check or Money Order Use the following guidelines when you are paying for your application. The check or money order must be drawn on a bank or other financial institution located in the United States and must be payable in U.S. currency; [Page 28] Make the check or money order payable to U.S. Department of Homeland Security; NOTE: Spell out U.S. Department of Homeland Security; do not use the initials “USDHS” or “DHS.” You must submit only one check, money order, or credit card payment for each application; Use the same payment method for all applications that are mailed together; and If you live outside the United States, contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or U.S. Consulate for instructions on the method of payment. Notice to Those Paying by Check. If you send USCIS a check, we will convert it into an electronic funds transfer (EFT). This means we will copy your check and use the account information on it to electronically debit your account for the amount of the check. The debit from your account will usually take 24 hours and your bank will show it on your regular account statement. We will destroy your original check, but will keep a copy of it. If USCIS cannot process the EFT for technical reasons, you authorize us to process the copy in place of your original check. If your check is returned as unpayable, we will re-submit the payment to the financial institution one time. If the check is returned as unpayable a second time, we will reject your application and charge you a returned check fee. Payments by Credit Card If you are filing your application at a USCIS Lockbox facility, you can pay your filing fee and biometric services fee using a credit card. Please see Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions, at www.uscis.gov/G-1450 for more information. NOTE: By completing this transaction, you agree that you have paid for a government service and that the filing fee, biometric services fee, and all related financial transactions are final and not refundable. NOTE: The filing fee and biometric services fee are not refundable, regardless of any action USCIS takes on this application or how long we take to reach a decision. DO NOT MAIL CASH. You must submit all fees in the exact amounts. How To Check If the Fees Are Correct The Form N-400’s filing fee and biometric services fee are current as of the edition date in the lower left corner of this page. However, because USCIS fees change periodically, you can verify that the fees are correct by following one of the steps below. 1. Visit the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov, select “FORMS,” and check the appropriate fee; or 2. Visit the USCIS Contact Center at www.uscis.gov/contactcenter or call the USCIS Contact Center to get answers to your questions and connect with a live USCIS representative. Re-Filing Form N-400 If we denied your previously filed Form N-400 and you are filing a new Form N-400, you must pay the full amount, unless you are eligible for a fee reduction or fee waiver. Otherwise, we will not accept your Form N-400. We cannot apply a previously submitted filing fee amount to a newly filed Form N-400.	[deleted]
Page 16, Where to File?	[Page 16] Where To File? …	[Page 28] Where To File? …
Pages 29, Processing Information	[Page 29] Processing Information USCIS will reject any Form N-400 that is not signed or accompanied by the correct filing fee and biometric services fee. We may also reject any application that is not completed in accordance with these Instructions, is missing pages, or otherwise not executed in its entirety, or is not accompanied by the required initial evidence. If we reject your Form N-400, we will return the application and any fees to you and notify you why the application is considered deficient. You may correct the deficiency and resubmit Form N-400. An application is not considered properly filed until USCIS accepts it. …	[Page 29] Processing Information USCIS will reject any Form N-400 that is not signed or accompanied by the correct filing fee. Form N-400 will also be rejected if you use an incorrect payment method or pay more than you are required to pay. We may also reject any application that is not completed in accordance with these Instructions, is missing pages, or otherwise not executed in its entirety, or is not accompanied by the required initial evidence. If you do not provide a complete and valid mailing address, USCIS may not be able to return the fee if your Form N-400 is rejected. If we reject your Form N-400, we will return the application and any fees to you and notify you why the application is considered deficient. You may correct the deficiency and refile Form N-400. An application is not considered properly filed until USCIS accepts it. …
Page 31, Paperwork Reduction Act	[Page 31] Paperwork Reduction Act USCIS may not conduct or sponsor an information collection, and you are not required to respond to a collection of information, unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated at 8.987 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering the required documentation and information, completing the application, preparing statements, attaching necessary documentation, and submitting the application. The collection of biometrics is estimated to require 1 hour and 10 minutes. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Office of Policy and Strategy, Regulatory Coordination Division, 5900 Capital Gateway Drive, Mail Stop #2140, Camp Springs, MD 20588-0009; OMB No. 1615-0052. Do not mail your completed Form N-400 to this address.	[Page 31] Paperwork Reduction Act USCIS may not conduct or sponsor an information collection, and you are not required to respond to a collection of information, unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated at 8.547 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering the required documentation and information, completing the application, preparing statements, attaching necessary documentation, and submitting the application. The collection of biometrics is estimated to require 1 hour and 10 minutes. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Office of Policy and Strategy, Regulatory Coordination Division, 5900 Capital Gateway Drive, Mail Stop #2140, Camp Springs, MD 20588-0009; OMB No. 1615-0052. Do not mail your completed Form N-400 to this address.

1