New Americans

Ready for Citizenship Checklist

Pick up a Ready for Citizenship envelope at your local library. Place your important application documents in this envelope so they are easier to locate, organize, and retrieve.

Ready for Citizenship Checklist

Identity Documents

  • Copy of your Permanent Resident Card (front and back)
  • Foreign Passport
  • Birth certificate (with English translation)
  • State-issued identification
  • Social Security Number

Proof of Family Ties

  • Children’s Birth Certificates (with English translations)
  • Court order and evidence of your financial support (child support payments, cancelled checks)
  • Marriage certificate
  • Evidence of good faith marriage
  • Proof of termination of all prior marriages (if any)

Proof of Spouse’s Family Members’ Immigration Status

  • U.S. birth certificate or U.S. passport
  • Lawful Permanent Residence Card/Green Card
  • Work permit (TPS/DACA/etc.)

Proof of U.S. Residency

  • List of previous residence addresses with dates for the past 5 years
  • List of your employers (and/or schools) for past 5 years
  • List of all the trips of 24 hours or longer that you have taken outside of the U.S. during the past 5 years

Legal Documents

  • Police and court records, if any
  • Final court dispositions, including judgments and indictments
  • “Selective Service Number” or a “Status Information Letter” from the Selective Service (if you are a male between the ages of 18 and 26 while living in the U.S.)

USCIS Application Fees

  • The standard USCIS filing fee for Application for Naturalization is $710 if you file online or $760 if you file a paper application by mail. Fees are subject to change without notice.
  • You may qualify for a fee waiver or reduction. Documents needed to verify eligibility: most recent tax return forms with W-2s, most recent paycheck stubs and bank statements, official government documents if you receive government benefits.