Persons born outside the United States to a U.S. citizen parent, and persons who automatically became a U.S. citizen after birth when a parent naturalized, can apply to receive a certificate as proof of their U.S. citizenship. The application for the certificate is made on U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Form N-600.
This article describes the 01/20/2025 version of the form. Always check the Form N-600 page of the USCIS website to make sure you are using the latest version.
General Instructions for Filling Out USCIS Form N-600
The N-600, like all USCIS forms, can be filled out in your own handwriting, or on a computer or other electronic device. If you fill it out by hand, use black ink and make sure everything you write is clearly readable.
There might be places in the form where your information will not fit in the space provided. The last page of the N-600 can be used to provide additional information. If you have still more information, you can attach separate sheets of paper to the N-600. If you do that, you need to type or print your name and alien registration number (A-Number) (if you have one) at the top of each sheet. Let USCIS know which question on the form your additional information refers to by indicating the page number, part number, and item number. Sign and date each sheet.
Some questions on the N-600 might not apply to you. In those cases, type or print “N/A” in the box. If your answer to a question which requires a numeric response is zero or none, type or print “None.” If you leave a box blank, USCIS needs to be sure that you didn’t just forget to answer. However, the N-600 also has boxes that you don’t strictly need to fill in. An example would be boxes asking for a foreign province and postal code, where you see “(foreign address only)” on the form.
Part 1 – Information About Your Eligibility
You can choose only one box describing whether the child is a biological relation, was adopted, or something else.
Part 2 – Information About You
The information in this part (and Parts 3 through 7 as well) is about the child (and likely the applicant), not the parent. But it's okay for parents to fill this out on a minor child's behalf.
Question 8 asks for the country of prior citizenship or nationality. For a child who has been a U.S. citizen since birth, write or type “N/A.” For children who had a different citizenship or nationality before becoming U.S. citizens, provide the name of the foreign country where you were last a citizen or national, even if that country no longer exists. If you were a citizen or national of more than one other country, provide the name of the country that last issued you a passport.
Question 5 asks for your USCIS online account number. It's entirely possible you don't have one, which is fine. (Only people who have submitted certain types of applications to USCIS will have one.)
Question 13 asks for your current marital status, meaning your marital status on the date you send in the N-600. (If you’re getting divorced but it’s not final yet, you are not “divorced.”) Check only one box.
Question 15 asks questions concerning your U.S. entries and what passport you've been traveling on. This is somewhat confusing, because only U.S. citizens can apply for a certificate of U.S. citizenship. Persons who have had U.S. citizenship since birth will probably say “No” under Question C and skip ahead to Question 17. People who became eligible for U.S. citizenship through a parent's naturalization should answer Item D and Question 16 your green card holder status (which is a required element of eligibility).
Questions 17 and 18 ask about past efforts to obtain proof of U.S. citizenship. USCIS wants to know this history, particularly if you were denied.
Question 19 asks whether you live in your U.S. citizen parent's legal custody. You must answer "yes" if you're seeking to "derive" citizenship from the naturalization of your U.S. citizen parent.
Questions 20 through 22 pertain to adopted children. The child might need to be "readopted" in the United States in order to claim U.S. citizenship. You will need to submit evidence related to the adoption with this application.
Questions 23 and 24 ask about your parents' marital status. If they weren't married at the time of your birth, and you seek to acquire or derive U.S. citizenship from your U.S. citizen father, you'll need to show that he took steps to "legitimate" you before you reached a certain age. The exact rules depend on your country's legal requirements, but legitimation usually involve things like the father eventually marrying the mother, paying child support, and/or adding his name to the child's birth certificate.
Question 25 asks whether you ever left the United States after you first came. You don’t need to fill in any of the other boxes within this series unless you were born before October 10, 1952 and are claiming to be a U.S. citizen since birth. If you were, USCIS needs to know how long you actually lived in the United States, because it’s possible (based on the laws then in effect) that you could have lost your U.S. citizenship by spending too much time outside the country.
Part 3 – Information About Your U.S. Mother or Father
It makes sense to start by entering information here about your mother, if she is a U.S. citizen. (Acquiring citizenship through a mother is easier, especially if they weren't married at your birth.) Or if your mother isn't a citizen but your father is, enter information about your father here.
Part 4 – Information About Your Other Mother or Father
Here, you'll provide information about your second parent, even if that person is not a U.S. citizen.
Part 5. Information About a Legal Guardian Applying on Behalf of a Child
If the child is a minor and it's the legal guardian who fills out this application for a Certificate of Citizenship on the child's behalf, complete this section to supply the guardian's name, birthdate, and contact information.
Part 6 – Physical Presence in the United States From U.S. Citizen Mother's or Father's Birth Until Child's Birth
You need to fill out Part 6 only if you are claiming U.S. citizenship at birth. If you became a U.S. citizen because your parent or parents naturalized, you can skip this part.
If you can claim U.S. citizenship at birth through either your biological mother or biological father, you’ll need to choose which one to provide information about. You should choose the parent who spent the most time in the United States before you were born. If your parent was a member of the U.S. Armed Forces or was a U.S. government employee temporarily stationed abroad, include the time they served as time “residing in the United States.”
Part 7 – Information About Military Service of U.S. Citizen Parents
You need to fill out Part 7 only if you are claiming U.S. citizenship at birth. If you answer “No” to Question 1, you can skip the rest of this part.
Part 8 – Applicant's, Parent's, or Legal Guardian's Statement, Contact Information, Certification, and Signature
Check box 1B if the applicant cannot read English well enough to understand everything in the form. If the applicant’s native language is English but the applicant cannot read, check box 1B and write “English” in the box.
Part 9 – Interpreter's Contact Information, Certification, and Signature
You will want to have an interpreter fill out Part 9 and sign if the applicant cannot read English well enough to understand everything in the form. If the applicant’s native language is English but the applicant cannot read, write “English” in the certification subsection.
Part 10 – Contact Information, Declaration, and Signature of the Person Preparing this Application, if Other Than the Applicant, Parent, or Legal Guardian
If someone (such as an attorney or paralegal) filled out the N-600 form for you, or helped you fill out part of it, that person need to fill out Part 10 and sign. If your interpreter also prepared the N-600, they have to complete both Parts 9 and 10.
Part 11 – Additional information
This is an extra page for inserting information that did not fit in the spaces provided on the form.
Parts 12 and 13
Do not write on these parts of the form or sign. You might be asked to sign Part 12 later if you are called for an interview at a USCIS office.
N-600 Fee (or Fee Waiver), Photos, Documents
The N-600 is only one portion of the application package to obtain a certificate of citizenship. You must also send a filing fee (or request a fee waiver) and documents to prove your eligibility for the certificate. See the instructions to Form N-600 for what to include.
No need to take photos (as was required in the past). USCIS will take the photos at the biometrics services appointment that is scheduled for all N-600 applicants.
Checking Your Citizenship Certificate Carefully When It Arrives
USCIS sometimes makes mistakes. If you notice one on your certificate of citizenship, you can order a new one. The only way it’s going to be free, however, is if USCIS was the cause of the mistake (unless you qualify for a fee waiver).
The USCIS form for requesting a new certificate of citizenship is called N-565, Application for Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Document. This form is used for several different purposes, so (with regard to the 2/27/25 version) you’ll have to check Box 1.a in Part 3, to let USCIS know you’re applying for a new certificate of citizenship. USCIS also needs to know why you’re applying for this, so you’ll need to check at least one box (or maybe more, depending on your situation) in Question 2 of Part 3.
If you live outside the United States, you must send two passport-style photos with your N-565. (Applicants living in the United States might be asked to attend a biometrics services appointment.)
Also, if your marital status has changed since you applied for the certificate of citizenship that came with incorrect information on it, you must submit your most recent marriage certificate, divorce decree, or spouse’s death certificate.
If USCIS Made the Mistake on Your Certificate of Citizenship
If you’re sure the mistake on your certificate of citizenship is USCIS’s fault, explain why in Part 4 of the N-565 form. Send the incorrect certificate back to USCIS with the N-565.
You’ll also have to send proof of USCIS’s mistake with your N-565. For example, let’s say your certificate of citizenship wrongly says your birth date is January 20, 1983. When you filled out your N-600 Application for Certificate of Citizenship, you told USCIS that your birth date was January 1, 1982 and you sent them your birth certificate showing your birth date was January 1, 1982. When you send your N-565, you should send a copy of your N-600 (if you kept a copy) and a copy of your birth certificate.
If USCIS made the mistake, you do not need to include any filing fee with your N-565.
If You Were at Fault in Giving Erroneous Information to USCIS
If you realize you were responsible for having given USCIS some wrong information when you sent your N-600, and your certificate of citizenship is wrong as a result, you will have to pay the filing fee, which is $1,335 for online filing and $1,385 for paper filing. (Or, you can apply for a fee waiver, if you qualify based on low income.) Check box 2.g in Part 3 of the N-565 and explain your mistake. You will also have to send any documents that prove the correct information, along with the incorrect certificate.