N-600
Application for Certificate of Citizenship
Form N-600, Application for Certificate of Citizenship, is the USCIS form a person uses to ask for a Certificate of Citizenship. The instructions say it is for someone born outside the United States to a U.S. citizen parent, or someone who automatically became a U.S. citizen after birth but before turning 18. A parent or legal guardian can also file it for a minor child.
The instructions are clear that filing is not a request to become a U.S. citizen. It is only a request for a certificate that recognizes the person became a citizen on a particular date. They also say nobody is required to obtain evidence of U.S. citizenship, and that a U.S. passport from the Department of State is another way to get it.
The current edition is dated 01/20/25 and runs 16 pages, with 12 pages of instructions (OMB No. 1615-0057, expires 02/28/2027). You can fill it out free in your browser on this page and download the result without an account.
Whether the child or a parent or legal guardian is filing, and the child's relationship to the U.S. citizen parent: biological, adopted, a non-genetic gestational parent, a parent married to the genetic or gestational parent at birth, or other.
Name, other names, Social Security and USCIS online account numbers, birth details, addresses, marital status, military service, admission and permanent resident status, earlier certificate or passport applications, custody, adoption and the parents' marital status.
The U.S. citizen mother or father, including how they became a citizen and their marital history, then the other parent, then a legal guardian applying for a child.
For a claim of citizenship at birth abroad, the dates the U.S. citizen parent lived in the United States from their own birth until the child's birth, and any service in the U.S. Armed Forces.
The applicant's, parent's or legal guardian's statement, contact details and signature, the interpreter's and preparer's certifications, and Part 11 for answers that need more room.
Part 12 is an affidavit that the instructions say not to complete unless told to at the interview. Part 13 is the officer report, for USCIS use only.
The instructions divide the application into Parts 1 to 13.
Type or print in black ink. The USCIS page says every page of a printed copy should show the edition date and page number and come from the same edition, or the form may be rejected.
If the child has an A-Number, it goes in the top right corner of every page as nine digits. The instructions say to add zeros in front of a shorter number, so A1234567 becomes A001234567.
The USCIS filing tips say to check only one box in Part 1 Question 1 and only one in Question 2. Checking more than one leads to rejection and return of the form.
Write N/A where a question does not apply and None for a zero. Extra answers go in Part 11 or on a separate sheet with the name, A-Number, page, part and item number, signed and dated.
The instructions list birth certificates for the child and the U.S. citizen parent, marriage and divorce records, proof of the parent's citizenship, and, where they apply, a Green Card, adoption decree, custody papers or proof of the parent's physical presence.
A stamped or typewritten name is not accepted. A parent or legal guardian may sign for an applicant under 14. Anyone who prepared the form for someone else signs Part 10.
You get the real form, filled in a browser tab, with nothing standing between you and the finished PDF.
The USCIS page offers online filing through a USCIS online account. It says online filing is not currently available for applicants outside the United States, fee waiver requests, or members and veterans of the U.S. military filing on their own behalf, who file by mail.
Paper forms go to the USCIS Phoenix Lockbox or the USCIS Elgin Lockbox, depending on the state or territory where the applicant lives. The instructions point to uscis.gov/n-600 for the most current filing addresses.
The fee is on the USCIS Fee Schedule page, and the instructions also point to Form G-1055. It can change, so check it on the day you file. The instructions mention a fee waiver request on Form I-912 for those who are eligible.
The USCIS page says photos are no longer needed unless the applicant lives outside the United States, who then sends two identical color passport-style photos. Applicants in the United States get an appointment at an application support center.
The instructions ask for a written explanation of why a required document is unavailable, plus secondary evidence such as a baptismal certificate, school record, census record, or affidavits from two people who know the facts.
The USCIS filing tips name more than one box checked in Part 1, a missing family name, date of birth or mailing address in Part 2, and an unsigned form. The instructions add a missing fee or fee waiver request.
N-600K
275 fields, 10 pages
N-565
139 fields, 7 pages
N-400
440 fields, 14 pages
I-912
221 fields, 8 pages
G-28
101 fields, 4 pages
G-1055
64 fields, 58 pages
The instructions describe these situations.
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No. The instructions say filing is not a request to become a U.S. citizen. It is only a request for a certificate that recognizes the person became a citizen on a particular date.
The instructions say nobody is required to obtain evidence of U.S. citizenship. Someone who wants that evidence can file Form N-600 with USCIS or apply for a U.S. passport with the Department of State.
Yes, through a USCIS online account. The USCIS page says applicants outside the United States, fee waiver requests, and U.S. military members and veterans filing on their own behalf currently file by mail.
Only when living outside the United States, according to the USCIS page. Those applicants send two identical color passport-style photos. Applicants in the United States are photographed at an application support center appointment.
The instructions say not to file Form N-600 to replace a lost or stolen certificate, and point to Form N-565, Application for Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Document.
The instructions say stepchildren cannot acquire U.S. citizenship unless adopted. Part 1 lists the parent-child relationships USCIS recognizes.
The instructions say a child under 18 who regularly lives outside the United States and did not acquire citizenship at birth under INA sections 301 or 309 may need Form N-600K, filed by a U.S. citizen parent, grandparent or legal guardian. They say not to file Form N-600K after 18.
