---
title: "Form N-400 application for naturalization"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/precedents/immigration-and-migration-law/us-n-400"
type: "precedent"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "a30-us-n-400"
area_id: "A30"
kind: "form"
ai_level: "red"
version: 1
law_stated_as_at: "2026-10-22"
---

# Form N-400 application for naturalization

> Link to Form N-400, edition 20 January 2025, the application for naturalization. The applicant certifies the form under penalty of perjury. No live citizenship task in this area is linked.

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/precedents/immigration-and-migration-law/us-n-400  
Law stated as at: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

- Kind: Form. A form to complete, or a guide to completing an official one.
- Practice area: [Immigration & Migration Law](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/immigration-and-migration-law.md)
- Jurisdictions: United States
- AI level: Red. You write the text. The tool writes nothing into the document. Where permitted, it may check, clarify or collect data, and anything it checks or collects is verified.
- Law stated as at: 2026-10-22
- Status: Maintained. Checked on 2026-10-22 against the official form at uscis.gov and the 5 authorities it cites, for United States.

## When to use it

Use when a permanent resident applies for naturalization on Form N-400, online or by mail. A reduced fee or a fee waiver cannot be filed online. Eligibility rules are on the USCIS eligibility tool, not in this note.

## How AI may be used

The applicant certifies Form N-400 under penalty of perjury, so the tool writes no residence history, no answer and no eligibility conclusion.

**AI may:**

- Compare the edition date on a draft with edition 01/20/25, or with any later edition the current page requires
- Note whether the file is an online filing or a paper filing, and whether a reduced-fee or fee-waiver request is in the file
- Index documents the lawyer has already named, such as the permanent-resident card, against the checklist headings on the form page

**AI must not:**

- Must not decide that the applicant is eligible, or compute continuous residence, physical presence or good moral character
- Must not write any answer, trip history, marital history or selective-service fact
- Must not write a Form N-648 medical opinion or a civics answer
- Must not say that a lost Green Card is cured by the N-400 receipt extension

**The lawyer checks:**

- The form page shows edition 01/20/25. A mailed form must show that edition date, or the edition the current page requires, on every page
- Online filing needs a USCIS online account. An attorney or accredited representative uses a representative account. A reduced fee or a fee waiver cannot be filed online. Those requests are a paper N-400 plus the waiver request and evidence
- The page says an applicant may file 90 calendar days before completing the continuous-residence requirement if eligibility is based on being a permanent resident for at least 5 years, or for at least 3 years if married to a U.S. citizen. Other eligibility rules are on the USCIS tool. They are not restated here
- The checklist is an optional tool. The page says not to submit the checklist with the form
- Form N-648 is the disability exception to the English or civics requirements, or both. The page says biometrics are part of the process. Read the current instructions before telling an applicant that biometrics are waived
- Effective 12 December 2022, after a properly filed N-400, the receipt notice extends the Green Card for 2 years from the Card Expires date and is presented with the card. Losing the card still generally requires Form I-90. A representative files Form G-28 at no expense to the U.S. government

## Authorities

- [USCIS, Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, edition 01/20/25, page opened 22 October 2026](https://www.uscis.gov/n-400)
- [Form N-400 (PDF)](https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/n-400.pdf)
- [USCIS direct filing addresses for Form N-400](https://www.uscis.gov/forms/all-forms/direct-filing-addresses-for-form-n-400-application-for-naturalization)
- [USCIS fee schedule (G-1055)](https://www.uscis.gov/g-1055)
- [Form N-648, Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions](https://www.uscis.gov/n-648)

## Official form

[Official form](https://www.uscis.gov/n-400)

## Where this comes from

The official form is published by uscis.gov; this page is a completion guide. Last checked on 2026-10-22.

## Full text and drafting notes

The full text and the drafting notes are not part of this public page. Signed-in firm accounts can read them at https://ailawframework.com/precedents/immigration-and-migration-law/us-n-400 and through the signed-in MCP connector https://ailawframework.com/mcp/firm.

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*