There are two ways to become a United States (U.S.) citizen – by birth or through naturalization.
To become a citizen at birth, you must:
- Be born in the U.S or in certain territories or outlying possessions of the United States, that are subject to the jurisdiction of the United States
- Have a parent or parents who were citizens at the time of your birth
- If you were born outside the U.S., you must meet these requirements outlined by the U.S. Department of State
If your biological or adoptive parent(s) became U.S. citizens before you reached the age of 18, you may already be a U.S. citizen and not need to apply for naturalization. For more information, visit USCIS’s Citizenship Through Parents page.
Naturalization is the process by which U.S. Citizenship is granted to a foreign citizen or national after he or she fulfills the requirements established by Congress in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
The USCIS Citizenship Resource Center is designed to help you through the naturalization process. Below are most common resources requested:
- Apply for naturalization
- Citizenship and Naturalization Based Forms
- Naturalization process
- Read A Guide To Naturalization
Most common paths to U.S. Citizenship: