Guide · Form N-400
What is Form N-400?
The citizenship application, explained calmly: what it asks, what it needs, and where the line is that we do not cross.
PasoLibre editorial team
Reviewed August 25, 2026 · Educational information, not legal advice
What is Form N-400?
Form N-400 is the application for naturalization: the form a permanent resident uses to ask USCIS to become a United States citizen.
It is one of the longest USCIS forms, and one of the most personal. It asks about your travel, your addresses, your jobs and your history.
The requirements exist, and we do not assess them
The official instructions describe the topics USCIS reviews: time as a resident, physical presence in the country, residence in the state, English and civics, and good moral character.
Each one has exceptions and details written into the instructions. Whether they apply to you is a legal question, and PasoLibre does not answer it: we do not decide your case.
If you have doubts about your history, ask a licensed attorney or a Department of Justice accredited representative before you sign.
The yes-or-no questions
The N-400 carries a long section of questions about your history: arrests, taxes, military service, memberships, child support. There are dozens of separate questions.
Each one is answered separately and truthfully. Signing the form is a statement under penalty of perjury, so no answer should be guessed at or lumped in with another.
That is why we ask them one by one, in Spanish, instead of collapsing them into a single box.
What happens after you mail it
USCIS mails a receipt notice, then usually a biometrics appointment, then an interview, and finally an oath ceremony. Each step arrives by mail.
The interview includes an English and civics test, with exceptions USCIS describes on its official page. We do not predict dates or results; USCIS publishes the timelines.
What it costs, and how we help
The government fee is paid directly to USCIS and we never mark it up. We do not write the amount here because it changes; it lives in the official calculator and on our costs page.
We guide you in Spanish, question by question, and transfer your answers onto the official form with technical checks. You receive an unsigned PDF: you review it, sign it by hand and mail it.
We are not a law firm and we do not give legal advice. If your question needs legal judgment, we tell you where to look for licensed help.
Official sources
Also useful
Prepare your N-400 calmly.
Self-service in Spanish with technical checks. You review, sign and mail it; USCIS fees are paid separately.
Start my N-400Available now in New Jersey.
