What is Form N-600?

Form N-600 is the application for a certificate of citizenship. It is for people who are already citizens through their parents, because they were born outside the United States to a citizen parent, or because a parent naturalized while they were minors, and want the document that proves it.

It is not naturalization. Naturalization, Form N-400, is for becoming a citizen; the N-600 is for documenting a citizenship that, under the law, already exists.

According to the instructions, the person claiming citizenship files it, or a parent or legal guardian on behalf of a minor child. The rules depend on the child's date of birth, the parents' status and who the child lived with; there are several and they have changed over the years.

Whether your child, or you, is already a citizen is exactly the kind of question we do not answer. It is a legal question; the official page on citizenship through parents and a licensed attorney can help you answer it.

People almost always gather the child's birth certificate, the parent's proof of citizenship (certificate, passport, U.S. birth certificate), the parents' marriage certificate if there is one, and proof that the child lived with that parent.

If the person is outside the country, passport-style photos too. The general list and the official sources live on the form's page; we do not repeat them here.

We ask for the child's and the parents' details, the dates and the places, one thing at a time, and transfer the answers onto the official form with technical checks: reversed dates, names that disagree between certificates.

You receive an unsigned PDF. You review it, sign it by hand and mail it with the fee, which is paid directly to USCIS. USCIS also accepts this form online for many cases; how to file it is your choice.

USCIS may then schedule an interview, with the original documents. If it grants the certificate, it is handed over there or arrives by mail.

Confusing the date the parent naturalized with the date of their resident card: they are different dates and the one that matters here is the citizenship date. Leaving blank the periods when the child lived outside the country.

Sending certificates in another language without a certified translation. And requesting an N-600 when what was lost was a certificate that already existed: that is an N-565.

USCIS sends a receipt notice with a case number. How long it takes changes; USCIS publishes its times and we only link to them.

In the guide on what happens after you mail your form we explain that notice, where the number is, and how to check your case.

We are not a law firm and we do not give legal advice. We fill the form in with your answers and check the formatting; we do not decide whether your child is a citizen or under which rule. The official legal-help directories are linked below.