What happens on interview day

• Your interview appointment notice.
• Your Permanent Resident Card (green card).
• A government-issued photo ID, such as a state driver's license.
• All passports and travel documents you used during the statutory period, including expired ones.
• A copy of your N-400 and the originals of the documents you sent (marriage certificate, divorce decrees, children's birth certificates).
• Original or court-certified records for any arrest, citation or conviction, and proof that probation or sentences are complete.
• IRS tax transcripts if you owe taxes or spent long periods abroad.

Arrive early: you will go through security. Phones usually must be silenced.

The officer calls your name and takes you to an office. Usually before you sit down, the officer asks you to raise your right hand and swear or affirm that you will tell the truth. Everything after that is sworn testimony.

The officer then checks your identity: green card, ID and passports. Your speaking test has already started; the officer listens to how you understand and answer from the first minute.

The officer goes through your application, often question by question. Expect questions like:

• What is your current address? How long have you lived there?
• Are you married? What is your spouse's name and date of birth?
• Where do you work? How long?
• How many trips outside the U.S. have you taken since you became a permanent resident?

Then come the “Have you ever…” questions: have you ever claimed to be a U.S. citizen, registered to vote or voted, failed to file taxes, been arrested or cited, been a member of the Communist Party, lied to a U.S. official to get an immigration benefit. Officers may ask what a word means (for example “What does ‘claim to be a U.S. citizen’ mean?”) to check that you understood. If an answer has changed since you filed, say so; the officer can update the form. At the end of this review the officer asks you to sign your application.

The order varies by officer. For the reading test you are shown up to 3 sentences and must read 1 aloud correctly. For the writing test the officer dictates up to 3 sentences and you must write 1 correctly. For the civics test (2025 version) the officer asks up to 20 questions and stops once you have 12 correct or 9 wrong.

If you filed before October 20, 2025, you take the 2008 test instead: up to 10 questions, 6 correct to pass.

You receive Form N-652, Naturalization Interview Results. It will say one of three things:

• Granted (or recommended for approval): you will be scheduled for the oath, possibly the same day.
• Continued: you need to retest a failed part (scheduled 60-90 days later, only the failed part is retested) or send more evidence, usually with Form N-14.
• Denied: you receive a written decision explaining why. You can request a hearing with Form N-336 within 30 days of the denial.

If you fail the English or civics test a second time, the application is denied, and you would need to file and pay again.

Complete the questionnaire on Form N-445 before the ceremony. At check-in an officer reviews your answers (for example whether you traveled, married or were arrested since the interview) and collects your green card. After you take the Oath of Allegiance you receive your Certificate of Naturalization; check every detail before leaving. Missing the ceremony more than once without rescheduling can lead to denial.