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How Long Does It Take USCIS To Process Form N-400 for Citizenship Applications?

In a Nutshell

To get U.S. citizenship, you must file Form N-400: Application for Naturalization with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Processing times for Form N-400 have stayed fairly consistent over the past five years with the average wait time being about 11 months. There are 89 field offices that currently process Form N-400. The current average processing time across all offices is 15.5 months. The whole naturalization process (including application processing, the citizenship interview and exam, and oath of allegiance ceremony) takes 18-24 months on average.

Jonathan Petts

Written by ImmigrationHelp News Team. Legally reviewed by Jonathan Petts
Updated November 27, 2023

Updated November 27, 2023

Form N-400 Processing Times

Form N-400: Application for Naturalization is the form you file to apply for U.S. citizenship by naturalization. If you are 18 years or older and have been a permanent resident (green card holder) for at least five years, or three years if you are married to a U.S. citizen, you are eligible to file Form N-400. When you file your application, you must also submit the required supporting documents and filing fees. 

Here are the current processing times for Form N-400:

USCIS Field OfficeLast WeekThis WeekChange?
Agana GU9 months9 monthsNo change
Albany NY9.5 months9.5 monthsNo change
Albuquerque NM7.5 months7.5 monthsNo change
Anchorage AK9.5 months9.5 monthsNo change
Atlanta GA10.5 months10.5 monthsNo change
Baltimore MD11.5 months11.5 monthsNo change
Boise ID6.5 months6.5 monthsNo change
Boston MA7.5 months7.5 monthsNo change
Brooklyn NY8 months8 monthsNo change
Buffalo NY10 months10 monthsNo change
Burlington VT9 months9 monthsNo change
Charleston SC13.5 months13.5 monthsNo change
Charlotte Amalie VI8.5 months8.5 monthsNo change
Charlotte NC10.5 months10.5 monthsNo change
Chicago IL8 months8 monthsNo change
Christiansted VI11 months11 monthsNo change
Cincinnati OH6.5 months6.5 monthsNo change
Cleveland OH6 months6 monthsNo change
Columbus OH7.5 months7.5 monthsNo change
Dallas TX7 months7 monthsNo change
Denver CO8.5 months8.5 monthsNo change
Des Moines IA8.5 months8.5 monthsNo change
Detroit MI8 months8 monthsNo change
El Paso TX8 months8 monthsNo change
Fort Myers FL12.5 months12.5 monthsNo change
Fort Smith AR8.5 months8.5 monthsNo change
Fresno CA8 months8 monthsNo change
Greer SC7.5 months7.5 monthsNo change
Harlingen TX7.5 months7.5 monthsNo change
Hartford CT8.5 months8.5 monthsNo change
Helena MT7.5 months7.5 monthsNo change
Hialeah FL7 months7 monthsNo change
Honolulu HI7.5 months7.5 monthsNo change
Houston TX7.5 months7.5 monthsNo change
Imperial CA10 months10 monthsNo change
Indianapolis IN8 months8 monthsNo change
Jacksonville FL10.5 months10.5 monthsNo change
Kansas City MO7.5 months7.5 monthsNo change
Kendall FL7.5 months7.5 monthsNo change
Las Vegas NV8.5 months8.5 monthsNo change
Lawrence MA10.5 months10.5 monthsNo change
Long Island NY9 months9 monthsNo change
Los Angeles CA7.5 months7.5 monthsNo change
Los Angeles County CA7.5 months7.5 monthsNo change
Louisville KY7 months7 monthsNo change
Manchester NH8 months8 monthsNo change
Memphis TN10 months10 monthsNo change
Miami FL8.5 months8.5 monthsNo change
Milwaukee WI8 months8 monthsNo change
Minneapolis-St. Paul MN9.5 months9.5 monthsNo change
Montgomery AL7.5 months7.5 monthsNo change
Mount Laurel NJ9 months9 monthsNo change
Nashville TN12.5 months12.5 monthsNo change
New Orleans LA13 months13 monthsNo change
New York City NY8.5 months8.5 monthsNo change
Newark NJ10 months10 monthsNo change
Norfolk VA13 Months13 MonthsNo change
Oakland Park FL8 months8 monthsNo change
Oklahoma City OK7 months7 monthsNo change
Omaha NE9.5 months9.5 monthsNo change
Orlando FL9.5 months9.5 monthsNo change
Philadelphia PA8 months8 monthsNo change
Phoenix AZ7 months7 monthsNo change
Pittsburgh PA7 months7 monthsNo change
Portland ME8 months8 monthsNo change
Portland OR7.5 months7.5 monthsNo change
Providence RI8.5 months8.5 monthsNo change
Queens NY8.5 months8.5 monthsNo change
Raleigh NC10.5 months10.5 monthsNo change
Reno NV8 months8 monthsNo change
Sacramento CA10 months10 monthsNo change
Saint Louis MO12.5 months12.5 monthsNo change
Salt Lake City UT11.5 months11.5 monthsNo change
San Antonio TX9.5 months9.5 monthsNo change
San Bernardino CA7.5 months7.5 monthsNo change
San Diego CA9.5 months9.5 monthsNo change
San Fernando Valley CA7.5 months7.5 monthsNo change
San Francisco CA8 months8 monthsNo change
San Jose CA7 months7 monthsNo change
San Juan PR7.5 months7.5 monthsNo change
Santa Ana CA8 months8 monthsNo change
Seattle WA7.5 months7.5 monthsNo change
Spokane WA7 months7 monthsNo change
Tampa FL7.5 months7.5 monthsNo change
Tucson AZ8 months8 monthsNo change
Washington DC8 months8 monthsNo change
West Palm Beach FL8.5 months8.5 monthsNo change
Wichita KS8.5 months8.5 monthsNo change
Yakima WA7.5 months7.5 monthsNo change

Historical Form N-400 Processing Times: 2018-2022

Historical USCIS processing times for citizenship applications have been relatively stable. Over the last five years, the average median processing time for Form N-400 was 10.2 months. 

FY 2018FY 2019FY 2020FY 2021FY2022
Form N-400: Application for Naturalization9.7 months10 months9.1 months11.5 months10.5 months

How Long Will My Citizenship Application Take?

The naturalization process takes 18-24 months on average. Though citizenship is one of the most straightforward immigration applications, a lot of factors can influence your USCIS case processing time. This includes backlogs, number of applications, budget cuts, and staffing issues at the USCIS field office processing your case. 

Also, keep in mind that in addition to filing Form N-400, you’ll also need to undergo a citizenship interview and an English language and civic knowledge test. You can use this guide to common naturalization interview questions to prepare for your interview. We can also help you prepare for the citizenship test by reviewing every question and answer. Finally, you will attend an oath of allegiance ceremony where you trade your green card for a certificate of naturalization. Congratulations!

If you have filed your N-400 application and your case is outside normal processing times, you can contact USCIS to ask for additional information. If you need help understanding your current case status, you can review the case status resources in our Learning Center. One article that may be especially helpful is What Happens if My Green Card Expires While I Wait for Citizenship?

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