How to book the US citizenship test

How it works

1. File Form N-400 online or by mail. Online is $50 cheaper.
2. Wait for USCIS to schedule your interview. Your notice tells you when and where to go.
3. Read the notice carefully. It’s the official list of what you need to bring for your case.
4. Go to the interview. The officer puts you under oath, goes through your application, and gives you the English and civics tests.
5. Before you leave, you get a written notice of your results.

What to bring

• Your interview notice
• Every document the notice asks for
• An interpreter, only if you qualify for an age exception and will take civics in your own language. They must speak English and your language, and bring a copy of their government ID.
• Your lawyer or authorized representative, if you have one

If you can’t go on that day

Missing the interview is serious. If you don’t show up and don’t write to USCIS within 30 days to explain why and ask for a new date, your case can be closed.

A closed case can be reopened if you ask in writing within one year. There’s no fee for that. After a year, the application counts as abandoned.

Get ready while you wait

The wait for your notice is good study time. Check which civics test you’ll get from your filing date, then work through that list. Practice reading and writing a few sentences too, and look up your senators, representative and governor.