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General Requirements for Applying for U.S. Citizenship
Age
Applicants must be at least 18 years old.
Refer to the section, Naturalized Citizen's Children under Waivers, Exceptions, and Special Cases for information on applicants who are less than 18 years old.
Residency
An applicant must have been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence. Lawfully admitted for permanent residence means having been legally accorded the privilege of residing permanently in the United States as an immigrant in accordance with the immigration laws. Individuals who have been lawfully admitted as permanent residents will be asked to provide proof of their status.
An applicant is eligible to file if, immediately preceding the filing of the application, he or she:
  • has been lawfully admitted for permanent residence (see preceding section);
  • has resided continuously as a lawful permanent resident in the U.S. for at least 5 years prior to filing with absences from the United States totaling no more than one year. (absences of more than six months but less than one year break the continuity of residence unless the applicant can establish that he or she did not abandon his or her residence during such period) ;
  • has been physically present in the United States for at least 30 months out of the previous five years;
  • has resided within a state or district for at least three months  
Generally, an applicant must show that he or she has been a person of good moral character for the statutory period (typically five years or three years if married to a U.S. citizen or one year for Armed Forces expedite) prior to filing for naturalization. The Service is not limited to the statutory period in determining whether an applicant has established good moral character.  An applicant is also permanently barred from naturalization if he or she has been convicted of an aggravated felony as defined in section 101(a)(43) of the Act on or after November 29, 1990. A person also cannot be found to be a person of good moral character if during the statutory period he or she:
  • has committed and been convicted of one or more crimes involving moral turpitude
  • has committed and been convicted of 2 or more offenses for which the total sentence imposed was 5 years or more
  • has committed and been convicted of any controlled substance law, except for a single offense of simple possession of 30 grams or less of marijuana
  • has been confined to a penal institution during the statutory period, as a result of a conviction, for an aggregate period of 180 days or more
  • has committed and been convicted of two or more gambling offenses
  • is or has earned his or her principle income from illegal gambling
  • is or has been involved in prostitution or commercialized vice
  • is or has been involved in smuggling illegal aliens into the United States
  • is or has been a habitual drunkard
  • is practicing or has practiced polygamy
  • has willfully failed or refused to support dependents
  • has given false testimony, under oath, in order to receive a benefit under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
An applicant must disclose all relevant facts to the Service, including his or her entire criminal history, regardless of whether the criminal history disqualifies the applicant under the enumerated provisions.
Attachment to the Constitution
An applicant must show that he or she is attached to the principles of the Constitution of the United States.
Language
Applicants for naturalization must be able to read, write, speak, and understand words in ordinary usage in the English language. Applicants exempt from this requirement are those who on the date of filing:
  • have been residing in the United States subsequent to a lawful admission for permanent residence for at least 15 years and are over 55 years of age;
  • have been residing in the United States subsequent to a lawful admission for permanent residence for at least 20 years and are over 50 years of age; or
  • have a medically determinable physical or mental impairment, where the impairment affects the applicant’s ability to learn English or demonstrate their knowledge of English.
United States Government and History Knowledge
An applicant for naturalization must demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of the history and of the principles and form of government of the United States. Applicants exempt from this requirement are those who, on the date of filing, have a medically determinable physical or mental impairment, where the impairment affects the applicant’s ability to learn U.S. History and Government or to demonstrate their knowledge.
Applicants who have been residing in the U.S. subsequent to a lawful admission for permanent residence for at least 20 years and are over the age of 65 will be afforded special condsideration in satisfying this requirement.
Test Yourself on U.S. History 
100 Sample U.S. History Questions with Answers can be accessed at THIS LINK. 
Oath of Allegiance
To become a citizen, one must take the oath of allegiance. By doing so, an applicant swears to:
  • support the Constitution and obey the laws of the U.S.;
  • renounce any foreign allegiance and/or foreign title; and
  • bear arms for the Armed Forces of the U.S. or perform services for the government of the U.S. when required.
In certain instances, where the applicant establishes that he or she is opposed to any type of service in armed forces based on religious teaching or belief, USCIS will permit these applicants to take a modified oath.
Waivers, Exceptions, and Special Cases 
Spouses of U.S. Citizens
Generally, certain lawful permanent residents married to a U.S. citizen may file for naturalization after residing continuously in the United States for three years if immediately preceding the filing of the application:
  • the applicant has been married to and living in a valid marital union with the same U.S. citizen spouse for all three years;
  • the U.S. spouse has been a citizen for all three years and meets all physical presence and residence requirements; and
  • the applicant meets all other naturalization requirements.
There are also exceptions for lawful permanent residents married to U.S. citizens stationed or employed abroad. Some lawful permanent residents may not have to comply with the residence or physical presence requirements when the U.S. citizen spouse is employed by one of the following:
  • the U.S. Government (including the U.S. Armed Forces);
  • American research institutes recognized by the Attorney General;
  • recognized U.S. religious organizations;
  • U.S. research institutions;
  • an American firm engaged in the development of foreign trade and commerce of the United States; or
  • certain public international organizations involving the United States.

Note that for some of these exceptions, an application to preserve residency must be filed before the lawful permanent resident departs the United States.

Children

Children born abroad to U.S. citizen parents may have a claim to U.S. citizenship. If the parent(s) meets the transmission requirement, a child's birth may be reported at this Embassy and a U.S. passport and social security number may be obtained for him or her.

We strongly recommend that the birth of your child be reported to this Embassy as soon as possible after the birth. It is not possible to report the birth of a child over the age of 18. Even if your child holds nationality of a country other than the U.S., if your child has a claim to citizenship, he or she must be in possession of a valid U.S. passport to enter and exit the United States.

The following information will assist you in determining whether or not your child is a U.S. citizen and will provide assistance in the steps you are required to take to register the birth and obtain his or her passport.

To determine if you child has a claim to U.S. citizenship, please go to THIS LINK.

Veterans of U.S. Armed Forces
Certain applicants who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces are eligible to file for expedited naturalization based on current or prior U.S. military service. Such applicants should file the N-400 Military Naturalization Packet.
Lawful Permanent Residents with Three Years U.S. Military Service
An applicant who has served for one (1) year in the U.S. military and who is a lawful permanent resident is excused from any specific period of required residence, period of residence in any specific place, or physical presence within the United States if an application for naturalization is filed while the applicant is still serving or within six months of an honorable discharge.
To be eligible for these exemptions, an applicant must:
  • have served honorably or separated under honorable conditions;
  • completed at least 1 year or more of military service;
  • be a legal permanent resident at the time of his or her examination on the application; or
  • establish good moral character.
Applicants who file for naturalization more than six months after termination of three years of service in the U.S. military may count any periods of honorable service as residence and physical presence in the United States.
Veterans who have served honorably in any of the periods of armed conflict with hostile foreign forces specified below
An applicant who has served honorably during any of the following periods of conflict is entitled to certain considerations:
  • World War I - 4/16/17 to 11/11/18;
  • World War II - 9/1/39 to 12/31/46;
  • Korean Conflict - 6/25/50 to 7/1/55;
  • Vietnam Conflict - 2/28/61 to 10/15/78;
  • Operation Desert Shield/ Desert Storm - 8/29/90 to 4/11/91; or
  • any other period which the President, by Executive Order, has designated as a period in which the Armed Forces of the United States are or were engaged in military operations involving armed conflict with hostile foreign forces.
Applicants who have served during any of the aforementioned conflicts may apply for naturalization based on military service after qualifying service and the requirements for specific periods of physical presence in the United States and residence in the United States are waived.
Grounds for Eligibility
The Immigration and Naturalization Service has other specific grounds for Naturalization. For additional information, please refer to the USCIS website or contact our office. Please note that the instructions to the N-400 application does not go through all the requirements in detail.