General Requirements

Introduction

The naturalization process, the road to citizenship, represents the end of a long journey for most immigrants. It is the final step in the course of immigration procedures, where a Permanent Resident becomes a U.S. citizen.

General requirements that an applicant must meet prior to applying for citizenship include the following:

• You must be 18 years of age or older;
• You must have been a legal permanent resident for a certain amount of time (usually five years, but it can be three years if you have been married to a U.S. citizen for three years)
• You must have spent more than 50% of the last five (or three) years physically present in the United States
• You must be able to read, write and speak English;
• You must pass an exam about U.S. history and government
• You must be able to show good moral character (including your criminal background, and properly paying taxes and child support)