Updated November 11, 2026

Citizenship interview after biometrics: what happens next, what to bring, and how the test works

After you complete your biometrics appointment at an Application Support Center, USCIS sends your fingerprints to the FBI to run mandatory criminal background and security checks before scheduling your naturalization interview. Once all preliminary checks are complete, USCIS mails an interview appointment notice with your date, time, and location, and applicants with a USCIS online account can view personalized case completion date estimates online. Since October 1, 2023, USCIS statistics show that 89.7% of applicants pass the naturalization test on their first interview attempt, and 94.4% pass overall after including the 60 to 90 day re-examination window.

What happens between biometrics and your citizenship interview?

In the 10-step naturalization process set by USCIS, your biometrics appointment is Step 5 and your citizenship interview is Step 6. USCIS schedules the interview only after all preliminary processes on your case are complete.

When you appear at a local Application Support Center (ASC) with your Form I-797C appointment notice and valid photo identification, USCIS collects your fingerprints, photograph, and digital signature. By providing your digital signature on the biometrics machine, you attest under penalty of perjury that all information in your Form N-400 and supporting documents was complete, true, and correct at the time of filing. If you are eligible for naturalization, USCIS may use the photograph taken at the ASC on your final Certificate of Naturalization.

Between Step 5 and Step 6, USCIS and federal law enforcement complete three background screening steps:

• FBI fingerprint and criminal history check: USCIS submits your fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to review criminal history records prior to your examination.
• FBI name check: USCIS requests an FBI name check on every naturalization applicant through the FBI Enterprise Vetting Center, which searches the Universal Index of personnel, administrative, applicant, and criminal files.
• Personal and neighborhood investigations: Under Section 335(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and USCIS policy guidance updated in August 2026, USCIS conducts investigations covering at least the 5-year period before filing to corroborate residence, employment, and good moral character. USCIS may waive the neighborhood investigation in its discretion, for example, when an applicant proactively submits at least two detailed character reference letters from U.S. citizens who are not relatives.

Form N-400 filing fees from uscis.gov, as of November 2026

How USCIS reviews your file and schedules the interview

Before your interview begins, the USCIS officer assigned to your case reviews your complete immigration record (known as your A-file) and confirms that all background and security checks are complete and remain valid at the time of adjudication. Once your file clears preliminary processing, USCIS sends your interview appointment notice by mail and posts an electronic copy in your USCIS online account, where you can also check case processing times and view personalized case completion date estimates.

In that same year, 17.8% (145,900 applicants) had a Form G-28 filed by an attorney or accredited representative.

What to bring to your citizenship interview: checklist by case type

You must report to the USCIS field office at the date and time printed on your interview appointment notice. Even if you uploaded or mailed photocopies when you submitted Form N-400, USCIS requires you to bring original documents (or court-certified copies) to the interview so the officer can verify them in person. The officer will return original documents to you once USCIS no longer needs them.

If any document is in a foreign language, you must bring a full English translation along with a signed certification from the translator stating that the translation is complete and accurate and that the translator is competent to translate from that language into English.

Use this checklist our team organized from the Form N-400 instructions and USCIS guidance to pack your interview folder:

• Every applicant: Your interview appointment notice, your Form I-551 Permanent Resident Card (Green Card), a state-issued photo ID such as a driver's license, and all valid and expired passports and travel documents ever issued to you that document your absences since becoming a permanent resident.
• Expiring Green Card holders: Bring your Form N-400 receipt notice along with your Green Card. Effective December 12, 2022, a proper Form N-400 receipt notice automatically extends your Green Card validity for 24 months from the Card Expires date.
• Applicants with marital history: Original current marriage certificate, plus original divorce decrees, annulment decrees, or death certificates proving the termination of all prior marriages for you and your spouse.
• Spouses of U.S. citizens (3-year rule under INA 319(a)): Proof your spouse has been a U.S. citizen for at least 3 years (U.S. birth certificate, Certificate of Naturalization, Certificate of Citizenship, Form FS-240, or current U.S. passport biographical page), plus evidence of living in marital union for 3 years (joint bank or credit card statements, leases, mortgages, insurance policies, children's birth certificates, and IRS tax transcripts for the past 3 years).
• Applicants with trips abroad over 6 months (180 days) but less than 1 year: IRS tax transcripts, rent or mortgage statements, pay statements, bank or credit card statements showing regular U.S. transactions, and proof of car registration and insurance showing you maintained continuous U.S. residence.
• Applicants with any arrest, citation, or criminal record: Original or court-certified arrest reports, charging documents, court dispositions, sentencing records, and proof you completed any sentence, probation, parole, or rehabilitative program, or an agency/court statement confirming no charges were filed. Traffic incidents require records only if they involved alcohol or drugs, led to an arrest, or seriously injured another person.
• Applicants with tax debts or child support obligations: A signed IRS, state, or local tax payment agreement showing you filed returns and arranged to pay any overdue taxes, and evidence of child support payments (canceled checks, money order receipts, court or agency payment records, wage garnishments, or a notarized letter from the custodial parent).
• Applicants requesting a legal name change since filing: The marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order that legally changed your name.
• Applicants bringing a representative or interpreter: Form G-28 (Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Accredited Representative) if represented, or an interpreter with government-issued ID ready to sign Form G-1256 if you qualify for an English test exemption.

What happens during the naturalization interview and what officers ask

All naturalization applicants must appear for an in-person examination before a USCIS officer. At the start of the interview, the officer introduces themselves, explains the purpose of the examination, checks your identification, and places you under oath.

During the eligibility portion of the interview, the officer goes through your written responses on Form N-400 and your A-file line by line. Your ability to speak and understand basic English is evaluated directly through your answers to these questions, unless you are exempt from the English requirement. You may ask the officer to repeat or rephrase any question during the interview.

According to the USCIS Policy Manual, the officer's questions cover these required areas:

• Biographical information, including your legal name, other names used, marital history, and any military service.
• How and when you were lawfully admitted for permanent residence (LPR status) and the total length of time you have held your Green Card.
• Every absence from the United States since becoming a lawful permanent resident, checking both continuous residence (no single trip over 180 days without rebutting the presumption of a break, and no unapproved absence of 1 year or more) and physical presence (spending at least half your required statutory time in the United States, or 30 months / 913 days for 5-year filers).
• Every place you have lived and your employment or school history during the statutory period (5 years for general provision filers, or 3 years for spouses of U.S. citizens), including confirming 3 months of residence in your state or USCIS service district.
• Good moral character, criminal history, tax compliance, support of dependents, and Selective Service registration (if you were required to register before age 26 and are currently between 26 and 31, or under 29 for spousal filers).
• Affiliations or memberships in organizations, loyalty to the United States, attachment to the principles of the U.S. Constitution, and your willingness to take the Oath of Allegiance.

Updating your Form N-400 at the interview

If anything in your life has changed between filing Form N-400, attending biometrics, and sitting for the interview, such as a new international trip, a change of address or employer, a marriage or divorce, or a new citation, tell the officer during the review. The officer records any amendments to your Form N-400 responses on the written record, and you will sign the application at the end of the interview under penalty of perjury. If you want to legally change your name when you naturalize, the officer will also record your request and have you sign a name change petition for the court.

How the English and civics tests work (2008 vs. 2025 civics test rules)

Unless you qualify for an age-and-residency exemption or an approved Form N-648 medical disability exception, the officer administers the English and civics tests during your interview. At your ASC biometrics appointment, USCIS gives you a study booklet to help you prepare.

For the English test, the officer evaluates your speaking and understanding during the Form N-400 interview itself. For the reading test, you must read aloud 1 out of 3 sentences correctly from the reading vocabulary list. For the writing test, you must write 1 out of 3 sentences correctly as dictated by the officer.

For the civics test, the version you take depends on the date you filed Form N-400. USCIS implemented the 2025 naturalization civics test for applications filed on or after October 20, 2025, while applications filed before October 20, 2025 take the 2008 civics test.

USCIS naturalization test components and passing scores (uscis.gov)

Exemptions, interpreters, and test pass rates

You are exempt from the English reading, writing, speaking, and understanding test and may take the civics test in your language of choice through an interpreter if, on the date you file Form N-400, you meet one of the age and lawful permanent resident time thresholds:

• 50/20 exception: Age 50 or older at the time of filing with at least 20 years as a lawful permanent resident (exempt from English, takes the full civics test in your native language).
• 55/15 exception: Age 55 or older at the time of filing with at least 15 years as a lawful permanent resident (exempt from English, takes the full civics test in your native language).
• 65/20 special consideration: Age 65 or older at the time of filing with at least 20 years as a lawful permanent resident (exempt from English and eligible for a simplified civics test in your native language).

Medical disability exceptions and component pass rates

Applicants with a physical or developmental disability or mental impairment that has lasted, or is expected to last, 12 months or more may request an exception to the English test, the civics test, or both by submitting Form N-648, Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions, completed by an authorized medical professional.

In FY 2022 component breakdowns from USCIS, first-time English pass rates were 97% for reading, 94% for speaking, 94% for writing, and 93% for understanding, while 92.4% passed the initial civics test.

What happens at the end of the interview: Form N-652, the 120-day rule, and the Oath

At the end of your citizenship interview, the officer must hand you a Notice of Examination Results (Form N-652) regardless of the outcome. Under the statute and USCIS Policy Manual Volume 12, Part B, Chapter 4, USCIS has up to 120 days from the date of your initial naturalization interview to issue a formal decision. If USCIS does not issue a decision within 120 days, you may request judicial review of your application in federal district court.

Your case will follow one of four results after the interview:

• Granted (Approved): If the evidence in your record establishes eligibility and your case clears internal quality re-verification by a second officer, USCIS approves your Form N-400. If your field office offers same-day ceremonies, you may take the Oath of Allegiance on the same day as your interview. Otherwise, USCIS mails Form N-445 (Notice of Naturalization Oath Ceremony) with your ceremony date, time, and location (or schedules a judicial ceremony if you requested a court name change). At the ceremony, you submit your completed Form N-445 questionnaire, turn in your Permanent Resident Card, take the Oath of Allegiance, and receive your Certificate of Naturalization.
• Continued for additional evidence (Form N-14): If the officer needs more documentation to decide your case, the officer issues a written Request for Evidence on Form N-14 listing the exact documents required and how to submit them. USCIS generally gives you 30 days to respond (plus 3 days when mailed). If you do not respond on time, the officer adjudicates your case on the existing record.
• Continued for a second test attempt (Re-examination): You get two attempts to pass the English and civics tests. If you fail any portion at your initial interview, USCIS schedules an in-person re-examination between 60 and 90 days from the date of your initial interview, where you are retested only on the portion you failed.
• Denied: If you do not meet the statutory requirements or fail the educational tests a second time at the re-examination, USCIS issues a written denial notice within 120 days of the initial interview explaining the facts, the legal citations, and how to request a USCIS hearing on the denial using Form N-336.

What if you miss your initial citizenship interview or biometrics appointment?

Under USCIS Policy Manual rules, if you fail to appear for your initial examination without good cause and do not notify USCIS of the reason within 30 days of the scheduled appointment, USCIS considers the application abandoned and may administratively close it. You may submit a written request to reopen an administratively closed application without a fee within 1 year of closure, though the date of that request becomes your new filing date for eligibility purposes. If you need to reschedule your biometrics appointment before the interview stage, you must request it through your USCIS online account at least 12 hours before the appointment time, or call the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283.

Practice example

Have you taken any trips outside the United States since you submitted your Form N-400, or had any single trip that lasted more than six months?

To answer this question clearly at your interview, state yes or no directly in English and give the exact departure and return dates for any trip you took after filing Form N-400 so the officer can add those days to Part 8 of your application. Have all of your valid and expired passports open to the entry and exit stamps, along with a written list of your travel dates since your biometrics appointment. If you had any single trip that lasted more than 180 days (six months) but less than one year during your 5-year or 3-year statutory period, explain the reason for the trip briefly and offer your supporting documents proving you kept your home in the United States. The Form N-400 instructions specifically recommend bringing your IRS tax transcripts, rent or mortgage statements, pay statements, bank or credit card statements showing regular transactions, and proof of car registration and insurance.

The USCIS officer is checking two separate legal requirements on Form N-400: continuous residence (making sure no trip lasted 180 days or more without proof you kept your U.S. domicile, and no unapproved absence lasted 1 year or more) and physical presence (verifying you spent at least half of your required 5-year or 3-year period physically inside the United States). Giving exact dates that match your passports and updating any travel since your biometrics appointment shows the officer your testimony under oath is accurate and complete.

This is interview practice, not legal advice. For questions about your own case, talk to an immigration attorney. Visaful is not affiliated with the U.S. government or the Department of State.