Updated November 6, 2026

Form N-445: The Oath Ceremony Notice and the Questions on the Back

Form N-445 (Notice of Naturalization Oath Ceremony) is the notice USCIS sends after approving your Form N-400 when a same-day oath ceremony is not available. It gives the date, time, and location of your ceremony and includes a questionnaire you must complete before arriving so an officer can verify your continued eligibility at check-in.

Under the USCIS Policy Manual, if USCIS identifies disqualifying information before you take the Oath of Allegiance, or if you miss more than one ceremony without good cause, it issues a motion to reopen with a 15-day window to respond.

What is Form N-445?

Form N-445, Notice of Naturalization Oath Ceremony, is the appointment notice and final eligibility questionnaire for naturalization applicants whose Form N-400 has been approved. While some USCIS field offices offer a naturalization ceremony on the same day as the citizenship interview, USCIS mails Form N-445 with the date, time, and location of your scheduled ceremony whenever a same-day ceremony is unavailable.

If you filed your Form N-400 online, USCIS says in its 10 Steps to Naturalization guide that you can also access the electronic notice in your USCIS online account. If you are still waiting for a decision after your exam, see our guide to Form N-652 interview results.

Passing your interview and receiving an approval decision does not make you a citizen yet. USCIS states plainly on its Naturalization Ceremonies page that you are not a U.S. citizen until you take the Oath of Allegiance at a naturalization ceremony. In fiscal year 2024, USCIS welcomed 818,500 new citizens during naturalization ceremonies across the United States and around the world.

The Form N-445 questionnaire and the eligibility topics it checks

Form N-445 includes a questionnaire that you must complete before you arrive at your ceremony. At check-in, a USCIS officer reviews your responses on Form N-445 and updates them as necessary to verify that you remain eligible for naturalization between your interview approval and the administration of the oath.

Because you must maintain every naturalization requirement right up until you take the Oath of Allegiance, the officer verifies that no disqualifying events have occurred since your interview across core naturalization eligibility areas:

• Marital status changes: If your marital status has changed, the USCIS Form N-400 checklist lists your current marriage certificate, divorce decree, annulment decree, or death certificate showing prior marriages were terminated.
• Travel outside the United States: Extended trips outside the United States are checked to confirm you maintained your continuous residence and physical presence.
• Crimes, offenses, arrests, citations, or detentions: Good moral character requirements continue until the oath, including documentation of any arrest reports, charging documents, court dispositions, sentencing records, or traffic incidents involving alcohol or drugs, an arrest, or serious injury to another person.
• Attachment to the Constitution and Oath of Allegiance: You must remain able and willing to take the Oath of Allegiance (or qualify for a formal modification, affirmation, or waiver under the USCIS Policy Manual).
• Good moral character and statutory bars: Under USCIS guidance, conduct such as lying to obtain immigration benefits, failing to file required tax returns, failing to pay ordered child or spousal support, being married to more than one person at the same time, being a habitual drunkard, or helping someone enter the United States illegally can affect your eligibility for citizenship.

What happens if a change or disqualifying issue comes up before the oath?

At ceremony check-in, a USCIS officer reviews your Form N-445 responses, updates them as needed, and verifies your eligibility for naturalization. If a change occurred since your interview, having the supporting records from the USCIS Form N-400 document checklist helps the officer review the update.

Under the USCIS Policy Manual (Volume 12, Part J, Chapter 4), if USCIS receives or identifies disqualifying derogatory information about you after your Form N-400 approval and prior to the administration of the Oath of Allegiance, USCIS must not schedule you for or administer the oath until the matter is resolved favorably.

Here is the exact procedure the USCIS Policy Manual sets when disqualifying derogatory information is identified before the oath:

• Motion to reopen: A USCIS officer must execute a motion to reopen your previously approved naturalization application and notify you in writing.
• 15-day response window: You have 15 days to respond to the written motion to reopen and submit evidence to overcome the derogatory information.
• If you overcome the issue: If you resolve the derogatory information and still qualify for naturalization, the officer approves your application and schedules you to take the Oath of Allegiance.
• If you do not overcome the issue: If you do not respond within 15 days or cannot overcome the derogatory information, the officer grants the motion to reopen and denies your naturalization application on its merits.

What to bring and what you must surrender at ceremony check-in

When you report for your naturalization ceremony, you must check in with USCIS personnel before the ceremony begins. Only USCIS employees may perform check-in duties. Once the officer reviews your Form N-445 and verifies your eligibility, you must surrender your permanent resident documents.

Use this ceremony-day packing and check-in checklist from the USCIS Naturalization Ceremonies page and Policy Manual Volume 12, Part J, Chapter 5:

• Your Form N-445, Notice of Naturalization Oath Ceremony, with your responses to the questionnaire completed before you arrive.
• Your Lawful Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551, or Green Card) to return to USCIS at check-in.
• All USCIS-issued travel documents to surrender to the officer at check-in.
• Any supplemental ceremony instructions USCIS sent you for your specific venue.
• Proof of a lost Green Card, if applicable: USCIS waives the requirement to return your Permanent Resident Card at check-in if you provided proof during your naturalization interview that the card was lost and that you attempted to recover it, or if you were never granted permanent residence because of qualifying military service.
• A check of prohibited items: Before heading to the building, USCIS recommends checking the Federal Protective Service frequently asked questions page to see what items are prohibited on federal properties.

How to reschedule your naturalization oath ceremony

If you cannot attend your scheduled naturalization ceremony, do not simply skip the appointment. USCIS requires you to notify your local office in writing.

Follow these USCIS steps if you need a new ceremony date:

• Prepare a written explanation: Write a letter requesting a new ceremony date and explaining why you cannot attend the scheduled naturalization ceremony.
• Return your original notice: Return your Form N-445, Notice of Naturalization Oath Ceremony, along with your explanation letter, to your local USCIS office. You can locate your field office address on the USCIS Find a USCIS Office page.
• Do not miss more than once: Under the USCIS Policy Manual, USCIS presumes you have abandoned your naturalization application if you fail to appear for at least two ceremonies to take the Oath of Allegiance without good cause.
• Respond within 15 days if reopened: USCIS treats multiple failures to appear without good cause the same as receiving disqualifying derogatory information after approval. An officer will execute a written motion to reopen, and USCIS may deny your application if you do not respond with good cause within 15 days.

What happens at check-in, during the ceremony, and right after

USCIS conducts two types of ceremonies: in an administrative ceremony, USCIS administers the Oath of Allegiance, while in a judicial ceremony, a court administers the oath. In standardized USCIS administrative ceremonies, the program follows a set order after check-in:

• Step 1: Check in with a USCIS officer, who reviews and updates your Form N-445 questionnaire and collects your Permanent Resident Card and all USCIS-issued travel documents.
• Step 2: Watch the ceremony multimedia presentations, including the four-minute video "Faces of America" and the national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner" (you are not required to stand or sing during musical selections).
• Step 3: Listen to opening welcoming remarks from the Master of Ceremonies and the "call of countries," where a representative reads aloud the former nationalities of the candidates.
• Step 4: Take the Oath of Allegiance. You legally become a U.S. citizen the moment you take the oath.
• Step 5: Hear keynote remarks (5 to 10 minutes), watch congratulatory remarks from the President, Secretary, or USCIS Director, and recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
• Step 6: Receive your Certificate of Naturalization (Form N-550) from USCIS leadership or officers.
• Step 7: Review your Certificate of Naturalization carefully before you leave the ceremony site and notify USCIS on the spot if you see any errors.

What to do in the first 10 days after you receive your Certificate of Naturalization

Your Certificate of Naturalization (Form N-550) is your proof of U.S. citizenship. Check every detail on it before walking out of the venue, and report any mistakes to USCIS staff before leaving. If you ever lose your certificate later, you can request a replacement by filing Form N-565, Application for Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Document.

Once the ceremony concludes, USCIS highlights three immediate steps for new citizens:

• Register to vote: You will receive a voter registration application at your ceremony after taking the Oath of Allegiance. Depending on the venue, state or local election officials, approved non-partisan non-governmental organizations, or USCIS officials distribute voter registration forms once the ceremony ends. You can also register at post offices, motor vehicle offices, county election boards, or your state Secretary of State's office.
• Apply for a U.S. passport or passport card: Your U.S. Citizenship Welcome Packet includes a passport application, which you can also get at most U.S. post offices or at travel.state.gov. USCIS advises allowing enough time between your ceremony and any planned international travel to receive your passport.
• Wait at least 10 days, then update Social Security: After your ceremony, update your citizenship status with the Social Security Administration (SSA) by submitting Form SS-5, Application for a Social Security Card, by mail or in person at your local SSA office. USCIS notes that new citizens generally need to wait at least 10 days after the ceremony before updating SSA records.

Oath modifications, affirmations, and medical waivers

If you cannot recite the full standard Oath of Allegiance because of religious beliefs, personal conscience, or a medical disability, the USCIS Policy Manual (Volume 12, Part J, Chapter 3) sets out three options that can be requested up until the time of the oath ceremony:

• Affirmation of Allegiance in lieu of the oath: You may ask to substitute the words "solemnly affirm" for "on oath" and omit the words "so help me God" for any reason. USCIS grants this solely upon your request, without requiring any testimony or documentary evidence.
• Modified oath for religious or conscientious objections: You may request deletion of the clause to bear arms on behalf of the United States (INA 337(a)(5)(A)), the clause to perform noncombatant service in the U.S. armed forces (INA 337(a)(5)(B)), or both. You must show by clear and convincing evidence that your opposition is based on religious training and belief or a sincere, meaningful, and deeply held moral or ethical code (you do not need to belong to a specific church or religion). There is no exemption from the clause to perform work of national importance under civilian direction.
• Waiver of the Oath of Allegiance: USCIS waives the oath for children younger than 14 years of age, and may waive the oath for an applicant who cannot understand or communicate an understanding of its meaning due to a physical or developmental disability or mental impairment. A legal guardian, court-appointed surrogate, or qualifying U.S. citizen designated representative can request this on Form N-648 or through a written request and a written evaluation from an authorized medical professional (a medical doctor, doctor of osteopathy, or clinical psychologist). USCIS recognizes designated representatives in this priority order: legal guardian or surrogate, spouse, parent, adult son or daughter, or adult brother or sister. If USCIS approves an oath waiver, you are not required to appear in a public ceremony.

Still preparing for your exam or waiting for your notice? You can rehearse with our US citizenship interview practice with AI, or read our full guide to the citizenship oath ceremony and oath text.

Visaful is an AI mock interview app for US visa interviews: an AI officer asks your visa's questions out loud and shows what to fix.

This is interview practice, not legal advice. For questions about your own case, talk to an immigration attorney. Visaful is not affiliated with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or any government agency.