Document checklist: what goes with the N-400

USCIS publishes its own list of documents, Form *M-477, Document Checklist***. This guide summarizes it. The complete, current list is always in the official document, and that is the one that governs.

General rule from the checklist: send copies, not originals, unless USCIS specifically asks for an original.

What everyone sends

1. A photocopy of both sides of your permanent resident card (the green card). If you lost it, a copy of the receipt for Form I-90, the application to replace it.
2. Payment of the application fee, at the current amounts. The N-400 is the only form you can pay for by credit card using Form G-1450.
3. Two identical color photographs, only if you live outside the United States, with your name and A-Number written lightly in pencil on the back.

If an attorney represents you

A completed original Form G-28, Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Representative. That is the document that registers that person with USCIS as your representative.

If your legal name changed

The document that legally changed it: marriage certificate, divorce decree or court document.

If you are applying based on marriage to a U.S. citizen

The checklist asks for four things:

1. Evidence that your spouse has been a citizen for the last three years: birth certificate, Certificate of Naturalization, Certificate of Citizenship, the signature page of their current U.S. passport, or Form FS-240.
2. Your current marriage certificate.
3. Proof that all of your spouse's prior marriages ended: divorce decrees, annulments or death certificates.
4. Documents that refer to both of you: tax returns, bank accounts, leases, mortgages or your children's birth certificates. IRS-certified copies of the last three years of returns, or an IRS tax return transcript, also work.

Other situations with their own documents

The M-477 spells out what to send if you were married before, if you are in the armed forces or served in them, if you have children who do not live with you, if you have had arrests or citations, if you owe taxes, or if you will request an exemption from the English test. Each case has its own list, and it is worth reading it in the original document.

If your case involves a criminal record, unpaid taxes or long absences from the country, go over the documents with an attorney before sending anything.

On interview day

The appointment notice USCIS sends you says what to bring, and that is the list that counts. In general it is worth bringing:

• The appointment notice.
• Your permanent resident card.
• A photo ID, such as a driver's license or state ID.
• Every passport and travel document you have used, including expired ones.
• Whatever the notice itself asks for.

Bring the originals of anything you sent as a copy. If something in your situation changed after you filed (address, marital status, job, travel, record), bring the documents that back it up: the officer will go through the application with you and will want to see it.

One practical tip

Make a folder and keep a copy of everything you send, with the date you sent it, plus every notice you receive. When the interview arrives, which may be months later, you will be glad to have it all in one place.

When you need a lawyer

Which documents to file in a specific case is not a minor administrative decision: it can change the outcome of the application. Talk to an immigration attorney or to an organization accredited by the Department of Justice if you have a record, tax debts, long absences or questions about your immigration history.