Citizenship application: how long does it take?
Form N-400 — Application for Naturalization
From USCIS data captured October 19, 2026
USCIS's currently posted range
9 – 31.5 months
Depending on office and category (USCIS data captured October 19, 2026). 80% of cases complete within the posted time.
By office, fastest to slowest
| Office | Current time |
|---|---|
| San Juan PR | 9.5 – 11 months |
| Cranbury NJ | 9 – 12 months |
| Helena MT | 9.5 – 11.5 months |
| Montgomery AL | 9.5 – 12 months |
| Hialeah FL | 9.5 – 12.5 months |
| Burlington VT | 10.5 – 12 months |
| Cincinnati OH | 9.5 – 13 months |
| New York City NY | 10 – 12.5 months |
| Albany NY | 10 – 13 months |
| Providence RI | 10 – 13 months |
| Greer SC | 10 – 13.5 months |
| Kendall FL | 10 – 13.5 months |
| Fort Smith AR | 11 – 13 months |
| Manchester NH | 10.5 – 13.5 months |
| Norfolk VA | 10.5 – 13.5 months |
| Columbus OH | 10.5 – 14 months |
| Los Angeles CA | 10.5 – 14 months |
| Los Angeles County CA | 10.5 – 14 months |
| Mount Laurel NJ | 10 – 14.5 months |
| Spokane WA | 11.5 – 13 months |
| Cleveland OH | 10.5 – 14.5 months |
| Louisville KY | 10.5 – 14.5 months |
| Miami FL | 10 – 15 months |
| Phoenix AZ | 12 – 13 months |
| San Antonio TX | 11.5 – 13.5 months |
| Charlotte NC | 11 – 14.5 months |
| Hartford CT | 11.5 – 14 months |
| Brooklyn NY | 11 – 15 months |
| Houston TX | 12 – 14 months |
| Pittsburgh PA | 11.5 – 14.5 months |
| Queens NY | 10.5 – 15.5 months |
| Tucson AZ | 12 – 14 months |
| Washington DC | 11.5 – 14.5 months |
| Charleston SC | 11.5 – 15 months |
| Charlotte Amalie VI | 11.5 – 15 months |
| Philadelphia PA | 11.5 – 15 months |
| Reno NV | 11.5 – 15 months |
| Saint Louis MO | 12.5 – 14 months |
| West Palm Beach FL | 10 – 16.5 months |
| Christiansted VI | 11.5 – 15.5 months |
| Newark NJ | 11.5 – 15.5 months |
| Omaha NE | 12.5 – 14.5 months |
| Harlingen TX | 11.5 – 16 months |
| Kansas City MO | 12.5 – 15 months |
| El Paso TX | 13 – 15 months |
| Memphis TN | 12 – 16 months |
| Raleigh NC | 12 – 16 months |
| Oklahoma City OK | 13 – 15.5 months |
| San Fernando Valley CA | 13 – 15.5 months |
| Boston MA | 13.5 – 15.5 months |
| Honolulu HI | 12.5 – 16.5 months |
| Las Vegas NV | 13 – 16 months |
| Long Island NY | 12 – 17 months |
| Seattle WA | 13.5 – 15.5 months |
| Yakima WA | 13.5 – 15.5 months |
| Dallas TX | 13 – 16.5 months |
| Detroit MI | 13 – 16.5 months |
| New Orleans LA | 12.5 – 17 months |
| Salt Lake City UT | 13.5 – 16 months |
| Des Moines IA | 13.5 – 16.5 months |
| Nashville TN | 13 – 17 months |
| Tampa FL | 13.5 – 16.5 months |
| Albuquerque NM | 13 – 17.5 months |
| Atlanta GA | 13.5 – 17 months |
| Indianapolis IN | 14 – 16.5 months |
| San Bernardino CA | 13 – 17.5 months |
| Santa Ana CA | 14 – 17 months |
| Wichita KS | 13 – 18 months |
| Agana GU | 13 – 18.5 months |
| Anchorage AK | 12.5 – 19 months |
| Buffalo NY | 14.5 – 17 months |
| Milwaukee WI | 14 – 17.5 months |
| Oakland Park FL | 12.5 – 19 months |
| Denver CO | 14 – 18 months |
| Portland OR | 14.5 – 17.5 months |
| Boise ID | 15 – 17.5 months |
| Chicago IL | 13 – 19.5 months |
| Imperial CA | 14.5 – 18 months |
| Orlando FL | 13.5 – 19 months |
| Jacksonville FL | 15 – 18 months |
| Portland ME | 14.5 – 19 months |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul MN | 14.5 – 20 months |
| Fort Myers FL | 15.5 – 19.5 months |
| Fresno CA | 15.5 – 19.5 months |
| Baltimore MD | 15 – 20.5 months |
| San Francisco CA | 14.5 – 22.5 months |
| Lawrence MA | 18 – 20 months |
| San Diego CA | 15.5 – 23 months |
| Sacramento CA | 16 – 24 months |
| San Jose CA | 16 – 31.5 months |
Each office has its own page with the historical trend and every N-400 category.
Waiting on your N-400?
We check USCIS's data every week — get an email when this time changes.
Is your case delayed?
Compare your receipt date against your office's normal time, and see what each status message means.
The essentials, in data
Form N-400 is the application for naturalization — the process by which a lawful permanent resident becomes a U.S. citizen. It is processed by the USCIS field office serving the applicant's address, which is why times vary so widely from city to city.
Because N-400 is adjudicated at local field offices, the spread between the fastest and slowest office is usually much wider than for forms handled at service centers. The per-office table below is the comparison that matters.
USCIS publishes an early-filing rule for naturalization applications; our early filing calculator works out the date arithmetic from the numbers USCIS publishes. Eligibility itself depends on individual circumstances and is set out on uscis.gov.
Frequently asked questions
How long does citizenship application take in 2026?
Per USCIS data captured October 19, 2026, Form N-400 takes 9 – 31.5 months depending on office and category. See the per-office table on this page.
What is Form N-400?
Form N-400 is the application for naturalization — the process by which a lawful permanent resident becomes a U.S. citizen. It is processed by the USCIS field office serving the applicant's address, which is why times vary so widely from city to city.
How do I check my case status?
With your receipt number on USCIS's official Case Status Online page. Our decoder explains what each message means, and the delay checker compares your receipt date against your office's normal time.
How often is this page updated?
Arrive Legal captures USCIS-published data weekly and archives every capture; the exact capture date is shown above.
Official source: USCIS Case Processing Times · Form N-400 at uscis.gov. See our methodology.