Citizenship application: how long does it take?
Form N-400 — Application for Naturalization
From USCIS data captured August 31, 2026
USCIS's currently posted range
8 – 26 months
Depending on office and category (USCIS data captured August 31, 2026). 80% of cases complete within the posted time.
By office, fastest to slowest
| Office | Current time |
|---|---|
| Charlotte Amalie VI | 8.5 – 10 months |
| Hialeah FL | 8 – 10.5 months |
| San Juan PR | 8.5 – 10 months |
| Cincinnati OH | 8 – 11.5 months |
| Cranbury NJ | 9 – 11 months |
| Albany NY | 9 – 11.5 months |
| Helena MT | 9.5 – 11 months |
| Montgomery AL | 9 – 11.5 months |
| Cleveland OH | 9 – 12 months |
| Greer SC | 9 – 12 months |
| Kendall FL | 9 – 12 months |
| Norfolk VA | 9 – 12 months |
| Burlington VT | 10 – 11.5 months |
| Columbus OH | 9.5 – 12.5 months |
| Fort Smith AR | 10 – 12 months |
| Miami FL | 8 – 14 months |
| New York City NY | 10 – 12 months |
| Providence RI | 9.5 – 12.5 months |
| Los Angeles CA | 9.5 – 13 months |
| Manchester NH | 9.5 – 13 months |
| Brooklyn NY | 10 – 13 months |
| Hartford CT | 10.5 – 12.5 months |
| Queens NY | 9 – 14 months |
| West Palm Beach FL | 8.5 – 14.5 months |
| Louisville KY | 10.5 – 13 months |
| Mount Laurel NJ | 9.5 – 14 months |
| Spokane WA | 11 – 12.5 months |
| Philadelphia PA | 10.5 – 13.5 months |
| Phoenix AZ | 11.5 – 12.5 months |
| Saint Louis MO | 11 – 13 months |
| Washington DC | 11 – 13 months |
| Charleston SC | 10.5 – 14 months |
| Charlotte NC | 10.5 – 14 months |
| Los Angeles County CA | 10.5 – 14 months |
| Nashville TN | 11.5 – 13 months |
| Reno NV | 11 – 13.5 months |
| San Antonio TX | 11.5 – 13 months |
| Memphis TN | 10.5 – 14.5 months |
| Houston TX | 11.5 – 14 months |
| Kansas City MO | 12 – 13.5 months |
| Newark NJ | 11 – 14.5 months |
| Pittsburgh PA | 11 – 14.5 months |
| Raleigh NC | 11.5 – 14 months |
| Tucson AZ | 12 – 13.5 months |
| Atlanta GA | 12 – 14 months |
| Omaha NE | 12 – 14 months |
| Honolulu HI | 11.5 – 15 months |
| San Fernando Valley CA | 12 – 14.5 months |
| Christiansted VI | 11.5 – 15.5 months |
| Detroit MI | 12 – 15 months |
| Harlingen TX | 11 – 16 months |
| Long Island NY | 11 – 16 months |
| Seattle WA | 12 – 15 months |
| Yakima WA | 12 – 15 months |
| Des Moines IA | 12.5 – 15 months |
| El Paso TX | 12.5 – 15 months |
| Las Vegas NV | 12.5 – 15 months |
| Boston MA | 13.5 – 14.5 months |
| Buffalo NY | 13 – 15 months |
| Chicago IL | 11.5 – 16.5 months |
| Dallas TX | 12 – 16 months |
| Oklahoma City OK | 12.5 – 15.5 months |
| Salt Lake City UT | 12 – 16 months |
| Wichita KS | 12.5 – 15.5 months |
| Anchorage AK | 12 – 16.5 months |
| Indianapolis IN | 13 – 15.5 months |
| Milwaukee WI | 12.5 – 16 months |
| New Orleans LA | 12 – 16.5 months |
| Orlando FL | 11.5 – 17 months |
| Tampa FL | 13 – 15.5 months |
| Imperial CA | 13.5 – 16 months |
| San Bernardino CA | 12.5 – 17 months |
| Albuquerque NM | 13 – 17 months |
| Denver CO | 13 – 17 months |
| Portland ME | 13 – 17 months |
| Portland OR | 13.5 – 16.5 months |
| Santa Ana CA | 13.5 – 16.5 months |
| Baltimore MD | 13 – 17.5 months |
| Fort Myers FL | 13 – 17.5 months |
| Oakland Park FL | 12 – 18.5 months |
| Agana GU | 12.5 – 18.5 months |
| Boise ID | 14.5 – 16.5 months |
| Fresno CA | 14 – 17 months |
| Jacksonville FL | 14.5 – 16.5 months |
| San Francisco CA | 13.5 – 18 months |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul MN | 14.5 – 20 months |
| San Diego CA | 15 – 21.5 months |
| Lawrence MA | 17.5 – 19.5 months |
| Sacramento CA | 15 – 23.5 months |
| San Jose CA | 14.5 – 26 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 August 31, 2026, Form N-400 takes 8 – 26 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.