N-400 Processing Time: Current Waits at Every USCIS Office

As of October 13, 2026, USCIS field offices report that 80% of N-400 naturalization cases are completed within 9 to 18 months, depending on where you live, with a typical office at 12.5 months. The agency's separate national median for fiscal year 2026 is 7.4 months from filing to decision, up from 5.6 months in fiscal year 2025. In plain terms: half of applicants are finished in about seven and a half months, most are finished within about a year, and a slow office can add another six months on top of that.

This guide explains what those two numbers mean, lists the current figure for all 90 field offices, walks through each step from filing to the oath, and shows what you can do when your case runs past the normal window. It is general information, not legal advice. If you have an arrest record, long trips abroad, unpaid taxes or a past immigration problem, talk to a licensed immigration attorney or a Department of Justice accredited representative before you file. The official form and instructions are at uscis.gov/n-400.

N-400 processing time at a glance

Why USCIS shows two different numbers

People searching for the N-400 processing time often find a figure near seven months on one USCIS page and a figure above twelve months on another. Both are correct. They measure different things.

The median: 7.4 months

The historical processing times page reports the median, which USCIS defines as "the time it took to complete half of the cases in a given time period." It is a national number for every office combined. For fiscal year 2026 it covers cases completed between October 1, 2025 and August 30, 2026, and the table itself was last queried in September 2026.

The 80% figure: 9 to 18 months

The Case Processing Times tool, the one where you pick a form and a field office, shows how long it took that office to complete 80% of adjudicated cases over the past six months. It is deliberately a conservative number: four out of five applicants at that office were done sooner or by that point. USCIS says it updates the tool monthly and that the figure "should be used as a reference point, not an absolute measure of how long your case will take."

A reasonable way to read the two together: the median tells you what a smooth case looks like, the 80% figure tells you how long you may wait before the delay is unusual for your office.

How the N-400 processing time has changed

Source: USCIS, Historical National Median Processing Time for All USCIS Offices, checked October 13, 2026. The federal fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30, so the FY 2026 row is not yet a full year. USCIS normally adds the final month of data later in the fall.

The direction is clear. After two years near five to six months, the median has climbed by almost two months in fiscal year 2026. USCIS does not publish an official explanation alongside the table. Several documented policy changes fall in the same period, and they are described in the section on delays below.

N-400 processing time by field office

The table lists every field office the USCIS tool offers for Form N-400. The figure is the time within which 80% of that office's naturalization cases were completed, as displayed on October 13, 2026. If your receipt notice names the National Benefits Center, USCIS says to look up your local field office instead, because that is where your interview will be held.

Source: USCIS Case Processing Times tool (egov.uscis.gov/processing-times), Form N-400, each office checked on October 13, 2026. USCIS updates these figures monthly.

A few things stand out. The fastest offices are spread around the country: Cranbury, New Jersey, at 9 months, followed by Cincinnati, Helena, Hialeah, Montgomery and San Juan at 9.5 months. The slowest are Lawrence, Massachusetts, at 18 months, and Sacramento and San Jose at 16 months. New York City sits at 10 months and Los Angeles at 10.5, both faster than the middle of the pack, while Seattle is at 13.5 and Houston at 12.

Two neighboring offices can differ by months. Lawrence and Boston are about 30 miles apart and report 18 and 13.5 months. You cannot choose your office, though. USCIS assigns it by the ZIP code of your home address, and you must have lived in that state or USCIS district for at least three months before filing.

The citizenship timeline, step by step

USCIS describes naturalization as ten steps. From a waiting point of view there are six stages. The agency publishes a time only for the whole journey, not for each stage, so the list below gives the fixed rules and deadlines that are published and avoids guessing at the rest.

1. File Form N-400. You can file online or by mail. Filing is allowed up to 90 days before you reach the five-year mark as a permanent resident, or the three-year mark if you qualify through marriage to a U.S. citizen. The requirements are covered in detail in how to become a U.S. citizen, and the form itself in our N-400 form guide.
2. Receipt notice. USCIS sends a receipt notice (Form I-797C) with your receipt number. Online filers see it in their account. Under a policy that took effect December 12, 2022 and applies to N-400s filed on or after that date, the notice also extends an expiring green card for 24 months from the "Card Expires" date when shown together with the card, so most applicants do not need to renew the card while the N-400 is pending. A lost card generally still has to be replaced with Form I-90.
3. Biometrics. Most applicants must provide fingerprints, a photo and a signature at an Application Support Center unless USCIS reuses earlier biometrics or waives the step. The appointment notice gives the date, time and place. USCIS may use the photo taken that day on your Certificate of Naturalization, so dress accordingly.
4. Interview and test. Once background checks are finished, the field office schedules your interview. An officer reviews your application under oath and gives the English and civics tests. See what happens at the citizenship interview and the U.S. citizenship test guide.
5. Decision. The officer hands you Form N-652 with the result: granted, continued or denied. If a decision cannot be made that day, the regulation at 8 CFR 335.3(a) gives USCIS 120 days from the interview.
6. Oath ceremony. You become a citizen only when you take the Oath of Allegiance. Some offices hold a ceremony the same day as the interview. Otherwise USCIS mails Form N-445 with the date. Details are in our oath ceremony guide.

A worked example

Suppose your green card shows a "Resident Since" date of March 15, 2022, and you qualify under the five-year rule. Your five-year anniversary is March 15, 2027. Counting back 90 calendar days, the earliest date USCIS can receive your application is December 15, 2026. If you live in the area served by the Newark office, the tool currently shows 11.5 months for 80% of cases, which would point to a decision by roughly late November 2027 for most applicants filing that day, and earlier for many. That is an illustration of how to read the tool, not a prediction: the figure is recalculated every month.

What slows an N-400 down

Some causes are within your control and some are not.

Things on your side

• An incomplete or outdated form. The current edition is dated 01/20/25. USCIS rejects forms with missing pages, mixed editions or no signature.
• Filing too early. An application received more than 90 days before your anniversary will be rejected or denied.
• Missing evidence. A Request for Evidence stops the clock on your side until you answer. Court dispositions for any arrest, tax transcripts and proof of your spouse's citizenship are the usual gaps.
• Moving. A new address in a different district means your file is transferred to another office, and that office's queue applies.
• Rescheduling. Asking to move a biometrics or interview appointment puts you back in the scheduling queue.
• Failing a test. The retest is scheduled 60 to 90 days after the first interview.

Things on the government's side

• Background checks. Every applicant goes through FBI fingerprint and name checks. A common name or records in several countries can extend this stage.
• The good moral character review. A USCIS policy memorandum dated August 15, 2025 directs officers to weigh the "totality of circumstances" in each case, including positive factors such as steady work, family responsibilities and community ties, and not only the absence of criminal bars. A separate memorandum dated August 22, 2025 (PM-602-0189) ended the general waiver of neighborhood investigations under INA 335(a). USCIS wrote that guidance into its Policy Manual on August 25, 2026 through Policy Alert PA-2026-10, effective immediately for pending and new applications. Under the manual, a neighborhood investigation can include witness statements gathered near an applicant's home and workplace, and unless it is waived it is generally completed before the interview is scheduled. USCIS may waive it case by case, for example when an applicant submits sufficient testimonial or character reference letters. The manual says that proactively sending at least two such letters with the N-400 can help the agency decide.
• The new civics test. Anyone who filed on or after October 20, 2025 takes the longer 2025 test, with up to 20 questions instead of 10.
• Country-based holds. Policy memoranda issued December 2, 2025 and January 1, 2026 told officers to hold pending applications, N-400s included, from citizens or natives of the 39 countries listed in two presidential proclamations, or the Palestinian Authority. The Boston Globe (December 8, 2025) and The Christian Science Monitor (December 19, 2025), both citing the legal aid group Project Citizenship, reported that several already-approved applicants were turned away from a December 4 oath ceremony at Faneuil Hall in Boston. On August 24, 2026, a federal court in the Northern District of California enjoined both memoranda in Red Eagle Law, L.C. v. Edlow and ordered USCIS to adjudicate applications in the normal course. USCIS says it disagrees with the order but will follow it while further review is possible. If you are from one of the affected countries, check the USCIS alerts page before you plan around any date.
• Office workload. Staffing and local demand explain most of the gap between a 9-month office and an 18-month office.

How to check your N-400 case status

• Case Status Online. Enter the 13-character receipt number from your notice at egov.uscis.gov. It shows the last action taken on the case.
• Your USCIS online account. USCIS creates an account path even for paper filers and mails an Account Acceptance Notice with instructions. The account shows notices, appointment letters and a personalized estimate of when your case may be completed.
• The Contact Center. The phone line is 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833). It is most useful once you are past the inquiry date described below.

A status that has not changed in months is normal between biometrics and the interview notice. The background checks happening in that stretch do not generate status updates.

What to do when your case is outside normal processing time

USCIS only accepts a "where is my case" question after a set date. On the Case Processing Times page, after you select N-400 and your office, enter your receipt date in the box labeled "When is your receipt date?" The tool returns either a future date on which you may ask, or a link to submit the question now.

That inquiry date is not the 80% figure. USCIS calculates it from the time it takes the office to complete 93% of adjudicated cases, minus the time your case has already been pending. So the inquiry date usually falls some weeks or months after the published processing time.

Once you are past it, work through these steps in order:

1. File a case inquiry through the "outside normal processing time" e-Request link the tool gives you, or by calling the Contact Center. Keep the confirmation number.
2. Ask your member of Congress. Every House and Senate office has caseworkers who can send an inquiry to USCIS on a constituent's behalf. You will be asked to sign a privacy release.
3. Contact the CIS Ombudsman at the Department of Homeland Security by submitting DHS Form 7001, Request for Case Assistance, online. The office says you must first have contacted USCIS within the last 90 days and given the agency at least 60 days to resolve the problem. For a plain processing delay it generally also requires that your case inquiry date has passed, though it lists Form N-400 among the exceptions because a statutory or regulatory processing time applies.
4. After the interview, count 120 days. If USCIS has not decided your case within 120 days of the interview, section 336(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1447(b)) lets you apply for a hearing to the U.S. district court for the district where you live. The court may either determine the matter itself or remand it to USCIS with instructions. This is a lawsuit, and you should speak to an attorney before taking that step.

USCIS does not offer premium processing for Form N-400. You can ask for an expedite under the agency's general expedite criteria, such as an urgent humanitarian situation, but approval is discretionary and requires documents.

What the application costs right now

As of the Form G-1055 fee schedule dated October 7, 2026, the N-400 costs $710 online or $760 on paper. There is a reduced fee of $380 for households with documented income not more than 400% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, a full fee waiver for those who qualify through Form I-912, and no fee for applicants filing under the military provisions. A proposed rule published June 23, 2026 would raise the fee to $1,280 online and $1,330 on paper and end the reduced fee and fee waivers. The comment period closed August 24, 2026, and no final rule had been published as of October 14, 2026. The full picture is in our N-400 fee guide.

If you are still working toward the green card stage

The N-400 clock starts only after you have been a permanent resident for the required period. If you are earlier in the process, these guides cover the steps before naturalization: how long it takes to get a green card, the monthly visa bulletin, the I-130 processing time for family petitions and the H-4 EAD processing time for spouses of H-1B workers.

Common reasons an N-400 is denied

USCIS denies an application when the record shows the applicant is not eligible. The grounds that come up most often follow directly from the requirements:

• Failing the English or civics test twice.
• A break in continuous residence, most often a trip abroad of more than six months that the applicant cannot explain with evidence of ongoing ties, or any absence of one year or more.
• Not enough physical presence: fewer than 913 days in the United States during the five years before filing, or 548 days during the three years for spouses of citizens.
• A finding that the applicant lacks good moral character during the statutory period, for example because of certain criminal convictions, false testimony to an immigration officer, willful failure to support dependents or unresolved tax problems.
• Failure to register with the Selective Service when required, for male applicants in the affected age range.
• Missing the interview or failing to answer a Request for Evidence.
• A problem with how the green card was obtained in the first place.

A denial is not always the end. You can request a hearing before a different officer on Form N-336 within 30 calendar days of receiving the decision (33 days if it was mailed). The fee is $780 online or $830 on paper as of October 2026. You can also simply file a new N-400 once the problem is fixed. Because a denial for a serious reason can, in some cases, lead to removal proceedings, get legal advice before filing if anything on this list applies to you.

After the oath: passport and next steps

You will hand in your green card at the ceremony and receive a Certificate of Naturalization. That certificate is your proof of citizenship until you have a passport. For a first U.S. passport you apply in person with Form DS-11. The State Department lists the fee as $130 for a passport book plus a $35 acceptance fee, and, as of its October 5, 2026 update, routine processing at 4 to 6 weeks and expedited processing at 2 to 3 weeks for an extra $60. Mailing time is not included and can add up to two weeks in each direction. You must send the original certificate with the application, and it is returned separately.

USCIS also advises new citizens to update their Social Security record, generally at least ten days after the ceremony, and to register to vote.

Sources and how we checked

Field office figures were read directly from the USCIS Case Processing Times tool on October 13, 2026, one office at a time. National medians come from the USCIS historical processing times table, which states it uses data through August 30, 2026. Fees come from the Form G-1055 page (edition 10/07/26) and the Federal Register. We will update this page when USCIS refreshes its monthly figures.