US citizenship · OathTrail
What documents do you need to bring to your US citizenship interview
USCIS asks every naturalization applicant to bring the interview appointment notice, the Permanent Resident Card, a state-issued ID such as a driver's license, and all valid and expired passports and travel documents showing trips abroad since becoming a permanent resident. Other documents depend on your situation, and USCIS points to Form M-477, its Document Checklist, for those.
The four items USCIS asks everyone to bring
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the federal agency that handles naturalization, lists four things every applicant should bring to the interview. The first is the interview appointment notice itself, which shows the date, time and office. The second is Form I-551, the Permanent Resident Card, usually called the green card.
The third is a state-issued identification such as a driver's license. The fourth is the one people underestimate: all valid and expired passports and travel documents issued to you that document your absences from the United States since you became a permanent resident. An expired passport full of entry stamps from years ago still belongs in the bag.
Beyond those four, USCIS directs applicants to Form M-477, Document Checklist, for the other records their situation may call for.
What Form M-477 covers
M-477 is a two-page checklist that USCIS publishes, grouped by situation, and each group begins with an if. If your current legal name is different from the name on your green card, it lists the documents that changed it, such as a marriage certificate, divorce decree or court document. If you were married before, it lists proof that each earlier marriage ended.
If you are applying on the basis of marriage to a U.S. citizen, the checklist lists evidence that your spouse has been a citizen for the last three years, your current marriage certificate, proof that your spouse's earlier marriages ended, and documents referring to both of you, such as tax returns, bank accounts, leases, mortgages or children's birth certificates, or IRS tax records for the past three years.
Other groups cover trips outside the United States that lasted six months or more (evidence that you kept ties here, such as IRS tax transcripts for the last five years, or three if you are applying through marriage, rent or mortgage payments and pay stubs), a dependent spouse or children who do not live with you, arrests, detentions and convictions, unfiled or overdue taxes, a disability exception to the tests using Form N-648, military service using Form N-426, and, for certain men, a Status Information Letter from the Selective Service System.
The checklist was written for the application packet, and the edition on the USCIS website is dated 2016, so read it alongside the current Form N-400 instructions. The groups that match your situation are the ones to carry on the day.
Originals, certified copies and translations
Most documents go in with the application as photocopies, but the interview is where originals matter. The Form N-400 instructions, in the edition dated January 20, 2025, say USCIS may request an original document at any time. For criminal records they are explicit: you may send photocopies with the application, but you must bring originals or court-certified copies to the interview.
The same instructions say that unless a traffic incident was alcohol or drug related, led to an arrest or seriously injured another person, you do not need to submit documentation of it. Tax transcripts are not required for every case, but the instructions say you should bring your IRS tax transcripts to the interview, especially if you have traveled outside the United States for more than six months.
Any document with information in a foreign language needs a full English translation, and the N-400 instructions say the translator must sign a certification that the translation is complete and accurate. Keep each translation with its original so both can be shown together.
What happens at the interview
The USCIS Policy Manual describes how the interview starts: the officer places you under oath, then reviews the answers on your N-400, examines the evidence and asks follow-up questions. This is when the officer may ask to see a document from your bag.
Unless you qualify for an exemption, the interview also includes the English and civics tests. USCIS says your speaking is judged by the officer during the interview itself; for reading you must read aloud one of three sentences correctly, and for writing you must write one of three sentences correctly.
The civics test depends on when you filed. For applications filed before October 20, 2025, USCIS uses the 2008 version: up to 10 questions from a list of 100, with 6 correct answers needed. For applications filed on or after that date, the 2025 version applies: 20 questions from a list of 128, with 12 correct answers needed. If you do not pass a portion, you are retested on that portion between 60 and 90 days after the first interview, and the officer records the result on Form N-652.
If you need an interpreter and qualify for an exception to the English test, the N-400 instructions say you must bring one. The Policy Manual adds that the interpreter comes at your own expense and must translate what you and the officer say word for word.
Common mistakes with interview documents
Bringing only the current passport. USCIS asks for all valid and expired passports and travel documents covering your time as a permanent resident. Photocopies of court records are the second common gap, since the N-400 instructions call for originals or court-certified copies at the interview.
Leaving translations at home, or packing from memory on the morning. The situation-based parts of M-477 are easy to forget under pressure. OathTrail, an independent app, sets out the M-477 list as a checklist under each document's official name with a link to the USCIS source it is based on, and its Bag Check screen asks on interview morning whether each document is actually in the bag.
This guide summarizes public information published by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. It is not legal advice, and neither this guide nor OathTrail is affiliated with, endorsed by or acting on behalf of USCIS or any other government agency. Requirements change, so check your interview notice and the current details on the USCIS website; questions about your own case are for USCIS or a qualified immigration attorney.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to bring expired passports to my citizenship interview
Yes. USCIS asks for all valid and expired passports and travel documents issued to you that document your absences from the United States since you became a permanent resident.
Do I need tax transcripts for the naturalization interview
Not in every case, according to the Form N-400 instructions. They do say you should bring IRS tax transcripts, especially if you have traveled outside the United States for more than six months, and the M-477 checklist lists IRS tax records for marriage-based applications and for long trips.
What is Form M-477
It is the Document Checklist that USCIS publishes for naturalization applicants. It lists documents by situation, such as a name change, earlier marriages, long trips or arrests, so each applicant can see which groups match their own circumstances.
Do my documents need to be in English
A document with information in a foreign language needs a full English translation. The N-400 instructions say the translator must sign a certification that the translation is complete and accurate.
Can I bring an interpreter to the interview
If you qualify for an exception to the English test, the N-400 instructions say you must bring an interpreter. The USCIS Policy Manual says the interpreter comes at your own expense and must translate word for word.