Am I eligible to apply for citizenship yet?
The N-400 has a few hard numbers that decide whether USCIS will even accept your application — and getting them wrong means a rejected filing and a lost fee. There's also a rule almost nobody knows: you can file 90 days early. Enter your dates and we'll check your continuous residence, physical presence, and the day you can actually file.
Your naturalization timeline
Your requirements
Worked examples
Green-card holder since 2020, five-year path, clear to file
N-400 eligibility: Eligible now
On these answers you meet the core requirements and can file your N-400 now. Your longest absence is within limits.
✓ Continuous residence, physical presence, and state residence all met, and your absences are within limits. You're clear to file.
Your requirements
- Path: 5-year (general)
- Continuous residence anniversary: Nov 12, 2025 (5 years as LPR)
- Earliest filing date (90 days before): Aug 14, 2025 — reached ✓
- Physical presence (913 days / 30 months needed): Met — 1690 days
- State / district residence (3 months): Met — 26 months
- Longest absence: 38 days — within limits
- At least 18 years old: Yes
Married to a citizen; a 203-day trip raises questions
N-400 eligibility: Eligible — with a caveat
On these answers you meet the core requirements and can file your N-400 now. One caveat: your 203-day trip is over 6 months, so be ready to show you kept your US ties.
⚠ Core requirements met, but an absence over 6 months creates a rebuttable presumption — bring evidence (US home, job, taxes, family) that you kept continuous residence.
Your requirements
- Path: 3-year (spouse of US citizen)
- Continuous residence anniversary: Sep 18, 2026 (3 years as LPR)
- Earliest filing date (90 days before): Jun 20, 2026 — reached ✓
- Physical presence (548 days / 18 months needed): Met — 612 days
- State / district residence (3 months): Met — 14 months
- Longest absence: 203 days — over 6 months: rebuttable presumption
- At least 18 years old: Yes
- Spouse a US citizen the full 3 years: Yes
Spent 402 days caring for a parent abroad; clock resets
N-400 eligibility: Clock reset
A single absence of 1 year or more (402 days) breaks continuous residence (unless you had an approved Form N-470). Your eligibility clock generally restarts from your return — expect to wait about 4 years and 1 day from re-entry.
✗ Continuous residence broken by a 1-year+ absence. The other requirements can't fix this on their own — the clock restarts.
Your requirements
- Path: 5-year (general)
- Continuous residence anniversary: Apr 3, 2024 (5 years as LPR)
- Earliest filing date (90 days before): Jan 4, 2024 — reached ✓
- Physical presence (913 days / 30 months needed): Met — 1420 days
- State / district residence (3 months): Met — 9 months
- Longest absence: 402 days — 1 year+ BREAKS continuous residence
- At least 18 years old: Yes
Examples are recomputed whenever the underlying rates or data change; the date above is the last recompute.
How N-400 eligibility works & data sources
Two clocks run at once. Continuous residence: you must have been a permanent resident for 5 years (general) or 3 years (if you've been married to and living with a US citizen the whole time). The famous shortcut — the 90-day early-filing rule — lets you submit the N-400 up to 90 days before you hit that anniversary. It applies to continuous residence only; it does not reduce the physical-presence or state-residence requirements.
Physical presence: you must have actually been in the US for at least 913 days (30 months) over the 5-year period, or 548 days (18 months) over the 3-year period. And you must have lived in your state or USCIS district for at least 3 months. Long trips matter: an absence of more than 6 months but less than a year creates a rebuttable presumption that you broke continuous residence (you can overcome it with evidence); an absence of 1 year or more breaks it outright unless you had an approved Form N-470. You must also be at least 18 and meet good-moral-character rules.
Sources: USCIS — Continuous residence & physical presence · USCIS Policy Manual — Physical presence (913 days) · USCIS — Form N-400
Frequently asked questions
My green card says I've been an LPR for 4 years and 9 months — can I file now?
On the 5-year path, yes — the 90-day early-filing rule lets you file once you're within 90 days of the 5-year mark, i.e. at 4 years and 9 months. You still need the 913 days of physical presence by your actual filing date.
I spent 7 months in Mexico caring for a parent. Did I lose my continuous residence?
Not automatically. An absence over 6 months but under a year creates a rebuttable presumption — you can overcome it with evidence you kept your US ties (home, job, family, taxes). An absence of a full year or more is the one that breaks the clock outright.
Does physical presence mean I add up all my days in the US?
Yes — total the days you were physically in the US across the statutory period. You need at least 913 (5-year) or 548 (3-year). Days spent abroad don't count, even short trips.