Replace Your Lost Citizenship Certificate

If your citizenship certificate is lost or stolen, you have to file Form N-565 with the USCIS to get a replacement of the same.

Per the USCIS, you are required to file Form N-565, Application for Replacement Naturalization or Citizenship Document, if you have been issued a

  • Naturalization Certificate
  • Certificate of Citizenship
  • Declaration of Intention or Repatriation Certificate

that is lost, mutilated, or destroyed.

Apart from this, if your name has been changed by marriage or by court order after the citizenship document was issued and you need a document in the new name, you have to file Form N-565. However, it is important to note that Form N-565 should not be filed to correct errors on your citizenship certificate unless they are USCIS errors.

To get a citizenship certificate replacement , you should prepare and mail the completed N-565 application along with the supporting documents (if any) and the submission fee to the USCIS. Refer the instructions page that comes along with the application for information about the fees, the mailing address and supporting documents. If you make any mistake in the fee or mailing address, your application will be returned.

The Application Process

You have to mail two color photographs of yourself apart from the supporting documents. The photograph should be taken within 30 days of filing the N-565 form. If you are filing this form to get a replacement of a mutilated document, you need to attach the mutilated document and send it with your form. If the documents are in a foreign language, it has to accompanied by a full English language translation.

Once you mail the application package, the USCIS will check it for completeness, whether the required initial evidence is submitted and also if accompanied by the appropriate submission fee.

If your application is incomplete or not accompanied with the needed initial evidence, it is most likely that the USCIS may reject it. In such cases, the USCIS will send you a notification that your application is deficient. So always make sure that you send a complete application along with the needed supporting documents and fees.

You will get an application receipt notice within thirty days of having mailed your application to the USCIS. It will have a 13-character receipt number. The notice is a proof that USCIS has received your application and that it is being processed. With this number, you can track the progress of your application.

At times, the USCIS may request more information or proof when you attend the interview. They might also request you to submit originals of any document.

Finally, if the USCIS conclude that you establish eligibility for the document, your application will be approved and the replacement issued. If your application is denied, the USCIS will inform you in writing detailing the reasons for the denial.