Enter the date on your green card and your trips abroad, and the citizenship date calculator shows the earliest day you can file Form N-400. It also checks your physical presence and flags trips that can reset the clock.
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Under INA 316(a), most permanent residents can apply for citizenship after 5 years of continuous residence. Under INA 319(a), a person who has been married to and living with a U.S. citizen for 3 years can apply after 3 years as a permanent resident, if the spouse has been a citizen for those 3 years. INA 334(a) and 8 CFR 334.2(b) allow Form N-400 to be filed up to 90 days before the residence period ends. The calculator applies these rules to your dates and then checks your trips and physical presence.
You must be physically present in the U.S. for at least 913 days in the 5 years before filing, or 548 days in the 3 years before filing under the marriage rule. USCIS counts the day you leave and the day you return as days in the U.S. A single trip of more than 6 months creates a presumption that continuous residence was broken. A trip of 1 year or more breaks it, and you must then wait 4 years and 1 day after returning (2 years and 1 day under the 3-year rule) before applying again.
Citizenship also requires good moral character, the English and civics tests, 3 months of residence in your state or USCIS district, and attachment to the principles of the Constitution. Arrests, unpaid taxes, false claims to citizenship or long trips can change the answer. If any of these apply, speak with an attorney before you file.
Yes. USCIS accepts Form N-400 up to 90 days before you complete the 5-year or 3-year residence period. You must still meet every other requirement, including 3 months of residence in your state, when you file.
A trip of more than 6 months but less than 1 year creates a presumption that residence was broken. You can overcome it with evidence such as keeping your job, home and family in the U.S. A trip of 1 year or more breaks residence unless you have an approved Form N-470.
At least 913 days during the 5 years before filing, or 548 days during the 3 years before filing under the marriage rule. USCIS counts the day you leave and the day you return as days in the United States.
Your spouse must have been a U.S. citizen, and you must have lived in marital union, for the full 3 years before you file. If not, the 5-year rule applies.
Enter your conditional green card’s expiration date to see your 90-day window, the deadline and the 48-month extension.
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3Green Card Travel CheckerHow long can you stay abroad? Return-by dates, the 6-month and 1-year lines, and when a re-entry permit matters.
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4E-2 Visa JourneyAn interactive, step-by-step road through the E-2 treaty investor visa, with a readiness summary at the end.
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A calculator gives an estimate. We review your full history, including trips, prior status and any complications, before you file.
Ozek Law Firm, LLC · Tolga Ozek, Attorney at Law
4500 East West Highway, Suite 150, Bethesda, MD 20814
+1 (202) 854-8545 · info@ozeklaw.com · ozeklaw.com/contact
Admitted in Maryland, New York and Washington, D.C.; federal immigration practice throughout the United States. Consultations in English, Turkish, Spanish and Swedish; interpreters for other languages.
This page is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Attorney Advertising. Results are estimates based on the dates you enter and the rules described on this page as of September 25, 2026. They do not cover every exception, and USCIS or the consulate makes the final decision. No attorney can guarantee a result.
