N426-005-INS-REV-30Day-11012022-Functionality

Instructions for Request for Certification
of Military or Naval Service
Department of Homeland Security
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

USCIS
Form N-426

OMB No. 1615-0053
Expires 03/31/2023

What is the Purpose of Form N-426?
Persons who are currently serving honorably in the U.S. Armed Forces or who have served honorably in the past are
granted certain exemptions from the general requirements for naturalization. To establish eligibility, the law requires the
executive department under which such person is serving to certify whether the service member is serving honorably.

Draft
Not for
Production
11/01/2022

You (the service member applying for naturalization) should submit this form to certify your service with your Form
N-400, Application for Naturalization, if you are applying for military naturalization under section 328 or 329 of the
Immigration and Nationality Act and you are currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.
If you have served in the U.S. Armed Forces but have separated from service and are no longer serving, do not submit
this form. Instead, for each period of service, you must submit a copy of your DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or
Discharge from Active Duty, NGB Form 22, National Guard Report of Separation and Record of Service, or other official
discharge document. You should submit your official discharge documents with your Form N-400, in accordance with the
form instructions.
ONLY personnel with certifying authority (generally a military official serving in pay grade of O-6 or higher or GS-15
or higher) from the military branch may certify this request. Recruiters cannot certify this request. Please review your
service’s specific policies on who can certify Form N-426.

General Instructions

USCIS provides forms free of charge through the USCIS website. To view, print, or fill out our forms, you should use the
latest version of Adobe Reader, which you can download for free at http://get.adobe.com/reader/. If you do not have
internet access, you may call the USCIS Contact Center at 1-800-375-5283 (TTY 1-800-767-1833) and ask that we mail a
form to you. The USCIS Contact Center provides information in English and Spanish.
Signature. Each request must be properly signed and filed. For all signatures on this request, USCIS will not accept a
stamped or typewritten name in place of a signature. A legal guardian may also sign for a mentally incompetent person.
Filing Fee. There is no filing fee.
How To Fill Out Form N-426
1. Type or print legibly in black ink.
2. Service members must complete Parts 1. - 2. fully and accurately. If a question does not apply to you, type or print
“N/A,” unless otherwise directed. Certifying officials must complete Parts 3. - 4. Both service members and certifiers
must sign where indicated.
3. USCIS Online Account Number (if any). Providing your unique USCIS Online Account Number (OAN) helps
you manage your online account. You have an Online Account Number if you previously filed an application, petition,
or request online or by mail and were issued a receipt number that begins with IOE. If you filed a form online, you can
find your OAN in your USCIS Online Account profile. If you mailed your form, you can find your OAN at the top of
the USCIS Account Access Notice we sent you. The OAN is not the same as an A-Number. If you do not have a receipt
number beginning with IOE, you do not have an OAN.

Form N-426 Instructions 03/01/21

Page 1 of 2

Processing Information
Initial Processing. Once USCIS accepts your certification, we will check it for completeness. You, and the certifying
official, must each complete your respective portions of Form N-426. If you do not completely fill out this request, you
will not establish a basis for your eligibility and USCIS may reject or deny your Form N-400.
Requests for More Information. USCIS may request that you provide more information or evidence to support your
certification request. We may also request that you provide the originals of any copies you submit. If we request an
original document from you, we will return it after we determine we no longer need your original.

DHS Privacy Notice

Draft
Not for
Production
11/01/2022

AUTHORITIES: The information requested on this request, and the associated evidence, is collected under the
Immigration and Nationality Act sections 328 and 329 and 8 U.S.C. sections 1439-40.
PURPOSE: The primary purpose for providing the requested information on this request is for the Department of
Defense to verify your military or naval service. This request is submitted to the branch of the U.S. military in which you,
as a naturalization applicant, are currently serving in order to certify your military service. Completion and certification
of this request by you and a certifying official serve as an authenticated record of military service. DISCLOSURE:
The information you provide is voluntary. However, failure to provide the requested information, including your Social
Security number (if applicable), and any requested evidence, may delay the naturalization process or result in failure to
locate military records or prove qualifying military service.
ROUTINE USES: DHS may, where allowable under relevant confidentiality provisions, share the information you
provide on this request and any additional requested evidence with other Federal, state, local, and foreign government
agencies and authorized organizations. DHS follows approved routine uses described in the associated published system
of records notices [DHS/USCIS-001 - Alien File, Index, and National File Tracking System and DHS/USCIS-007 Benefits Information System] and the published impact assessment [DHS/USCIS/PIA-056 USCIS Electronic Immigration
System (USCIS ELIS) which you can find at www.dhs.gov/privacy. DHS may also share this information, as
appropriate, for law enforcement purposes or in the interest of national security.

Paperwork Reduction Act

An agency may not conduct or sponsor an information collection, and a person is not required to respond to a collection
of information, unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The
public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated at 30 minutes per response, including the time
for reviewing instructions, gathering the required documentation and information, completing the request, preparing
statements, attaching necessary documentation, and submitting the request. Send comments regarding this burden
estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services, Office of Policy and Strategy, Regulatory Coordination Division, 5900 Capital
Gateway Drive, Mail Stop #2140, Camp Springs, MD 20588-0009; OMB No. 1615-0053. Do not mail your completed
Form N-426 to this address.

Form N-426 Instructions 03/01/21

Page 2 of 2