Title 8Aliens and NationalityRelease 119-73

§1449 Certificate of naturalization; contents

Title 8 › Chapter CHAPTER 12— - IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER III— - NATIONALITY AND NATURALIZATION › Part Part II— - Nationality Through Naturalization › § 1449

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

When someone becomes a U.S. citizen under these rules, the Attorney General must give them a naturalization certificate. The certificate must show application/certificate numbers, date, name and signature, residence, a signed photo, a description (age, sex, marital status, former nationality), where it was filed and who swore the oath (title, authority, and location), a statement of Attorney General approval, an immigration officer attestation, and the Justice Department seal.

Full Legal Text

Title 8, §1449

Aliens and Nationality — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

A person admitted to citizenship in conformity with the provisions of this subchapter shall be entitled upon such admission to receive from the Attorney General a certificate of naturalization, which shall contain substantially the following information: Number of application for naturalization; number of certificate of naturalization; date of naturalization; name, signature, place of residence, autographed photograph, and personal description of the naturalized person, including age, sex, marital status, and country of former nationality; location of the district office of the Service in which the application was filed and the title, authority, and location of the official or court administering the oath of allegiance; statement that the Attorney General, having found that the applicant had complied in all respects with all of the applicable provisions of the naturalization laws of the United States, and was entitled to be admitted a citizen of the United States of America, thereupon ordered that the applicant be admitted as a citizen of the United States of America; attestation of an immigration officer; and the seal of the Department of Justice.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1994—Pub. L. 103–416, § 219(z)(3), repealed Pub. L. 102–232, § 305(j)(1). See 1991 Amendment note below. Pub. L. 103–416, § 104(a), struck out “intends to reside permanently in the United States, except in cases falling within the provisions of section 1435(a) of this title,” before “had complied in”. 1991—Pub. L. 102–232, § 305(j)(2), substituted “district” for “District” before “office of the Service”. Pub. L. 102–232, § 305(j)(1), which made a technical correction to Pub. L. 101–649, § 407(d)(16)(C), which was unnecessary because the language sought to be corrected was already correct in Pub. L. 101–649 (see 1990 Amendment note below) was repealed by Pub. L. 103–416, § 219(z)(3). See

Construction

of 1994 Amendment note below. 1990—Pub. L. 101–649 substituted “application” for “petition” and “applicant” for “petitioner” in two places, struck out “by a naturalization court” after “citizenship”, and substituted “the Attorney General” for “the clerk of such court”, “location of the District office of the Service in which the application was filed and the title, authority, and location of the official or court administering the oath of allegiance” for “title, venue, and location of the naturalization court”, “the Attorney General” for “the court”, and “of an immigration officer; and the seal of the Department of Justice” for “of the clerk of the naturalization court; and seal of the court”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1994 Amendment Pub. L. 103–416, title I, § 104(e), Oct. 25, 1994, 108 Stat. 4308, provided that: “The amendment made by subsection (a) [amending this section] shall apply to persons admitted to citizenship on or after the date of enactment of this Act [Oct. 25, 1994].” Pub. L. 103–416, title II, § 219(z), Oct. 25, 1994, 108 Stat. 4318, provided that the amendment made by section 219(z)(3) is effective as if included in the Miscellaneous and Technical Immigration and Naturalization

Amendments

of 1991, Pub. L. 102–232.

Effective Date

of 1991 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 102–232 effective as if included in the enactment of the Immigration Act of 1990, Pub. L. 101–649, see section 310(1) of Pub. L. 102–232, set out as a note under section 1101 of this title.

Construction

of 1994 Amendment Pub. L. 103–416, title II, § 219(z)(3), Oct. 25, 1994, 108 Stat. 4318, provided that: “paragraph (1) of section 305(j) of such Act [Pub. L. 102–232, amending section 407(d)(16)(C) of Pub. L. 101–649] is repealed (and section 407(d)(16)(C) of the Immigration Act of 1990 [Pub. L. 101–649, amending this section] shall read as if such paragraph had not been enacted)”. Abolition of Immigration and Naturalization Service and

Transfer of Functions

For abolition of Immigration and Naturalization Service,

Transfer of Functions

, and treatment of related references, see note set out under section 1551 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

8 U.S.C. § 1449

Title 8Aliens and Nationality

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73