In order to become a U.S. citizen, you must:

• have held lawful permanent resident (“green card”) status for five years (or three years if green card status was obtained through marriage to a U.S. citizen “USC”);
• be at least 18 years of age;
• have maintained continuous residence in the U.S. for five years (or three years if married to a USC);
• be physically present in the U.S. for at least half of the five years (30 months total);
• have resided continuously within the United States from the date of the application up to the time of admission to citizenship;
• be a person of good moral character;
• demonstrate an elementary level of English which includes reading, writing, and comprehension;
• have knowledge of the fundamentals of history and government of the U.S.; and
• have resided in the State or district of filing for at least three months prior to submitting the application.

Special naturalization provisions exempt certain applicants from one or more of the general requirements for naturalization. Spouses of U.S. citizens and members of the military constitute the main categories of individuals who are exempt from some of the general requirements for naturalization.  Information regarding these special provisions for naturalization can be found here.

Page Summary: There are basic requirements that must be met in order to become a U.S. citizen.