U.S. citizens may use Form N-565, Application for Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Document, to replace a Certificate of Naturalization or Certificate of Citizenship. Both are documents that provide official proof of U.S. citizenship.
If the original certificate was lost, stolen or requires corrections, the N-565 application is the formal request to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to replace the document.
U.S. citizens may use Form N-565 to request a replacement:
- Certificate of Naturalization
- Certificate of Citizenship
- Declaration of Intention
- Repatriation Certificate or
- Original special certificate of naturalization as a U.S. citizen to be recognized by a foreign county
Do not file Form N-565 for the following reasons:
- Permanent residents applying for U.S. citizenship should not file Form N-565. Instead, use Form N-400, Application for Naturalization.
- U.S. citizens requiring an original Certificate of Citizenship should not file Form N-565. Instead, use Form N-600, Application for Certificate of Citizenship.
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Common reasons to replace a citizenship document include:
- Certificate was lost, stolen or destroyed.
- Certificate was damaged/mutilated.
- Citizen’s name has changed since the document was issued.
- Certificate contains incorrect information.
Source: USCIS
