Do you receive a certificate?

Yes, every new U.S. citizen receives a Certificate of Naturalization, Form N-550, immediately after taking the Oath of Allegiance. The certificate is the official document proving U.S. citizenship and is issued under section 338 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The certificate is printed on tamper-resistant paper and contains the new citizen's photograph, full name, date of birth, country of former nationality, USCIS A-number, certificate number, the date and location of the oath ceremony, and the signature of a USCIS official or court clerk.

The Certificate of Naturalization is one of the few documents accepted as primary proof of U.S. citizenship for purposes such as applying for a U.S. passport, obtaining a Social Security card with citizenship status, registering to vote, claiming federal benefits limited to citizens, and (in some cases) proving citizenship to employers under Form I-9.

Federal law prohibits photocopying the certificate for unofficial purposes (18 U.S.C. section 1426 makes counterfeiting or knowingly using a false certificate a federal crime), although the certificate may be photocopied for legitimate immigration or government purposes. Certificates lost, stolen, or destroyed can be replaced by filing Form N-565 (Application for Replacement Naturalization or Citizenship Document) with USCIS and paying the current $555 fee.

The certificate should be stored safely, and many new citizens promptly use it to apply for a U.S. passport, which then becomes the practical day-to-day proof of citizenship for travel and identification. Certificate numbers are sequential and reach into the millions; cumulative numbering across all naturalizations since federal recordkeeping was centralized in 1906 exceeds 25 million.