What is your date of birth?

When the USCIS officer asks for the applicant's date of birth, the applicant should respond with the full month, day, and year of birth as it appears on the birth certificate and the Form N-400 application. The American format is month-day-year (for example, "January fifteenth, nineteen seventy-eight" rather than "fifteenth of January"). Applicants should practice saying the date in English including the month name, the day as an ordinal number, and the four-digit year.

The officer asks this question to verify identity, to confirm that the applicant meets the age requirement (most applicants must be at least 18 years old at the time of filing the N-400), and to test basic English numerical comprehension. The date of birth is one of the most commonly used identifiers in American government and commerce, so applicants will say or write it many times during their lives in the United States.

Applicants should use the same date that appears on their birth certificate and on their Form N-400. Some applicants from countries that use different calendars (Hijri, Hebrew, Buddhist, Iranian) may need to ensure the Gregorian conversion is consistent across documents. Some immigrants from countries without reliable birth records may have approximated dates assigned at the time of immigration; these should match the N-400.

Applicants over a certain age may qualify for English language exemptions or modified civics tests under sections 312 and 213 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The 50/20 rule allows applicants who are 50 or older with 20 years of permanent residence to take the civics test in their native language with an interpreter. The 55/15 rule allows applicants 55 or older with 15 years of residence the same accommodation. The 65/20 rule allows applicants 65 or older with 20 years of residence to take a simpler 20-question civics test (rather than the 100 questions of the standard test). Knowing the exact date of birth allows the officer to confirm whether the applicant qualifies for any of these accommodations.

Applicants should bring their birth certificate (or, if unavailable, an affidavit explaining unavailability) to the interview. If there is any inconsistency in dates across documents, the applicant should bring an explanation. Officers occasionally ask follow-up questions about where and to whom the applicant was born, especially if the applicant is claiming derivative citizenship through parents.

Stating the date clearly in English shows comprehension. Applicants should speak slowly and pause if needed.