When is the oath ceremony?

The Oath of Allegiance ceremony is typically scheduled several weeks to several months after USCIS approves the naturalization application at the interview, although the exact timing varies by USCIS field office and by the applicant's circumstances. In the simplest cases, the applicant attends a same-day oath ceremony at the same field office on the afternoon of the interview; this is becoming more common as USCIS expands same-day oath capacity. In most cases, USCIS schedules the ceremony for a future date, typically two to six weeks after the interview, and notifies the applicant by mail through Form N-445 (Notice of Naturalization Oath Ceremony).

Some offices schedule ceremonies further in advance, six to twelve weeks after the interview, particularly during busy periods (summer months, late summer and fall when civic ceremonies cluster around Constitution Day on September 17 and Citizenship Day, and around major patriotic holidays). The ceremony location may be the same USCIS field office where the interview took place, a federal courthouse (for judicial naturalization ceremonies under section 310(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act), or a larger civic venue used for group ceremonies (convention centers, civic auditoriums, baseball stadiums, or historic sites have all hosted naturalization ceremonies).

Special ceremonies are sometimes held at notable venues such as Mount Vernon (Washington's plantation in Virginia), Monticello (Jefferson's home in Virginia), Independence Hall (Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence was adopted), the Statue of Liberty (Liberty Island in New York Harbor), and Ellis Island, on patriotic holidays such as Independence Day, Constitution Day, Flag Day, and Veterans Day.

Applicants who cannot attend the scheduled ceremony must notify USCIS in writing in advance, return Form N-445 with the back of the form completed to indicate the reason, and request rescheduling under 8 CFR section 337.10. USCIS will reschedule for the next available date. Applicants who fail to appear at two consecutive scheduled ceremonies without notifying USCIS can have their applications administratively denied for failure to prosecute, requiring a new Form N-400 filing.

Applicants should plan to receive the Form N-445 notice between two and six weeks before the ceremony and to keep their schedule flexible during the typical waiting window after the interview.