Citizenship ready check and red flag list
A printable from Citizenship Warning Signs. Fill it in by hand. Nothing you write is collected by this website.
Citizenship ready check and red flag list
Part 1. Am I ready? (check each one)
- I am 18 or older.
- I have had my green card 5 years, or 3 years and I am married to and living with a U.S. citizen of 3 years.
- I am within 90 days of my 5 or 3 year date, or past it.
- I have been inside the U.S. at least 30 months of the last 5 years (18 of the last 3).
- No trip outside the U.S. lasted 6 months or more.
- I have lived in my state for at least 3 months.
- I filed every tax return I had to file, and I owe nothing, or I have a payment plan.
- I can study for the English and civics tests, or I qualify for an exception.
Part 2. Red flags (if you check ANY box, talk to a lawyer first)
- I was ever arrested, cited, detained or charged, anywhere, even if dropped or cleared.
- I am on probation or parole now.
- I was ever in immigration court, deported or ordered removed.
- I ever said I was a U.S. citizen, or registered to vote, or voted.
- There may have been a problem with how I got my green card.
- I took a trip of 6 months or more.
- I am a man, lived in the U.S. between 18 and 26, and did not register for Selective Service.
- I owe child support, back taxes, or a benefits overpayment.
- I was born in or am a citizen of a 2025 travel ban country.
Free help: Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto, 650-326-6440. Do not write your A number or Social Security number on this sheet.
From Citizenship Warning Signs. Facts checked October 21, 2026. Free information, not legal or medical advice.