N-400 processing time: how long naturalization takes in 2026
Choose your field office and enter the receipt date of your N-400 to see how far along the case is against that office’s published range.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and past error
N-400 naturalization
Within normal time
Too early for a case inquiry.
| Published range, Houston, TX | 12.0 to 14.0 months |
|---|---|
| Time since your receipt date | 12.4 months |
| USCIS takes inquiries for receipts on or before | August 25, 2025 |
| National average to a decision (August 2026) | 12.7 months |
How this was calculated
- USCIS published these ranges on September 17, 2026. The upper figure is the time within which USCIS completed 80% of cases; the lower one is the median.
- The national average is a different measure: all cases completed in the month, from receipt to decision, as reported to Congress.
Processing-time data: ImmigrationTimes.org (CC BY 4.0), from USCIS; selected and reformatted. Check your own case on egov.uscis.gov.
Estimate from public data, not legal advice. Your case may differ (cross-chargeability, CSPA, waivers). For advice, see a licensed immigration attorney or a DOJ-accredited representative. Not affiliated with USCIS or the Department of State. Method and past error
Across the 90 USCIS field offices, the typical upper bound of the published N-400 range is now 15.5 months, in the USCIS edition of September 17, 2026. That figure is the median of the 90 offices’ 80% marks, and the spread around it is wide: San Juan, PR shows 11 months at the top of its range and San Jose, CA 31.5. The national average in the report to Congress for August 2026 is lower, 12.7 months, because it averages every naturalization decision of the month rather than describing one office’s slower cases. USCIS received 54,492 applications that month and had 813,453 pending. The trend matters as much as the level: at the end of 2022 the typical upper bound was 25 months, it fell to 9.5 months by the end of 2024, and it has risen since. The checker on this page uses your office’s current range and your receipt date.
A wait that fell, then climbed again
The naturalization queue has not stood still since the first publication in our series, in March 2022. We took the last publication of each year for every field office and kept the upper bound, the 80% mark. The middle office tells the story better than any single city.
| End of year | Median office, upper bound | Fastest office | Slowest office | Publication |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 25 months | 18.5 months | 29 months | December 1, 2022 |
| 2023 | 11.5 months | 8 months | 20.5 months | December 27, 2023 |
| 2024 | 9.5 months | 7 months | 15.5 months | December 20, 2024 |
| 2025 | 11 months | 8 months | 14.5 months | December 18, 2025 |
| 2026 | 15.5 months | 11 months | 31.5 months | September 17, 2026 |
The median dropped from 25 months at the end of 2022 to 9.5 at the end of 2024, then rose back to 15.5. Anyone comparing advice written during the fast period with today’s figures will find it optimistic.
Your office decides more than the average does
The report to Congress gives 12.7 months for August 2026. That is a true number for the country, but it hides a spread of 20.5 months between San Juan, PR and San Jose, CA. Two neighbors who file the same week can wait very different lengths of time only because their addresses fall in different service areas.
Before the clock starts
The range counts from the receipt date, so the filing date is the one lever you control. USCIS accepts the application 90 days before the five-year anniversary of permanent residence, or three years for spouses of citizens, as long as residence and physical presence are met. Our early filing calculator gives that date, and the residence guide explains how long trips count. Check the Form N-400 page on uscis.gov for the current edition before mailing or filing online.
N-400 at the 20 largest field offices
| Field office | Published range | Rank of 90 (1 = fastest) | Inquiries accepted for receipts up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York City, NY | 10.0 to 12.5 months | 7 | September 28, 2025 |
| Phoenix, AZ | 12.0 to 13.0 months | 11 | September 12, 2025 |
| San Antonio, TX | 11.5 to 13.5 months | 18 | September 9, 2025 |
| Los Angeles, CA | 10.5 to 14.0 months | 23 | August 13, 2025 |
| Houston, TX | 12.0 to 14.0 months | 21 | August 25, 2025 |
| Washington, DC | 11.5 to 14.5 months | 32 | August 12, 2025 |
| Miami, FL | 10.0 to 15.0 months | 38 | July 25, 2025 |
| Philadelphia, PA | 11.5 to 15.0 months | 39 | July 22, 2025 |
| Newark, NJ | 11.5 to 15.5 months | 43 | July 6, 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | 13.5 to 15.5 months | 46 | July 4, 2025 |
| Boston, MA | 13.5 to 15.5 months | 41 | July 12, 2025 |
| Dallas, TX | 13.0 to 16.5 months | 54 | June 10, 2025 |
| Tampa, FL | 13.5 to 16.5 months | 59 | May 31, 2025 |
| Atlanta, GA | 13.5 to 17.0 months | 61 | May 19, 2025 |
| Denver, CO | 14.0 to 18.0 months | 72 | April 21, 2025 |
| Orlando, FL | 13.5 to 19.0 months | 79 | March 28, 2025 |
| Chicago, IL | 13.0 to 19.5 months | 81 | March 10, 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | 14.5 to 22.5 months | 87 | December 4, 2024 |
| San Diego, CA | 15.5 to 23.0 months | 88 | November 15, 2024 |
| San Jose, CA | 16.0 to 31.5 months | 90 | February 29, 2024 |