Apostille for a Naturalization Certificate or Certificate of Citizenship
A foreign consulate, pension office or court wants proof that you are a United States citizen. Your naturalization certificate cannot be photocopied for this purpose, Massachusetts cannot apostille it and the U.S. Department of State will not apostille the original. There is exactly one route that works. Here it is, start to finish.
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Three rules that make a naturalization certificate unlike any other document
Most documents follow a simple pattern: get a certified copy or notarize it, then the state apostilles it. A Certificate of Naturalization, Form N-550 or N-570, and a Certificate of Citizenship, Form N-560 or N-561, break that pattern three times over.
First, they are federal documents issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The Secretary of the Commonwealth has no record of a USCIS officer’s signature, so Massachusetts cannot apostille them at all. Only the U.S. Department of State can. Our state versus federal guide explains that division.
Second, the original will not be authenticated. The Department of State does not attach apostilles to original naturalization or citizenship certificates. Sending the original to Washington risks a refusal and, worse, the loss of a document that costs hundreds of dollars and months to replace through Form N-565.
Third, a plain photocopy is not the answer either. Federal law has long restricted the reproduction of naturalization certificates, and although photocopying for lawful purposes is now permitted, a photocopy has no signature anyone can authenticate. A Massachusetts notary’s copy certification does not solve this, because the Department of State authenticates federal signatures, not state notaries, on this document.
The only version of a naturalization certificate that can be apostilled is a certified true copy issued by USCIS itself.
When a foreign office asks for an apostilled naturalization certificate
The request comes up whenever a foreign government needs to confirm that you acquired U.S. citizenship, and when.
Renouncing or confirming a former nationality
Some countries require proof of the date you became a U.S. citizen to process a loss of nationality, a reacquisition or a dual citizenship registration. The naturalization date on the certificate is the fact they need.
Foreign pension and social security claims
Pension offices in Italy, Portugal, Greece, Ireland and Poland ask for an apostilled certificate to confirm your status before paying benefits abroad, often alongside an apostilled Social Security statement.
Estates and property abroad
A foreign court settling a parent’s estate wants proof of the heir’s identity and citizenship. The certified copy, apostilled, sits next to an apostilled death certificate and a power of attorney.
Registering children born abroad or here
Civil registries sometimes ask a naturalized parent to prove citizenship when registering a child’s birth or nationality.
Retirement and residency visas
Consulates processing a retirement visa for a naturalized citizen may want the certificate when the applicant’s birthplace on the passport is abroad.
Court cases and name reconciliation
The certificate records the name you took at naturalization. Foreign courts and banks use the apostilled copy to reconcile an old birth name with your current passport.
The four step process, from USCIS to a finished apostille
1. Ask the foreign office exactly what it wants
Some offices accept an apostilled certified copy of the naturalization certificate. Others accept an apostilled passport copy as proof of citizenship instead, which is far simpler. A few want both. Before you book anything with USCIS, get the request in writing. If a passport copy will do, read our passport copy apostille guide and skip the rest of this page.
2. Obtain a certified true copy from USCIS
USCIS issues certified true copies of naturalization and citizenship certificates when a foreign government requires one. The request is made in person. You contact the USCIS Contact Center to schedule an appointment at a field office, bring the original certificate and a government photo ID, and explain which foreign authority is asking and why. A USCIS officer compares the original to a copy and certifies the copy with a signature and stamp. USCIS does not do this by mail or online, and it will not certify a copy for a purpose it considers unnecessary, so bring the foreign office’s request with you. The Boston field office serves Massachusetts residents.
3. The Department of State authenticates the USCIS signature
The certified true copy goes to the Office of Authentications with Form DS-4194, the request for authentications service. The office confirms the USCIS officer’s signature and attaches the apostille. Mailed requests are processed in about five weeks from receipt. In person drop off in Washington is processed in about seven business days. We handle the federal submission with tracked courier both ways, and we use the faster route when your deadline requires it.
4. Translation and delivery
Most receiving countries want a certified translation of the certificate, the USCIS certification and the apostille. We coordinate it after the apostille is attached and ship the complete package to you or directly to the office abroad.
Appointment checklist
- Original naturalization or citizenship certificate.
- Government photo ID.
- The foreign office’s request, in writing, naming the country and purpose.
- A photocopy of the certificate for the officer to certify.
- Your appointment confirmation from the USCIS Contact Center.
Five things that go wrong with naturalization certificate apostilles
Sending the original to Washington
The Department of State returns it unauthenticated, and you have lost a month and risked the document in the mail. Only the USCIS certified true copy is accepted.
Getting a notary to certify a copy
A Massachusetts notary can certify copies of many documents, and some notaries will certify this one. The Commonwealth would then apostille the notary’s signature. Foreign offices that know the rules reject that document, because the notary has no authority over a USCIS certificate and the state apostille is on the wrong signature. Some offices accept it anyway. Do not gamble a consulate appointment on it.
Booking USCIS without the foreign request
USCIS issues certified copies for use by foreign governments. An officer may decline if you cannot show why a foreign authority needs it. Bring the letter, email or checklist.
Ignoring the timeline
A USCIS appointment can take weeks to obtain, then the Department of State takes weeks more. If the foreign office also wants an FBI background check, that is a second federal document on the same slow track. Start these first, then the state documents, so everything lands fresh together. Our validity guide explains why sequence matters.
Presenting an apostille in a non Hague country
If the request comes from the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Vietnam or another non member, the certified copy needs Department of State authentication followed by embassy legalization, not an apostille. We confirm the route before anything is submitted. See apostille versus legalization.
Other USCIS and federal proofs of status
A Consular Report of Birth Abroad, Form FS-240, is issued by the Department of State and can be authenticated by the Department of State directly, without a USCIS step. A permanent resident card follows the notarized copy route in most cases, explained in our green card guide. USCIS approval notices and employment authorization documents are rarely apostilled, because foreign offices seldom ask for them, but when they are, the Department of State route applies.
A U.S. passport is proof of citizenship that most foreign offices accept in apostilled copy form. It is faster and cheaper than the naturalization certificate route, so when the office gives you a choice, choose the passport.
Proof of citizenship and its route
- Naturalization certificate
- USCIS certified true copy, then Department of State
- Certificate of Citizenship
- Same as above
- Consular Report of Birth Abroad
- Department of State directly
- U.S. passport
- Notarized copy, Massachusetts apostille
- Massachusetts birth certificate
- Certified copy, Massachusetts apostille
What a naturalization certificate apostille costs
The Department of State charges a per document authentication fee, and our federal service starts at $199.95 per document, covering the DS-4194 preparation, tracked courier to and from Washington, tracking and follow up. USCIS may charge for the certified true copy. Confirm when you book the appointment. Translations are quoted per page.
Every quote is itemized before you pay. If the foreign office accepts a passport copy instead, we tell you, because that order costs less and finishes in days rather than weeks. See the full pricing page or our guide to what an apostille costs. Documents issued outside New England are routed through our sister service, Apostille Depot, which covers all fifty states.
Get an itemized quoteThree citizenship files and how each one got through
Names and countries changed. The obstacles are the ones our specialists see most often with USCIS documents.
The client had photocopied it, which is prohibited
A client in Peabody arrived with a color photocopy of his naturalization certificate, notarized by a bank. Federal law prohibits copying a naturalization certificate except as authorized, and the Commonwealth will not apostille the notarization. We booked a USCIS Contact Center appointment, he brought the original to the Boston field office, and USCIS issued a certified true copy. The Department of State apostilled that copy through our Washington agent in eight business days. The Greek court accepted it with a sworn translation.
The name had changed since issue
A mother in Brookline needed her daughter’s Certificate of Citizenship apostilled for an Irish passport application. The child’s surname had changed by court order after the certificate was issued. USCIS issued the certified true copy under the name on the certificate, and the Massachusetts name change decree was apostilled separately at One Ashburton Place. Both documents traveled together and the passport office matched them. The court documents guide covers the decree step.
The replacement took longer than the sale
A client in Fall River had lost her naturalization certificate. Form N-565 for a replacement runs many months. The Portuguese notary handling the sale confirmed he would accept an apostilled U.S. passport copy as proof of citizenship. We notarized the passport copy, the Commonwealth apostilled it in five business days and the sale closed on schedule. The passport copy guide explains that route.
What the three have in common
USCIS has to touch the document before Washington will. A certified true copy issued by USCIS is the only version of a naturalization or citizenship certificate the Department of State authenticates. Everything else, including a notary’s copy certification, fails at the federal step or at the Commonwealth. When time is short and the foreign office allows it, an apostilled passport copy is the practical substitute.
Booking the USCIS appointment
Call the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283 and ask for an appointment at the Boston field office to obtain a certified true copy of a naturalization certificate. Bring the original certificate, government identification and, when you have it, a letter or form from the foreign office showing why the copy is needed. USCIS issues the certified copy at the appointment or mails it within a few weeks. Appointments in Boston are limited, so call as soon as the foreign office confirms it needs the certificate rather than a passport copy. We handle the federal apostille from there.
Frequently asked questions
Can Massachusetts apostille my naturalization certificate?
No. It is a federal document issued by USCIS, so only the U.S. Department of State can apostille it, and only in the form of a USCIS certified true copy.
Can I send my original certificate to the Department of State?
No. The Department of State does not apostille original naturalization or citizenship certificates. It authenticates the USCIS officer’s signature on a certified true copy.
How do I get a certified true copy from USCIS?
Contact the USCIS Contact Center to schedule an in person appointment at a field office. Bring the original certificate, a photo ID and the foreign office’s request. An officer certifies a copy on the spot. USCIS does not do this by mail.
Is it legal to photocopy a naturalization certificate?
Photocopying for lawful purposes is permitted, and you will need a photocopy for the USCIS officer to certify. A plain photocopy on its own cannot be apostilled, because it carries no signature the Department of State can authenticate.
Can a notary certify a copy instead?
Some notaries will, and the Commonwealth will apostille the notary’s signature. Foreign offices that know the rules refuse it, because the apostille is on a state notary rather than on the federal agency that issued the document. Use the USCIS route.
How long does the whole process take?
Count on two to three months by mail once you include the USCIS appointment wait and about five weeks at the Department of State. In person drop off in Washington cuts the federal step to about seven business days. Start before any other document in your file.
Would an apostilled passport copy work instead?
Often yes. Many foreign offices accept an apostilled notarized copy of a U.S. passport as proof of citizenship. Ask the office in writing. If it accepts the passport, the order finishes in days at a lower cost.
Do I need a translation?
Almost always, unless the destination is English speaking. The translation covers the certificate, the USCIS certification and the apostille, and it is prepared after the apostille is attached.
Related services and guides
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Your citizenship, proven abroad, without risking the original
Tell us which office is asking. We confirm whether a passport copy will do, guide the USCIS appointment if not, and run the federal authentication with tracking.
