If you notice a mistake on your certificate of citizenship, you can order a new one. The only way it’s going to be free, however, is if United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) made the mistake (unless you qualify for a fee waiver).
The USCIS form for requesting a new certificate of citizenship is called N-565, Application for Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Document. This form is used for several different purposes, so you’ll have to check Box A. in Part 2, Question 1, to let USCIS know you’re applying for a new certificate of citizenship.
USCIS also needs to know why you’re applying for the new certificate of citizenship, so you’ll need to check at least one box (or maybe more, depending on your situation) in Part 2, Question 2.
Everyone who files an N-565 form must send two passport-style photos with it. Also, if your marital status has changed since you applied for the certificate with the incorrect information on it, you must submit your most recent marriage certificate, divorce decree, or spouse’s death certificate.
If you’re sure the mistake on your certificate of citizenship is USCIS’s fault, explain why in Part 4 of the N-565 form. Send the incorrect certificate back to USCIS with the N-565.
You’ll also have to send proof of USCIS’s mistake with your N-565. For example, let’s say your certificate of citizenship wrongly says your birth date is January 20, 1973. When you filled out your N-600 Application for Certificate of Citizenship, you told USCIS that your birth date was January 1, 1972 and you sent them your birth certificate showing your birth date was January 1, 1972. When you send your N-565, you should send a copy of your N-600 (if you kept a copy) and a copy of your birth certificate.
If USCIS made the mistake, you do not need to include any filing fee with your N-565.
If you realize you gave USCIS some wrong information when you sent your N-600 and your certificate of citizenship is wrong as a result, you will have to pay the filing fee of $555 (or apply for a fee waiver, if you qualify) when you send your N-565. Check box G. in Part 2, Question 2 of the N-565, and explain your mistake in Part 4. You will also have to send any documents that prove the correct information, along with the incorrect certificate.
