United States: DHS Announces New 2025 Naturalization Civics Test

U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has posted a new 2025 Civics Test for naturalization applicants to align with the agency’s initiative to enhance the integrity of the naturalization program. Foreign nationals who file a naturalization application (Form N-400) with USCIS on or after October 20, 2025 will be required to complete the 2025 Civics Test. Foreign nationals who file a naturalization application before October 20, 2025, including those with pending naturalization applications, will take the 2008 Civics Test.

In recent months, USCIS has revised other aspects of naturalization adjudication standards and guidance, including a broader good moral character review, and the resumption of neighborhood investigations of certain naturalization applicants.

The 2025 Civics Test

The 2025 test is an oral test consisting of 20 questions from the list of 128 civics test questions. In order to pass this test, an applicant must answer 12 questions correctly. Applicants who fail to correctly answer 9 questions will not pass the exam. Officers administering the oral exam will stop asking questions once an applicant either provides the correct response to 12 questions, or incorrectly responds to 9 questions.

USCIS will continue to administer a test with 10 questions from a specially selected bank of 20 test questions from either the 2008 or 2025 Naturalization Civics Test (subject to filing date of the application as noted above) for foreign nationals who qualify for special consideration because they are age 65 or older and have been lawful permanent residents for at least 20 years. Regardless of their filing date, these foreign nationals will only need to answer six questions correctly to pass the civics exam.

Civics Test resources

USCIS has a dedicated Citizenship Resource Center page on its website which contains robust materials on the naturalization process. The agency has updated the Naturalization Test Study Materials section with the 2025 Civics Test information for applicants to access and prepare for the test.

USCIS will temporarily maintain the study materials for the 2008 Civics Test to assist foreign nationals with pending naturalization applications who will be administered this version of the test.

 

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen.