Naturalization applicants seeking to become U.S. citizens but not eligible for a fee waiver are now able to use their credit card to pay the Immigration filing and biometric fee for their Form N-400, Application for Naturalization which is a total of $680. This is a combination of the Immigration filing fee of $595 and the biometric service fee of $85.
To pay using a credit card, Naturalization applicants are required to complete Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transaction, which is to be placed on top of the N-400 application for naturalization and mailed to U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services-USCIS.
There is no additional fee associated with the use of a credit card. As of now, the N-400 Naturalization application is the only form that can be paid for by credit card, using form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transaction.
Acceptable Credit Cards
Applicants for Naturalization may pay their Immigration filing fee and biometric Service fee using the following types of credit card:
- Visa
- MasterCard
- American Express
- Discover
- Gift cards with Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover logos.
After USCIS receives a properly completed naturalization application package, The Immigration fee and biometric service fee will be charged and reflected on the applicant’s credit card statement as ‘USCIS N400 Paym’. Form G-1450 will be destroyed after processing of payment is completed.
Multiple/Combined Payments
The Immigration filing & biometric service fee must be paid for each application using a single payment method.
The following combine methods of Payments will not be accepted by USCIS.
- Split payment (paying by check and credit card) for the same application.
- Mixture of money orders, checks, and credit card authorizations together for multiple applications.
The entire payment for an application must be paid using a single card.
Security of Credit Card Payment
USCIS will use the Department of Treasury Pay.gov Collections Control Panel (CCP) service to process credit card payments. This is a web-based application that allows government agencies to process debit or credit card payments. The U.S. Department of Treasury ensures that Pay.gov is Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliant. PCI DSS is a set of requirements designed to ensure all companies processing, storing, or transmitting credit card information maintain a secure environment. Naturalization applicants cannot pay the Naturalization immigration filing fees directly to Pay.gov.
Third-Party Payments
Third parties are allowed to pay the Immigration filing and biometric fee on behalf of Naturalization applicant. Such third party will need to complete Form G-1450 and provide it to the applicant to submit with his or her N-400 naturalization application.
Declined Credit Cards Payments
USCIS will reject application where credit card payment for Immigration filing fee for naturalization is declined or where Form G-1450 is unsigned and undated. Form G-1450 will be destroyed despite the declined payment. A rejection notice will be sent by USCIS to naturalization applicant explaining the deficiencies in the application and how to correct them.