You are here

Naturalization / Citizenship Information

NATURALIZATION CEREMONY GENERAL INFORMATION
 
If you have been notified by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to attend a naturalization ceremony at the U.S. District Court in Wilmington, the following information may be helpful to you:

  • Use of cameras (including video) without flash are generally acceptable during the ceremony.
  • Please do not use flash equipment while the ceremony is in progress.
  • Parking is available at public lots and garages in the vicinity of the Courthouse.
  • Try to arrive at the Boggs Federal building at 9:00 a.m.
  • If you need driving directions, click HERE
  • Upon arrival, Court Security Officers or Court personnel will provide a handout and direct you to a designated assembly area.
  • At some time after 9:00 a.m., a court employee will meet you and guide you to the ceremonial courtroom assigned.
  • Once in the designated courtroom, all new citizens must sit in the front section, with friends and family seated in the back. Each new citizen will be interviewed by a USCIS official.
  • You will be asked to complete and sign a questionnaire form, as well as turn in immigration documents, and process any remaining paperwork.
  • Participants should be patient and courteous while this important paperwork is being completed.
  • The ceremony is scheduled to start at 11:00 a.m. and is usually concluded by 12:15 p.m.

CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION INFORMATION, RECORDS, OR CERTIFICATES

Anyone seeking information on how to become a naturalized citizen may contact Service for the Foreign Born, in Wilmington, at (302) 577-8390. They will guide and assist you in this process.

If you were naturalized at the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware prior to April, 1992, you should call the National Archives and Records Administration for records verification assistance at (215) 305-2044 or obtain additional information from their website at www.archives.gov. If you have lost your original certificate, you may request a verification letter from the National Archives and Records Administration, however, they can not replace your certificate. When you contact them, have your naturalization date, certificate number and other pertinent information available. Some state and federal agencies will accept a verification letter in lieu of an original Certificate of Naturalization, while some may not. Call the National Archives for details and assistance. Call the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for a replacement certificate.

To obtain an actual replacement Certificate of Naturalization for any date, you must request it from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, by calling their forms hotline at: 1-800-870-3676. Request form N-565. Follow the instructions that come with the form and a new certificate will be processed. Any other requests or inquiries may be made to:

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service
30 N. 41st Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
(800) 375-5283
http://www.uscis.gov

Upon request to our Clerk's office, persons naturalized at this Court on or after April 23, 1992, may obtain a verification letter that simply states that they were naturalized at our Court. In order for us to prepare such a letter, we will need the person's name and date of their naturalization ceremony. We can not advise who will or will not accept such a letter, or for what purposes it will serve. The court Clerk's office now maintains only the attendance list, petition for name change, and name change orders (when applicable), for ceremonies held on or after April 23, 1992.