N-400 Continuous Residence Requirements Explained

The continuous residence requirement trips up more citizenship applicants than almost any other eligibility rule. Unlike the physical presence requirement (which counts total days in the U.S.), continuous residence focuses on whether you abandoned your principal home in America during any single trip abroad.

This guide explains exactly how USCIS evaluates your travel history, what evidence can save an application after an extended trip, and the critical restart rule that could add years to your citizenship timeline. If you've been outside the U.S. for 6 months or longer on any single trip, pay close attention.

If you want a quick answer before diving into the details, run your trips through our free residence calculator . it takes about 30 seconds.

What is continuous residence for N-400 citizenship?

Continuous residence means maintaining your principal dwelling place in the United States throughout the statutory period before naturalization. Under INA § 316(a), most green card holders must demonstrate 5 years of continuous residence before filing Form N-400. If you're married to a U.S. citizen and meet certain conditions, the 3-year rule for spouses may apply.

According to 8 CFR 316.5(a), residence for naturalization purposes is "the same as that alien's domicile, or principal actual dwelling place, without regard to the alien's intent." This is an important distinction. What matters is where you actually live, not where you claim to live or intend to return.

Your continuous residence must be maintained throughout the statutory period (generally the 5 years or 3 years immediately before you file) and must continue through naturalization. USCIS will review your travel history for the statutory period counted back from your filing date, and may also consider travel after filing up to the time you naturalize.

Continuous residence vs. physical presence: What's the difference?

Many applicants confuse these two requirements, but they measure different things:

Continuous residence asks: Did you maintain the United States as your primary home during the statutory period? It focuses on the length of individual trips abroad.

Physical presence asks: How many total days were you physically present in the United States? This is a cumulative calculation.

You must meet both requirements to be eligible for naturalization. For detailed guidance on calculating your days in the U.S., see our physical presence requirements guide.

Here's a practical example: If you took ten 3-month trips abroad over 5 years, you'd have no continuous residence problem (each trip is under 6 months). But those ten trips add up to 30 months abroad, which could mean you don't meet the physical presence requirement of 913 days in the U.S.

How trips abroad affect your continuous residence

USCIS uses a three-tier system to evaluate travel history, established under INA § 316(b) and 8 CFR 316.5(c):

Trips under 6 months

Trips shorter than 6 months generally don't disrupt continuous residence. USCIS assumes that short trips abroad are normal and expected for permanent residents who may have family, business, or other legitimate reasons to travel.

However, multiple trips that approach the 6-month limit may attract scrutiny at your citizenship interview. Be prepared to explain the purpose of frequent travel and demonstrate your ongoing ties to the U.S.

Trips of 6 months to 1 year

An absence of 6 months or more but less than one year creates a "rebuttable presumption" that you broke continuous residence (USCIS Policy Manual, Vol. 12, Part D, Ch. 3). This doesn't mean automatic denial. It means USCIS presumes your residence was interrupted, but you have the opportunity to prove otherwise with evidence.

This is where most applicants make costly mistakes. They assume any trip over 6 months disqualifies them, when in reality they may be able to overcome the presumption with proper documentation.

Trips of 1 year or more

Absences of one year or more automatically break your continuous residence (8 CFR 316.5(c)(1)(ii)). There is no rebuttal available for this threshold. If you were outside the U.S. for a continuous period of 12 months or longer, you must restart your continuous residence period.

The only exception is if you obtained an approved Form N-470, Application to Preserve Residence for Naturalization Purposes, before you departed. More on this below.

Not sure which tier your trips fall into? Enter your travel dates in our continuous residence calculator and it’ll sort it out for you.

How to overcome the presumption of broken residence

If any single trip lasted 6 to 12 months, you'll need evidence showing you maintained your principal dwelling in the United States. Under 8 CFR 316.5(c)(1)(i), USCIS considers four key factors:

1. You did NOT terminate employment in the United States. Continuing your U.S. job (even remotely while abroad) strongly supports your case. Quitting your job before departure raises serious questions.
2. Your immediate family remained in the United States. If your spouse and children stayed in the U.S. while you traveled, this demonstrates your home base didn't change.
3. You retained full access to your United States residence. Keeping your house or apartment (not subletting or giving it up) shows intent to return to the same dwelling.
4. You did NOT obtain employment abroad. Taking a job in another country signals that you may have relocated your life there.

You don't need to satisfy all four factors. These are considerations USCIS weighs together with any other relevant evidence. The goal is to demonstrate that your trip abroad was temporary and your principal residence remained in the U.S.

Evidence checklist for extended absences

If you had a trip between 6 and 12 months, gather this documentation before filing your N-400 application:

Employment evidence (strongest category):

• Letter from employer confirming continued employment during travel
• Pay stubs showing ongoing salary payments
• Leave of absence approval letters
• Remote work records or emails showing work activity

Family ties evidence:

• Affidavits from spouse or children who remained in U.S.
• School enrollment records for children
• Spouse's employment records showing continued U.S. work
• Family medical records from U.S. providers

Property and residence evidence:

• Mortgage statements showing continuous payments
• Rent receipts or lease agreement covering the absence period
• Property tax records
• Homeowner's or renter's insurance policy

Financial ties evidence:

• U.S. bank statements showing ongoing account activity
• Credit card statements with U.S. transactions
• Utility bills proving continuous service
• Investment account statements

Additional supporting evidence:

• U.S. vehicle registration and insurance
• U.S. cell phone bills showing maintained service
• Medical appointment records before and after travel
• Club memberships, gym memberships, subscriptions

The 4 year and 1 day rule explained

If you were absent from the U.S. for one year or more on a single trip, continuous residence is automatically broken. You cannot rebut this with evidence. Instead, you must restart your continuous residence period.

For applicants on the 5-year track: You become eligible to file N-400 again after 4 years and 1 day of continuous residence following your return.

For applicants on the 3-year spouse track: You become eligible after 2 years and 1 day of continuous residence.

Why 4 years and 1 day instead of a full 5 years? The 5-year statutory period is measured backward from your filing date. After 4 years and 1 day of continuous residence following your return, the portion of your prior 1-year absence that falls within the 5-year window is less than 1 year. That converts what was an automatic break into a rebuttable presumption instead. This rule is explicitly stated in 8 CFR 316.5(c)(1)(ii). Note that at the 4 years and 1 day mark, you will still need to overcome the rebuttable presumption, since more than 6 months of the absence remains within the statutory period.

Timeline example: You returned from a 14-month trip on January 15, 2026. Your new continuous residence period starts on January 15, 2026. You can file your N-400 on approximately January 16, 2030 (4 years and 1 day later), assuming you don't take any additional disqualifying trips.

Some applicants choose to wait until 4 years and 6 months before filing. This strategy avoids the rebuttable presumption entirely, since their last 6-month window before filing won't include any trips approaching the 6-month threshold.

Preserving residence for extended travel: N-470 vs. reentry permit

One of the most dangerous misconceptions about citizenship eligibility involves reentry permits. Let's clear this up:

Form N-470: Preserves residence for naturalization

Form N-470 is specifically designed to preserve continuous residence for naturalization purposes. It costs $355 to file and is only available to certain categories of applicants:

• Employees of the U.S. government
• Employees of recognized U.S. research institutions
• Employees of American firms or corporations (or subsidiaries) engaged in foreign trade and commerce
• Employees engaged in protecting U.S. property rights abroad for American firms
• Clergy or religious workers performing ministerial or priestly functions
• Employees of certain public international organizations of which the U.S. is a member
• Employees of U.S. nonprofit organizations that principally promote U.S. interests abroad through communications media

If you don't fall into one of these categories, N-470 is not available to you.

Critical requirement: You must file N-470 before being continuously absent for one year. Approval can come later, but the application itself must be submitted before you have been outside the U.S. for a continuous period of 12 months. Filing after you've already been gone a year cannot restore your continuous residence. Exception: Religious workers (ministers, priests, missionaries, brothers, nuns, or sisters) may file N-470 either before or after their absence from the United States.

Reentry permit (I-131): Does NOT preserve residence

A reentry permit allows you to return to the United States as a permanent resident after extended travel. It protects your green card status and allows reentry. However, a reentry permit has absolutely no effect on the continuous residence requirement for naturalization.

This confusion costs applicants years of eligibility. Many green card holders assume their reentry permit protects their citizenship timeline. It does not. You can have a valid reentry permit, be absent for 18 months, return successfully to the U.S. with your green card intact, and still have to restart your 5-year continuous residence clock for citizenship.

Special situations and exceptions

Several categories of applicants have modified continuous residence rules:

Spouses of U.S. citizens working abroad (INA § 319(b))

If your U.S. citizen spouse is employed abroad by a qualifying organization (U.S. government, U.S. corporation, certain international organizations), you may apply for naturalization without meeting the normal residence requirements. You must be in the U.S. at the time of naturalization and intend to reside abroad with your spouse, then return to the U.S. when their employment ends. This is a narrow exception that requires the N-400 applicant to already be a permanent resident.

Military service members

Active duty members of the U.S. armed forces have special provisions under INA § 328 and § 329. Time spent abroad on military orders doesn't count against continuous residence requirements. Additionally, military members may be eligible for expedited naturalization.

Government contractors and employees

Certain U.S. government employees and contractors may preserve residence while abroad, but typically need an approved N-470. The specific rules depend on the employing agency and the nature of work.

What happens at your N-400 interview

At your citizenship interview, the USCIS officer will review your Form N-400 and ask about your travel history. If you had any trips approaching or exceeding 6 months, expect detailed questions:

• Why did you travel abroad for that length of time?
• Who did you travel with? Did family members stay in the U.S.?
• Did you continue working for your U.S. employer while abroad?
• Did you keep your U.S. residence or give it up?
• Did you work or conduct business in the foreign country?
• What ties kept you connected to the United States?

Prepare honest, direct answers. Bring your evidence organized in a folder so you can present documents immediately when relevant. Being prepared with evidence shows the officer you take the requirement seriously and have legitimate grounds to overcome any presumption.

If your continuous residence is questioned during the interview and you cannot overcome the presumption, your application may be denied. You'd need to wait until you've rebuilt sufficient continuous residence before reapplying. Understanding common N-400 mistakes can help you avoid this outcome.

Filing your N-400: Timing and fees

Once you've confirmed you meet the continuous residence requirement, you can file your N-400 up to 90 days before meeting the full statutory period. Current N-400 filing fees are:

• Online filing: $710
• Paper filing: $760
• Reduced fee (income between 150% and 400% of federal poverty guidelines): $380
• Fee waiver available for income at or below 150% of federal poverty guidelines (Form I-912)
• Military applicants: $0

USCIS processing times vary significantly by field office. USCIS generally publishes processing times using an "80% completion" methodology (based on the prior six months of completed cases), so there is not a single reliable national "average." After filing, you'll typically receive a biometrics appointment notice (or a biometrics reuse notice), followed by your interview scheduling.

Official Sources

This guide is based on current USCIS policy and federal regulations. All information was verified against these official sources as of February 2026:

USCIS Resources

• USCIS Form N-400 Official Page
• Form N-400 Instructions
• USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 12, Part D, Chapter 3 - Continuous Residence
• USCIS Continuous Residence and Physical Presence Requirements
• Form N-470 Official Page
• USCIS Fee Schedule

Federal Regulations

• 8 CFR 316.5 - Residence in the United States
• 8 CFR Part 316 - General Requirements for Naturalization

Immigration and Nationality Act

• INA § 316 (8 U.S.C. § 1427) - Requirements of naturalization
• INA § 319 - Naturalization for spouses of citizens

Immigration law changes frequently. We monitor USCIS policy updates and revise this guide when regulations change.