N-400 or N-600?

[Aristea Beltrame]

Hello everyone. I would like to explain to you an unusual case of mine.

I was born abroad in July 1997. In January 2015, my stepmother, who is an American citizen since 2005, has applied for my permanent resident (when I was 17 years old) and my father was not a U.S. citizen yet. My father becomes a U.S. citizen 30 days before I turn 18 years old, and my green card was approved in October 2015. If I want to apply for U.S. citizenship should I file Form N-400 or Form N-600 and why?

I would appreciate some help to understand carefully this problem!
Thank you so much!
Best,
A.

 

[SusieQQQ]

For N600, all the following had to be true at the same time:
- you were under 18
- your father was already a citizen
- you had been admitted to the US as a LPR (had a green card), AND
- you were living in the US in the legal and physical custody of your father.

If all those were true, you would have automatically naturalized as of the date all conditions were met, and N600 would be appropriate. If any one of those did not happen by age 18 (it sounds like you did not yet have a green card by that age?) then you will need to naturalize of your own accord via N400. You are eligible to do that 5 years after you got your green card (you can submit the application 90 days before that 5 year anniversary), assuming you have met the continuous residence and physical presence requirement.

(PS a subtle distinction, only N400 is “applying” for citizenship - you have to pass the test, meet the character requirements etc. An N600 simply confirms that someone is already a citizen.)