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When can a green card holder apply?

Type the “Resident Since” date on your green card and choose 5 years, or 3 years if you are married to a U.S. citizen. The green card calculator gives the earliest date you can file Form N-400 for citizenship and the days left.

Your numbers

Residence period
Count from another date
Earliest filing date
Tuesday, December 15, 2026

With a green card dated March 15, 2022, you can file for citizenship from Tuesday, December 15, 2026.

Residence period met
Monday, March 15, 2027
Days until you can file
71
Status
Not yet: 71 days to go

Answer for the example date Monday, October 5, 2026. It changes to today's date when the page loads.

Earliest filing date: Tuesday, December 15, 2026. With a green card dated March 15, 2022, you can file for citizenship from Tuesday, December 15, 2026.

How to calculate

Works out the earliest date a green card holder can file for U.S. citizenship (Form N-400): 90 days before the 5-year or 3-year resident date, and the days left.

Example with the default inputs (Resident since March 15, 2022, Residence period 5 years, Count from October 5, 2026) on the example date Monday, October 5, 2026: With a green card dated March 15, 2022, you can file for citizenship from Tuesday, December 15, 2026.

Method: residence date = resident since + 5 years (or 3); earliest filing date = residence date − 90 days.

  • Only the residence date is checked. You must also meet physical presence, 3 months in your state or district, good moral character and the other requirements.
  • A February 29 resident date reaches its anniversary on February 28 in a common year.
  • Long trips abroad can break continuous residence and move the date; this page does not count trips.

Machine-readable copies: Markdown, JSON.

Worked examples

Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.

  1. Resident since 2022-03-15, Residence period 5 years, Count from 2026-10-05 gives Residence period met 2027-03-15, Earliest filing date 2026-12-15, Days until you can file 71, Status Not yet: 71 days to go.Source: USCIS, Early Filing Calculator (file up to 90 days before you reach the 5-year or 3-year permanent resident date), https://www.uscis.gov/archive/uscis-early-filing-calculator (retrieved 2026-10-05)
  2. Resident since 2023-06-01, Residence period 3 years (married to a U.S. citizen), Count from 2026-10-05 gives Residence period met 2026-06-01, Earliest filing date 2026-03-03, Days until you can file 0.Source: USCIS, Early Filing Calculator (file up to 90 days before you reach the 5-year or 3-year permanent resident date), https://www.uscis.gov/archive/uscis-early-filing-calculator (retrieved 2026-10-05); 8 CFR 334.2(b): an application may be filed up to 90 days before the end of the required period of residence, https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/8/334.2 (retrieved 2026-10-05)
  3. Resident since 2020-02-29, Residence period 5 years, Count from 2024-01-01 gives Residence period met 2025-02-28, Earliest filing date 2024-11-30, Days until you can file 334.Source: USCIS, Early Filing Calculator (file up to 90 days before you reach the 5-year or 3-year permanent resident date), https://www.uscis.gov/archive/uscis-early-filing-calculator (retrieved 2026-10-05)

How it works

Dates are calendar days with no time of day.

  • Residence period met = the “Resident Since” date + 5 calendar years (or 3). A February 29 date lands on February 28 in a common year.
  • Earliest filing date = residence period met − 90 days.
  • Days until you can file = earliest filing date − count-from date, or 0 when that is 0 or less.
  • Status: "Not yet: N days to go" when the days are above 0, otherwise "You can file now (if you meet every other requirement)".

Assumptions

  • No trip abroad broke continuous residence.
  • Only the residence date is checked, not physical presence or the other requirements.

Worked examples by hand

Resident since March 15, 2022, 5 years, counted from October 5, 2026. March 15, 2022 + 5 years = March 15, 2027. 90 days earlier is December 15, 2026 (15 days of March, 28 of February, 31 of January and 16 of December make 90). From October 5, 2026 that is 71 days.

Resident since June 1, 2023, 3 years, counted from October 5, 2026. June 1, 2026 − 90 days = March 3, 2026, already past: you can file now.

Resident since February 29, 2020, 5 years, counted from January 1, 2024. 2025 is not a leap year, so the 5-year date is February 28, 2025; 90 days earlier is November 30, 2024, 334 days after January 1, 2024.

Other questions people ask

When can I apply for citizenship with a green card?

Most permanent residents can file Form N-400 up to 90 days before the 5-year anniversary of the “Resident Since” date on their green card. A card dated March 15, 2022 reaches 5 years on March 15, 2027, so you can file from December 15, 2026.

What if I am married to a U.S. citizen?

If you have been married to and living with the same U.S. citizen spouse for 3 years, the period is 3 years instead of 5. You can still file 90 days early.

What happens if I file too early?

USCIS denies an N-400 filed more than 90 days before the residence date, and does not refund the fee. File on or after the earliest filing date.

Does the 90-day window cover every requirement?

No. It covers only continuous residence. You must also meet physical presence (30 months in 5 years, or 18 in 3), 3 months in your state or USCIS district, good moral character, and the English and civics test.

Can trips abroad change the date?

Yes. A trip of more than 6 months may break continuous residence, and a trip of a year or more breaks it. This page assumes no such trip.

Which date on the green card counts?

The “Resident Since” date, the day you became a permanent resident. For a conditional resident who removed conditions, it is still the first card’s date.