By Parviz Malakouti-Fitzgerald, Esq.
You can apply for a naturalization petition record from the U.S. National Records Archive (“NARA”). This can be useful for certain European citizenship by descent applications or for general genealogical research. Furthermore, sometimes a naturalization petition record can have evidence of ethnicity useful for "semi-citizenship" applications such as the Slovak Living Abroad certificate
Note: this naturalization petition is not the same as a naturalization certificate (in cases in which one exists).
The first step is to go to The National Records Archive website. Create an account and sign in.
→ Then click “Order Reproductions.”
→ Then click “Immigration & Naturalization Records.”
→ Then click “Naturalization Records”
→ Then select a delivery format and select “Add to Cart.” If you are using this document for official purposes, you’ll probably need to select “Certified Paper Copy (Additional $15).”
At the next screen, you’ll need to fill out the Naturalization Information for the individual who filed the naturalization petition.
Then finally, at the next screen, you pay and complete the order.
Once you’ve placed your order, you’ll get a confirmation email from OrderOnlinePM@nara.gov with your 1) order number, 2) order total, 3) submission date and 4) delivery method.
If you've ordered a paper copy, you'll have it mailed to you in an envelope that looks like this one below.
(Envelope mailed from NARA including U.S. Naturalization Petition)
NARA operates much faster than the vast majority of federal government agencies. With any luck, you might have your naturalization petition record within a month.
Good luck!