The Two-Step Process: First Papers vs. Second Papers
For most of American history, becoming a naturalized citizen required two separate court filings separated by several years, which is why families often refer to “First Papers” and “Second Papers.”
Even if your ancestor never completed citizenship, they may still have filed First Papers—because in many states, filing a Declaration of Intention was required to vote, homestead federal land, or hold certain licenses.
- 1. Declaration of Intention (“First Papers”): Filed after at least two years of residence (or immediately upon arrival in earlier eras). Post-1906 Declarations list full name, occupation, physical description, exact birth date and town, last foreign residence, port of departure, name of vessel, and US port and date of arrival—and starting in 1929, an attached studio photograph signed by the immigrant.
- 2. Petition for Naturalization (“Second Papers”): Filed after five years of residence in the United States. The Petition repeats the arrival details, adds the full name, birth date, and birthplace of the spouse and every child, and includes sworn affidavits from two US citizen witnesses who knew the petitioner personally.
Why September 27, 1906 Changes Everything
Before September 27, 1906, any ”court of record”—municipal, county, state, or federal—could naturalize an immigrant using its own local forms. Most pre-1906 records state only that the applicant renounced allegiance to “the Emperor of Germany,” “the King of Italy,” or “the Republic of France,” without naming the town of birth.
On September 27, 1906, the newly created Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization standardized forms nationwide and required courts to send a duplicate of every Declaration, Petition, and Certificate to Washington (now held in USCIS C-Files). Post-1906 naturalization files are among the most reliable primary sources in existence.
The 1907 and 1922 Rules for Immigrant Women
Wait before searching endlessly for a great-grandmother’s naturalization packet between 1855 and 1922: under federal law during that era, a foreign-born woman automatically acquired (or lost) US citizenship through her husband’s status—a rule known as derivative citizenship.
That changed on September 22, 1922, with the passage of the Cable Act (Married Women’s Independent Nationality Act). After September 1922, married immigrant women—and American-born women who had lost their US citizenship by marrying a foreign national before 1922—had to file their own Petitions for Naturalization, creating a treasure trove of women’s records in the 1920s and 1930s.
Want Our Historians to Trace This Record for Your Family?
If you would rather have an archival historian pull the original manifests, naturalization files, military records, and European parish registers—and compose them into a custom hardcover book for your family—request a complimentary 48-hour feasibility study below. We will check what survives in the archives and reply with a chapter plan and a firm quote for either an Ancestor Portrait ($590) or a Lineage Edition ($1,690).
Frequently Asked Questions
01How do I know from the US Census whether my ancestor naturalized?
Check the citizenship column on the 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 US Federal Censuses: “AL” means Alien (had not filed), “PA” means First Papers filed (Declaration of Intention), and “NA” means Naturalized. The 1920 Census even includes the exact year of naturalization, which tells us which court index to search.
02What if my ancestor filed First Papers in one state and Second Papers in another?
That was very common for mobile working families. Fortunately, when the immigrant filed their Petition (Second Papers) in the new state, the court required them to attach the original Declaration of Intention from the first state—so both records are preserved together in the final petition packet.