Form N-648, Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions

Form N-648, Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions, is the USCIS form on which a licensed medical professional certifies that an applicant's physical or developmental disability or mental impairment prevents them from meeting the English and civics requirements for naturalization.

Naturalization applicants generally must show they can read, write and speak ordinary English and know the fundamentals of U.S. history, principles and government. The N-648 supports an exception to those requirements. USCIS says an applicant is eligible if they cannot learn or demonstrate English and/or civics because of a disability or impairment that results from anatomical, physiological or psychological abnormalities, shown by medically acceptable clinical and laboratory diagnostic techniques, and that leaves functioning so impaired the applicant cannot show the required knowledge. The definition may differ from the one used for Social Security, Department of Veterans Affairs or state workers' compensation programs.

The form has seven parts: applicant information, the certifying medical professional, disabilities and impairments, the applicant's ability to understand the Oath of Allegiance, interpreter information, the applicant's attestation and release of information, and the medical professional's certification. It is an attachment to Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, not a stand-alone application. Applicants whose N-648 is found sufficient do not have to meet the English and/or civics requirements if they cannot because of the disability or impairment.

Naturalization applicants who cannot meet the English and/or civics requirements because of a physical or developmental disability or mental impairment should submit Form N-648 with Form N-400. The certifying professional must be a medical doctor, doctor of osteopathy or clinical psychologist licensed to practice in the United States, including the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and must have examined the applicant. Staff may help complete the form, but the certifying professional is responsible for its accuracy and must sign it.

Who should not submit it:

• Applicants who can meet the requirements with reasonable accommodations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, such as sign language interpreters, extended testing time or off-site examination. USCIS says to request accommodations at uscis.gov/accommodations or at 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833). If an accommodation is not enough, the applicant must file Form N-648.
• Applicants whose only reasons are illiteracy or advanced age; neither alone is valid.
• Applicants whose disability or impairment has not lasted and is not expected to last 12 months or more, or whose impairments all result from illegal drug use; the form says not to complete it in those cases.

A legal guardian, surrogate or designated representative may sign for an applicant who has been deemed legally incompetent.

Submit Form N-648 when you file Form N-400, Application for Naturalization. The USCIS form page adds that you may also submit it with a completed N-400 or separately at a later date.

Timing of the medical certification matters: USCIS may not consider a Form N-648 if the certifying medical professional completed it more than 180 days before the N-400 was submitted. Have the examination and certification done close enough to your N-400 filing date to stay inside that window.

The form has no renewal cycle. After you submit it, USCIS checks it for completeness, may ask for more information or evidence, or may ask for originals of copies you sent. USCIS then notifies you of its decision in writing. If your answers do not explain how the disability affects the ability to learn English and civics, USCIS says it will ask for a revised or second Form N-648.

The certifying medical professional gives the completed form to the applicant, and the applicant submits it to USCIS with Form N-400, or separately later.

• With Form N-400 by mail: include the N-648 in the N-400 package. The N-648 instructions print no separate mailing address, so follow the filing location given for Form N-400. If you print the form, the edition date and page numbers must be visible at the bottom of every page, and all pages must come from the same edition; USCIS may reject the form if pages are missing or from a different edition.
• With Form N-400 filed electronically: the instructions say the N-648 may be uploaded as additional evidence.
• Separately, after the N-400: the USCIS form page allows this.

Signatures must be handwritten; USCIS does not accept a stamped or typewritten name. A photocopy, fax or scan of the original with the handwritten signature is valid for filing. Send legible photocopies of any attachments; any foreign-language document needs a full English translation with the translator's certification. The USCIS form page says no filing fee applies to Form N-648, although a medical professional may charge for the examination and for completing forms. Do not send the completed form to the Paperwork Reduction Act address printed in the instructions. FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the USCIS channels above.