What this guide is best for
Direct answer: Use this in the week before an interview, once the appointment notice has arrived.
Best used when: Most avoidable problems are document problems, and most document problems are known in advance.
Interview preparation, in order
Key point: Most avoidable problems are document problems, and most document problems are known in advance.
What a good provider should make clear: Everything on the notice assembled, with originals, plus updated evidence for anything that has changed.
Common mistake: Leaving the medical exam validity question until the day.
Questions to ask: Has anything changed since I filed that I need to bring evidence of?
Interview preparation, in order
Opening intent: give a document checklist and the two or three things that actually derail interviews
- Use this page when: Use this in the week before an interview, once the appointment notice has arrived.
- Check first: Most avoidable problems are document problems, and most document problems are known in advance.
- Slow down if: Leaving the medical exam validity question until the day.
- What to confirm next: Has anything changed since I filed that I need to bring evidence of?
Quick answer
Bring the appointment notice, government photo identification, and every original of every copy you filed.
Then bring evidence of anything that has changed since you filed. That is where most interviews run into difficulty.
The official checklist is the appointment notice itself. It lists what USCIS wants from you. Start there, and treat this page as the second pass.
Fees, so nothing is outstanding on the day
From Form G-1055, edition 05/29/26.
| Form | Filing fee |
|---|---|
| N-400, Application for Naturalization | Paper $760 / online $710 |
| N-400, reduced fee (household income not over 400% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines) | Paper $380 |
| N-400 with an approved fee waiver (Form I-912) | $0 |
| I-485, applicant over 14 | Paper $1,440 / online $1,390 |
| I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination | $0 |
The medical exam form is free to file. The exam is not, and its price is set by the civil surgeon.
Documents to assemble
- The interview appointment notice
- Permanent resident card and any government photo identification
- Passports, including expired ones covering the relevant period
- Originals of every document you submitted as a copy
- Evidence of anything that changed: address, employment, marital status, travel, arrests
- Tax records if the application depends on them
- Any sealed medical envelope you have been told to bring, still sealed
Never open a sealed civil surgeon envelope. An opened envelope is a rejected one.
The medical exam validity question
If your case involves Form I-693, confirm before the interview whether the one you filed is still valid or whether a new one is expected.
Check the current guidance on the USCIS I-693 page rather than relying on what was true when you filed. This is a rule that has changed more than once.
Questions to settle beforehand
- Is an interpreter permitted, and have you arranged one?
- Is anything on your application now out of date?
- Is the medical exam still valid for your case?
- Do you need to bring anyone with you?
- Is any fee still outstanding?
Common mistake: bringing copies where the notice asked for originals.
What to do next
Read the appointment notice line by line and assemble against it. Then add evidence for everything that has changed since you filed.
Educational only. Not legal or medical advice. No endorsements or rankings.