How to fill out N-400 Part 8: Time Outside the United States

What the form asks

The current edition of Form N-400 is dated 01/20/25. Travel is Part 8, Item 1, on page 6 of 14. (Older editions put it in Part 9, which is why some guides and forum posts still say “Part 9”.) The form says:

“List below all the trips that you have taken outside the United States during the last 5 years … Start with your most recent trip and work backwards. Do not include day trips (where the entire trip was completed within 24 hours) in the table.”

The table has three columns:

• Date You Left the United States (mm/dd/yyyy)
• Date You Returned to the United States (mm/dd/yyyy)
• Countries to Which You Traveled

There is no column for the number of days, and the current form no longer asks for the total number of trips. You list trips; USCIS does the arithmetic. You still want to do it yourself, because the totals decide whether you are eligible to file (see below).

How far back to go

The instructions set the period by the basis you file under in Part 1:

Which trips count

Every trip outside the United States except a day trip “where the entire trip was completed within 24 hours”. That includes drives into Canada or Mexico. Land crossings often leave no stamp, so they are the trips people most often forget. The legal-aid organization ILRC tells preparers to “include trips to Mexico/Canada even if crossed at land border.”

How to count days outside

USCIS counts the day you leave and the day you return as days in the United States. The N-400 instructions say: “We will count the day that you depart from the United States and the day you return as days of physical presence within the United States.” So a trip that leaves June 1 and returns June 10 is 8 days outside (June 2 through June 9), not 9 or 10.

Those days matter for two separate requirements, explained in the 913-day and 6-month rules: physical presence (at least 913 days in the United States in the last 5 years, or 548 in the last 3 for spouses of citizens) and continuous residence (a single trip of more than 6 months is presumed to break it; a trip of a year or more breaks it).

When six rows are not enough

The fillable form has six rows. Part 8 says: “If you need extra space to complete this section, use the space provided in Part 14. Additional Information.” Part 14 sets out how each extra sheet must be marked:

“Type or print your name and A-Number at the top of each sheet; indicate the Page Number, Part Number, and Item Number to which your answer refers; and sign and date each sheet.”

For travel, that reference is Page 6, Part 8, Item 1. Keep the same order on the extra sheet: most recent trip first.

Where the dates come from

This is the hard part for most applicants. If you have a green card, CBP’s I-94 website will not show you your travel history, and the official record has to be requested through FOIA. The practical sources are your passport stamps, airline accounts, booking emails and card statements. Each has its own guide:

• Why the I-94 website shows nothing for green card holders
• How to request your travel record from CBP (FOIA)
• Every place your travel dates may still be recorded
• What to do when you cannot pin down a date

TripRebuild reads your passport stamp photos into a draft timeline, shows the stamp each date came from, counts days the USCIS way, and exports the trips in Part 8 order once you have confirmed every row. It is a drafting aid: you check each trip against your own records before anything goes on the form.

Answer accurately

The instructions ask you to “answer all questions fully and accurately,” the officer “will review your travel history and documents during your naturalization interview,” and you sign the form under penalty of perjury. If a trip may have lasted more than 6 months, talk to an immigration attorney before you file.