Colorado, Naturalization Records, 1876-1990

What is in This Collection?

This collection contains naturalization records, declarations of intention, court orders granting petitions, and case files from eight different NARA collections. See Coverage Table Colorado Naturalization Records, Coverage Table - FamilySearch Historical Records The collections are part of Record Group 21 Records of District Courts of the United States at the NARA Regional Archives in Denver, Colorado. The Colorado Division of Court Services Naturalization Cards are from Record Group 85 Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. The Affiliate Publication Number in the results field is the National Archives Identifier or NAID in the online National Archives catalog. See Colorado Naturalization Records

Naturalization is the process of granting citizenship privileges and responsibilities to foreign-born residents. The first naturalization act was passed in 1802. Immigrants to the United States were not required to apply for citizenship. Of those who did apply, many did not complete the requirements for citizenship.

Naturalization to become a U.S. citizen was a two-part process: the Declaration of Intent to Naturalize, or First Papers, and the Naturalization Record (including the Naturalization Petition), or Final Papers. The First Papers were normally filed five years before the Final Papers because of the five-year residency requirement to become a citizen. No centralized files existed before 1906. In 1906 federal forms replaced the various formats that had been used by the various courts. Copies were sent to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), creating a central file for naturalization papers. The INS is now known as the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.

United States District Courts of Colorado

• Denver Division
• Del Norte Division
• Durango Division
• Grand Junction Division
• Montrose Division

Related National Archives Collections

• Declarations of Intention for Citizenship, 1877–1966 NAID 649217
• Naturalization Case Files, 1876–1947 NAID 649183
• Naturalization Dockets, 1906–1916 NAID 648196
• Naturalization Certificate Stubs, 1907–1919 NAID 651545
• Petition and Naturalization Record Books, 1906–1978 NAID 649243
• Soldiers' Naturalization Certificate Stubs, 1919–1920 NAID 651528
• Soldiers' Petition and Naturalization Record Books, 1918–1928 NAID 651513
• Petitions for Naturalization by Members of Armed Forces, 1943–1956 NAID 651541

To Browse This Collection

Collection Content

Sample Images

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  1969 Naturalization Petition page 1

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  1969 Naturalization Petition page 2

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  1969 Naturalization Petition page 3

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  1970 Oath of Allegiance

Finding Aid

A list of additional naturalization records available from the National Archives can be found at Colorado Naturalization Records.

Inventory

For a list of all the titles included in this Historical Records publication see Colorado Naturalization Records - Inventory

What Can These Records Tell Me?

The following information may be found in these records: