Historic Naturalization Records Search Request

For this service, library staff will search the Minnesota naturalization records for one individual This includes both First and Final Papers. If you need the records for an official or legal need, please be sure to select that option.

Price structure 

$10.00 for research and digital delivery.

$15.00 for official or legal need. This price includes the research and digital delivery of any records found. It also includes a template document that will help you request certified copies from the proper Minnesota Court. If no records are found, library staff will send you a notarized letter stating that they were unable to locate the records in the Minnesota State Archives.

MNHS Members receive 10% discount at checkout

Processing fee
The price of this service includes a non-refundable processing fee of $5. This is not an additional charge; however, if your order is cancelled for any reason, the Minnesota Historical Society will retain this amount.

Turnaround
Research is usually completed and sent within three to four weeks. In some circumstances it may take as long as eight weeks to complete work.

About This Research Service

The research process
Library staff will search for the Minnesota naturalization records of one individual. If researchers are unable to find any documents in the specified county–or if they only find limited records for the subject in that county–they will expand the scope of the search to greater Minnesota. 

Researchers do their best to find all the official archived naturalization records that pertain to an individual (i.e. First Papers and Second Papers), but sometimes only one set or the other can be located. Whatever is found will be sent to you, as well as detailed research notes.

Staff researchers use various search systems and indexes to confirm and expand upon information provided at the time of the request.  In some instances subjects may have naturalized in other states or in the Federal system. If such information is found we will send that to you along with detailed research notes.

Please note: Descriptive research notes are a part of the service whenever full records are not found.  They are designed to help recreate searches and/or find records outside MN State Archives collections.  The notes reflect the genuine process of the researcher(s) and except for correction of errors they cannot be altered after creation.

Official, certified copies
The Minnesota Historical Society cannot issue certified copies of any naturalization records from our collections.

More information about Naturalization records
MNHS holds naturalization records from all 87 Minnesota District (County) Courts and the Minnesota Supreme Court. For most counties, these records date from the 1850s through the 1940s. The usual process had two parts: a Declaration of Intent (First Papers) and a Petition for Naturalization (Final Papers). An online index of these records can be found on the Iron Range Research Center's website. 

Most people filed their naturalization paperwork in their county of residence, but if you know or suspect that the immigrant would have traveled elsewhere to file, please provide that information in the Order Comments box.

After the county courts stopped granting citizenship in the 1970s, all naturalizations went through the federal courts. MNHS does not have federal records. Historic records filed with federal courts in Minnesota are held by the National Archives regional offices in Chicago and Kansas City.

Modern citizenship records are held by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office, a part of the Department of Homeland Security. If you need an official copy of your own records, please request a copy through their office.

Records of minors and women
Minors were very rarely individually naturalized; they took their citizenship from their parents. Also, most women were not naturalized in their own right until 1922. Prior to that year, a woman was considered to be naturalized if her husband or father received his citizenship.

For More Information:

• Immigration and Naturalization Research Guide