Daily AncestorRepatriation
Repatriation was the regaining of U.S. citizenship by a former citizen who had lost it, usually by taking the oath of allegiance instead of fully naturalizing.
Common cases were American-born women who lost citizenship by marrying an alien between 1907 and 1922, and Americans who swore allegiance to an allied country while serving in its forces in World War I. Laws of 1918, 1936 and 1940 let them resume citizenship by oath.
Women often applied on Form N-415, an application to take the oath of allegiance, which courts filed in separate volumes or among petitions. USCIS keeps related certificates in C-Files.
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Daily Ancestor. "Repatriation." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/immigration/repatriation. Last checked 2026-10-03.