Daily AncestorSecond papers
Second papers is the everyday name for the petition for naturalization, the last court filing before an immigrant became a U.S. citizen.
The phrase pairs with first papers, the declaration of intention filed earlier. When a family says a grandfather got his second papers, they usually mean he finished the process and became a citizen.
Strictly, the second papers were the petition; the certificate of naturalization came only after the judge granted it. Some people naturalized on a petition alone with no first papers at all, among them many veterans and, after 1922, wives of citizens.
As seen in a recordCounty naturalization docket, 1890s
Second papers issued to Lars Tollefsen, Oct. 14, 1898, District Court, Polk County
Sources
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Daily Ancestor. "Second papers." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/immigration/second-papers. Last checked 2026-10-03.