Primary Naturalization Requirements The primary naturalization requirements included residence in the country for at least five years, including one year in the state or territory where application was made, as well as renouncing any foreign allegiance and hereditary or noble titles. The process was also established as a two-step process. The alien must first file a declaration of intention to become a citizen (often called the first papers). This had to be done at least three years before the next step. The second step (called second or final papers) was to file a petition for admission to citizenship. These could be filed in any court of record with a clerk and a seal. The court would then examine the applicant and, upon judging him worthy, admit him to citizenship. Since the rights and privileges of citizenship generally only applied to males (voting, owning land), women seldom naturalized. Until the 1920s, they held citizenship through their husband or father. Which Court Has the Records? Although the federal government had passed the laws pertaining to naturalization, they did not enforce them, or mandate how individual states applied those laws. This was left to the discretion of state legislatures. Therefore, each state applied these laws somewhat differently. The largest differences seem to pertain to deciding which courts within a state's jurisdiction would conduct naturalization, and the information gathered from the immigrant during the process.