When and where did Melania Trump obtain US citizenship?
Executive summary
Melania Trump became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2006 after a multi-step immigration path that began when she moved to New York in the mid‑1990s and obtained a work visa and then a green card around 2001 (naturalization finalized in 2006) [1] [2] [3]. Reporting identifies an EB‑1 “extraordinary ability” immigrant visa among the visas associated with her case; sources also say she later took the Oath of Allegiance and has publicly described the pathway as “arduous” [2] [4].
1. How she arrived: model in New York, then work visas
Melania Trump moved from Slovenia to New York in the mid‑1990s to pursue a modeling career and initially entered the U.S. on temporary visas before applying for employment‑based immigration relief that would lead to permanent residency [1] [2]. Contemporary profiles and statements trace that trajectory from tourist/visitor status to a sequence of work visas tied to her modeling work in New York [2] [1].
2. The key visa: EB‑1 / “extraordinary ability” is reported
Major reporting has identified an EB‑1 category — the employment‑based “extraordinary ability” visa — as the type of specialist visa used in her immigration history; the BBC cites a Washington Post account saying she began applying in 2000 and was approved in 2001 [2]. That visa is reserved for immigrants who can demonstrate national or international acclaim in fields such as the arts, and the Washington Post’s reporting is the origin for the EB‑1 detail cited by other outlets [2].
3. Green card timing: approvals around 2001
Sources indicate Melania obtained permanent resident status (a “green card”) around 2001, consistent with the timeline of EB‑1 approval reported by press outlets; that green card later enabled sponsorship of family members, a point repeatedly noted in coverage [2] [3]. Multiple outlets summarize her immigration history as moving from temporary work authorization to lawful permanent residency in the early 2000s [2] [3].
4. Naturalization: U.S. citizenship in 2006
Reporting and specialist summaries say Melania Trump became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2006, taking the Oath of Allegiance that completes the citizenship process [3] [1]. Recent appearances and remarks by Melania at a National Archives naturalization ceremony reiterate that she herself is a naturalized citizen and has described the pathway as “arduous,” reinforcing the 2006 naturalization date found in the record [4] [1].
5. Where the citizenship was obtained and public ceremony remarks
Sources do not provide a specific city or courthouse where the 2006 Oath occurred; reporting focuses on the year of naturalization and on more recent public events — for example, her December 2023 remarks at a National Archives naturalization ceremony, where she discussed her experience as a naturalized citizen [4] [1]. Available sources do not mention the precise location or courtroom of the 2006 oath.
6. Controversies and competing accounts
Coverage has flagged controversy and scrutiny over the exact sequence and characterization of the visas she held prior to the green card — notably questions about the specialist visa and whether earlier modeling work in the U.S. was fully reflected in filings [2] [5]. Some reporting emphasizes that she followed a legal pathway from work visa to permanent residency to naturalization, while critics and investigative accounts have probed inconsistencies in public statements about the timing and type of visas [2] [5].
7. What sources agree on, and what they do not
Major sources agree she became a U.S. citizen in 2006 after obtaining a green card in the early 2000s and that an EB‑1/“extraordinary ability” visa feature appears in reporting about her case [3] [2] [1]. Sources do not supply the exact courthouse or city for the 2006 naturalization oath; further, some outlets note unresolved questions about earlier visa classifications and the timing of specific paperwork [4] [5].
8. Why this matters: politics, precedent and public scrutiny
Melania’s pathway has political resonance because it intersects with high‑profile immigration policy debates and with scrutiny of celebrity immigration stories; outlets emphasize that her naturalization is legally ordinary (a green card plus naturalization) but that details about the specialist visa and timing have drawn attention and competing narratives in the press [2] [5]. Readers should note that the publicly reported facts (green card circa 2001; naturalization 2006) come from mainstream reporting, while investigative questions about visa paperwork rely on reconstruction from limited public records and journalistic reporting [2] [3].
Limitations: this analysis uses only the provided sources and therefore cannot confirm the precise courthouse/location of her 2006 oath (not found in current reporting) nor adjudicate unresolved discrepancies beyond what those sources report [4] [1].