• You must be a U.S. citizen to run for Congress.Capitol Building image by dwight9592 from Fotolia.com
  
  The legal qualifications to serve in the U.S. Congress are spelled out in Article I of the Constitution. The Constitution says nothing about education and nothing about experience. If you meet the standards for age, citizenship and residency, you're entitled to serve--that is, if you can get elected.
  
  

Age

• You must be at least 25 years old to serve as a member of the House of Representatives. You must be at least 30 years old to serve as a U.S. senator.
  
  

Citizenship

• Unlike the president, who must be a "natural-born citizen," according to the Constitution, members of Congress can be foreign-born people who have attained U.S. citizenship. To serve in the House, you must have been a citizen for at least seven years. To be a senator, you must have been a citizen for at least nine years.
  
  

Residency

• To be a senator, you must be a resident of the state you wish to represent at the time of your election. The requirement to be a House member is the same: You must be a resident of the state you will represent. Note that the requirement is only for state residency. The Constitution does not require a House member to actually live in the congressional district she wishes to serve.