Choose the correct citizenship service
| Your goal | Process | Key distinction |
|---|---|---|
| Become a citizen as a permanent resident | Adult grant, or minor grant (5(2) or 5(1)) | You become a citizen only after approval and, if you are 14 or older, after taking the oath at a ceremony |
| Confirm that you are already Canadian | Citizenship certificate (proof of citizenship) | The certificate proves existing citizenship; it does not grant it and is not a travel document |
| Child adopted outside Canada by a Canadian | Direct citizenship grant for adopted persons (s.5.1), if eligible | Adopted children born abroad do not apply for a certificate; if the grant rules are not met, the immigration (PR) route may be needed |
| Become Canadian again, or give up citizenship | Resumption or renunciation | Separate eligibility rules, forms and consequences apply |
For adoption cases, see the international adoption guide.
Adult grant: the core requirements
An adult (18 or older) must meet all of the following on the day the application is signed, and must stay eligible until the oath.
Permanent resident status
Be a permanent resident with no removal order and no unmet PR conditions (for example, medical surveillance). An expired PR card does not stop you from applying. If an immigration or fraud review is under way, processing may be suspended.
Physical presence
At least 1,095 days (3 years) physically present in Canada in the 5 years before you sign, including at least 730 days as a permanent resident.
Time before PR
Each eligible day as a temporary resident (visitor, student, worker, permit holder) or as a protected person before PR counts as half a day, up to a maximum credit of 365 days.
Income tax
If you were required to file, you must have filed Canadian income tax returns for at least 3 taxation years that fall fully or partly within the 5-year period.
Language (ages 18 to 54)
Speaking and listening at Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 4 in English or Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) 4 in French, shown with accepted proof. Officials may also assess language during processing.
Knowledge test (ages 18 to 54)
Pass the citizenship test on rights and responsibilities and on Canada's history, geography, economy, government, laws and symbols.
Applicants aged 55 or older on the day they sign are exempt from the language and test requirements. Prohibitions (criminal, security, misrepresentation and others) are explained below.
Calculate physical presence carefully
- Use IRCC's calculatorThe physical presence calculator is used inside your IRCC account. Online applicants complete it in their account; paper applicants include the printed calculator results or form CIT 0407. The date of your calculation must match the date you sign the application.
- List every absenceReconcile all trips with passports, entry and exit records, employment, tax, school and address records. The optional travel journal helps but is not submitted.
- Know which days do not countTime waiting for a refugee claim decision does not count. Protected-person credit (half days) runs only from the date protection was approved until the day before you became a permanent resident. Time in prison, on parole or on probation does not count.
- Check Crown-service rulesDays abroad employed by the Canadian Armed Forces, the federal public administration or a provincial public service (not as a locally engaged person), and days abroad living with such a person as their spouse, partner or child, can count as full days. Applicants using this rule must apply on paper.
- Keep a bufferIRCC recommends applying with more than 1,095 days. A small calculation error can make an application ineligible.
Language proof accepted for citizenship
Applicants aged 18 to 54 submit one form of accepted proof of speaking and listening at CLB/NCLC 4. If proof is missing, unreadable, or not in English or French without a certified translation, the application is returned.
| Type of proof | What is accepted |
|---|---|
| Education | A secondary or post-secondary program taught in English or French, in Canada or abroad (diploma, transcript or certificate). A translated document must show the language of instruction. |
| Test results used for PR | Accepted even if expired, for example CELPIP-General (4 or higher in listening and speaking), IELTS General Training (listening 4.5, speaking 4.0), PTE Core (listening 28, speaking 42), TEF Canada or TCF Canada (B1 or higher) |
| New third-party test | CELPIP-General or CELPIP-General LS (4 or higher in listening and speaking); IELTS General Training (listening 4.5, speaking 4.0); PTE Core (listening 28, speaking 42); TEF Canada, TEFAQ, TEF IRN, TCF Canada or TCFQ (B1 or higher in listening and speaking); DELF (B1 or higher) or DALF (any result) |
| Government language training | LINC or CLIC at CLB 4 in speaking and listening, or certain provincial programs, including Ontario Adult Non-Credit Language Training certificates dated December 2013 or later showing CLB 4 |
Minor 5(2) and Minor 5(1) are different applications
Minor 5(2)
For a child under 18 who is a permanent resident and has a Canadian parent, or a parent applying at the same time. No physical presence, tax, language or test requirement.
Minor 5(1)
For a child with no Canadian parent and no parent applying at the same time. The child must meet the 1,095-day test (730 days as a PR) and file taxes if required to.
Who signs
A parent or a legal guardian with custody signs (for 5(1), a person legally authorized to act for the child may also sign). Children aged 14 to 17 sign as well. A minor with no one able to apply can apply alone and request a waiver.
Oath
Children aged 14 to 17 take the oath once approved; children under 14 do not. All minors are exempt from the language and test requirements.
How to apply: online or on paper
- Choose the application typeAdult, Minor 5(2) or Minor 5(1). Adults can apply online as a group: each adult has their own account and one adult submits all the applications. A parent or guardian can add up to 20 minor applications to one account.
- Know when paper is requiredPaper is required if you count Crown-service time abroad, or if a representative (such as an RCIC) will complete and submit the application for you. An online application must be completed and submitted by the applicant in their own account.
- Prepare documentsPR documents, identity and passport pages for the eligibility period, language proof (ages 18 to 54), photos, the fee receipt, and any name-change, guardianship, Crown-service or waiver documents.
- Pay the full feeAdult: $653 (a $530 processing fee plus the $123 right of citizenship fee, which rose from $119.75 for applications received on or after March 31, 2026). Minor: $100. Partial payment causes the application to be returned.
- Sign and send on timeConfirm eligibility the day before you sign. Paper applications must arrive within 90 days of the signature date; mail goes to Sydney, NS, and courier to New Waterford, NS. Incomplete applications are returned, and in a group one incomplete application returns them all.
- After the acknowledgement of receiptProcessing starts once IRCC confirms the application is complete. You may be asked for fingerprints (taken electronically by a police service, the RCMP or an RCMP-accredited company, at your cost; prints taken at a Service Canada Centre cannot be used), for more documents, or to attend an interview. Some files are randomly selected for quality-assurance review. You can check progress in the citizenship tracker only after you receive the acknowledgement. Tell IRCC right away about any change of address (even with mail forwarding), any criminal charge, or a plan to leave Canada for more than two weeks in a row.
If processing has not started, the fee is refunded in full. After it starts, adults may get the right of citizenship fee back; the minor fee is not refunded.
Test, interview and oath
Who takes the test
Applicants aged 18 to 54 on the day they signed. You are invited after applying; the online test can be taken only after the invitation arrives.
Format
20 multiple-choice or true/false questions in English or French, 45 minutes. The pass mark is 15 out of 20. The online test is the usual format; Microsoft Teams and in-person tests also exist.
Attempts and hearing
Up to 3 attempts within a 30-day test period. After 3 failed attempts you are invited to a hearing of 30 to 90 minutes, which may test knowledge, residence and language. If the hearing is failed, the application is refused.
Online test rules
A computer or tablet with a webcam, using Chrome or Safari; no mobile phone and no VPN. Bring a PR card (even expired) or valid signed photo ID. Your score appears right after you submit but is not official, and no confirmation email is sent, so save or print the results page. An officer reviews online results, which can take days or weeks; the status shows "In progress" meanwhile.
Study guide
Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship is the official study guide. It is free to read, download or listen to.
Ceremony
Approved applicants aged 14 or older become citizens when they take the oath (sworn or affirmed) at an in-person or virtual ceremony. The PR card is collected, or cut during a virtual ceremony. You choose a paper certificate or an e-certificate.
After you pass, you may be invited to an interview to verify your identity, authenticate document copies and confirm eligibility. Bring the original documents you submitted and any passport or travel document you used in the 5 years before applying.
Prohibitions that can stop a grant
- Serving a sentence, or on parole or probation, in Canada (or abroad for an offence that would be an offence in Canada). Citizenship cannot be granted and the oath cannot be taken until it ends.
- Being charged with, on trial for, or appealing an indictable offence, in Canada or abroad.
- A conviction for an indictable offence in the 4 years before applying, or between application and grant.
- Misrepresentation in a citizenship application: a 5-year bar on applying. A person whose citizenship was revoked is barred for 10 years.
- War crimes or crimes against humanity investigations or convictions, certain treason, terrorism and security convictions, or no authorization to return to Canada after removal.
If one of these situations applies, wait until it no longer does before applying. Any new charge between application and oath must be reported.
Proof of citizenship and citizenship by descent (Bill C-3)
Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2025), has been in force since December 15, 2025. It replaced the first-generation limit that, since 2009, had generally stopped citizenship by descent after the first generation born abroad.
- Born abroad before December 15, 2025In most cases, a person born outside Canada to a Canadian parent before that date is now automatically a citizen, including the second and later generations and children of people who became citizens through these changes. People who were already citizens are not affected. A parent's death before December 15, 2025 does not stop the child from being recognized as a citizen.
- Born or adopted abroad on or after December 15, 2025If the Canadian parent was born in Canada or was naturalized, the child born abroad is a citizen and no day count applies. If the Canadian parent was also born or adopted abroad, the child is a citizen only if that parent spent at least 1,095 cumulative days in Canada before the child's birth (or, for an adoption grant, before the adoption); where both parents are Canadian citizens born abroad, the Act asks whether either of them has the 1,095 days. The limit does not apply where, at the time of the child's birth, a parent was employed abroad by the Canadian Armed Forces or a federal or provincial public service (not locally engaged). It can also apply where a grandparent had such a job abroad when the parent was born, or an adoptive parent had one when the parent was adopted (Citizenship Act s.3(5) and s.5.1(5)).
- Adopted abroadAdoptees are not automatic citizens. Those adopted abroad in the second or later generation before December 15, 2025 are likely eligible for a direct grant.
- Confirm with a certificateApply for a citizenship certificate ($75), then apply for a Canadian passport, then travel to Canada on that passport. Applications filed under the former interim measure (which ended on December 15, 2025) are processed under the new rules; no new application is needed.
- Do not want citizenship?A person who became a citizen automatically and does not want it can apply to renounce through a simplified process; minors may apply.
Some adults and children can apply for a certificate online; others must use paper, including people born in Canada on or before February 14, 1977, people naturalized on or before April 16, 2009, replacements and updates, and families with 4 or more children. An online certificate application must be submitted within 60 days of starting it. Documents must come from the original issuing authority for every generation, and translations need the translator's affidavit (family translations are not accepted). You can choose an e-certificate; a printed e-certificate is required for a new adult passport application.
Use our citizenship by descent checker for a first look at your family situation.
Special citizenship application types
Canadian Armed Forces
A permanent resident who completed 3 years of service in the Canadian Armed Forces within the 6 years before applying is exempt from the usual physical presence requirement, and must have filed any required income tax returns for 3 taxation years in that period. A person attached or seconded to the Forces is covered on the same terms. The exemption does not apply to someone released other than honourably (Citizenship Act s.5(1.2) and (1.3)).
Stateless person born abroad to a Canadian parent
A person born outside Canada on or after December 15, 2025 who is under 23, has always been stateless, has a birth parent who was a citizen at the time of birth, and was physically present in Canada for at least 1,095 days in the 4 years before applying is entitled to a grant (Citizenship Act s.5(5)). Certain terrorism and security convictions bar the grant. The fee is $123. People born abroad before December 15, 2025 to a Canadian parent are generally already citizens.
Adopted by a Canadian outside Canada
The direct grant (s.5.1) is separate from the PR route. Eligibility depends on the adoption, the parent's citizenship and, after December 15, 2025, the parent's 1,095 days in Canada where the parent was born abroad.
Discretionary grant
The Minister may grant citizenship to reduce statelessness, to relieve special and unusual hardship, or to reward exceptional service to Canada. This is rare and discretionary.
Other citizenship services
| Need | Service | Important distinction |
|---|---|---|
| Replace or update a certificate | Citizenship certificate application (paper) | Fee $75; a search of citizenship records is also $75 |
| Become Canadian again | Resume citizenship | For eligible former citizens; fee $530 (adult) or $100 (minor); separate eligibility rules |
| Give up citizenship | Renounce citizenship | Fee $100; check the effect on any other nationality and on future travel first |
| Citizenship revocation | Statutory revocation process | Different from renunciation. Fraud, misrepresentation or knowingly hiding material facts can lead to revocation; notice and the right to respond apply |
| Travel after becoming Canadian | Canadian passport | A certificate proves status but is not a travel document |
Citizenship rules have changed several times (including in 2009 and 2017), most recently on December 15, 2025. Your date of birth, adoption and your parents' history decide which version applies.
Urgent processing, accommodation and waivers
Urgent processing
Only in exceptional cases: you need citizenship to get or keep a job; you must travel because of a death or serious illness in the family and cannot get a passport from your current nationality; or you won a Federal Court decision on a previous citizenship refusal. Explain and prove the need. If you have not yet applied, write "Request Urgent Processing – Grant of Citizenship" on the envelope and include your explanation and supporting documents. If you have already applied, use IRCC's web form with your UCI or application number (files in PDF, JPEG, TIFF, DOC or DOCX, each 2 MB or less and 3.5 MB or less in total). Urgent handling is never guaranteed.
Accommodation
Helps you meet a requirement in a different way, for example extra test time, sign-language interpretation, large print, braille or an in-person format.
Waiver
Removes a requirement. On compassionate grounds the Minister may waive the language or knowledge requirement for anyone; for minors, the physical presence requirement, the oath or the rule on who applies. The oath may be waived for a person whose mental disability prevents them from understanding it.
Evidence
A waiver or accommodation request needs a clear explanation and current, specific evidence, such as a detailed medical report linking the condition to the requirement.
Rights, responsibilities and dual citizenship
What changes
Citizens can apply for a Canadian passport and are no longer subject to the PR residency obligation. Citizens also have democratic rights such as voting.
Dual citizenship
Canada allows dual citizenship, but your other country may not, and some countries do not recognize Canadian citizenship.
Flying to Canada
A dual Canadian citizen needs a valid Canadian passport to return to Canada by air, unless they qualify for a special authorization.
Certificate vs passport
A citizenship certificate proves status; it is not a travel document. Apply for a passport separately once you have the certificate.
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply for citizenship with an expired PR card?
Yes. An expired PR card does not stop you from applying, as long as you are still a permanent resident and meet the other requirements.
Do I need a new language test if my IELTS from PR has expired?
No. Test results submitted for PR are accepted for citizenship even if expired, provided the scores meet CLB 4 in speaking and listening and the test is an accepted type (IELTS General Training, not Academic).
Can my consultant submit my online citizenship application?
No. An online application must be completed and submitted by the applicant in their own account. If a representative completes and submits the application, it must be filed on paper.
Does time waiting for my refugee hearing count?
No. Only time after your claim was approved (as a protected person, at half value) and time as a permanent resident counts.
Does marrying a Canadian citizen make me a citizen?
No. Marriage to a citizen, an accepted refugee claim and years as a permanent resident do not make anyone a citizen automatically. You must meet the same requirements as any other applicant.
My parent was born outside Canada. Am I Canadian?
If you were born before December 15, 2025 to a Canadian parent, you are probably a citizen under Bill C-3. Apply for a citizenship certificate to confirm. Our descent checker gives a first indication.
Official sources
- IRCC: Who can apply for citizenship (adults and minors)
- IRCC: How to apply for citizenship
- IRCC: Physical presence calculator
- IRCC: Language proof for citizenship
- IRCC: Study for the citizenship test
- IRCC: Citizenship test results
- IRCC: What to expect at the citizenship ceremony
- IRCC: After you apply (fingerprints and quality assurance)
- IRCC: Urgent citizenship processing
- IRCC: 2025 changes to citizenship by descent (Bill C-3)
- IRCC: Apply for a citizenship certificate
- IRCC: Right of citizenship fee increase (March 31, 2026)
- IRCC: Fee list
- Justice Laws: Citizenship Act, section 3 (who is a citizen)
- Justice Laws: Citizenship Act, section 5 (grant of citizenship)
- Justice Laws: Citizenship Act, section 22 (prohibitions)
- Government of Canada: Dual citizenship and travel
This page is general information about Canadian immigration law and policy as of the date above. It is not legal advice for your situation. Programs, forms and fees change often; check the official sources before you apply.