You may be eligible for Canadian citizenship if you were born outside Canada and at least one of your biological or legal parents at birth were a Canadian citizen when you were born.
The Canadian government’s process to determine if you are a Canadian citizen is to submit a “proof of Canadian citizenship” application, which is also known as applying for a “Canadian citizenship certificate”.
You are able to apply for a Canadian citizenship certificate at any time of your life and irrespective of whether your Canadian parent is alive or deceased. It should be noted that Canada limits citizenship by descent to the first generation born outside Canada or to a Canadian parent.
Along with the Canadian birth certificate, the Canadian citizenship certificate is one of only two documents accepted by Passport Canada as proof of Canadian citizenship.
Canadian Citizenship Certificate application process
In order to apply for a Canadian citizenship certificate, you must go to on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website and download the application package. It costs about $75 to apply.
IRCC requires that you provide evidence that at least one of your parents at birth was a Canadian citizen. Accepted evidence includes:
- Your parent’s birth certificate
- Your parent’s Canadian citizenship card
- Your parent’s Canadian citizenship certificate
You may complete the entire application online as long as your Canadian parent was born in Canada on or after February 15, 1977 or was granted citizenship on or after April 17, 2009. Otherwise, you must submit a paper application.
After receiving the application and processing the fee, IRCC will review it and make sure everything is complete. You will then receive an “acknowledgement of receipt.” Once IRCC approves your application, the department will send you a Canadian citizenship certificate.
The proof of citizenship document allows you to obtain a Canadian passport, vote in an election and benefit from many other privileges that come with being a Canadian citizen.
