Applying for citizenship
Citizenship application: what goes into the file
Give your age, the countries that need a police certificate, your passports and whether you file on paper: your personal list of documents is counted for you.
My document list for the application
Items to gather
7
| Always | presence calculation, fee receipt, 2 pieces of ID |
| Colour passport copies | 2 |
| Language proof | yes |
| Police certificates | 0 |
| Photos | as the online account asks |
A Canadian citizenship application for an adult is now filed online in most cases; paper is still required when you claim days abroad as a Crown servant or family member, or when a representative submits the application for you. The adult form is CIT 0002, with the checklist CIT 0007. The core documents are colour copies of every passport and travel document covering the eligibility period, the printout or result of your physical presence calculation, proof of CLB/NCLC 4 if you are 18 to 54, copies of two pieces of personal identification and the receipt for the fee. Add police certificates for each country where you spent 183 days or more in a row during the last 4 years since turning 18, and translations of any document in another language. Paper applicants also send two identical colour photos of 50 by 70 mm. The date on the form must be the day you actually sign: that date is the application date used in the presence calculation, and a paper file received more than 90 days after it is sent back.
Questions, counts and fees by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How questions and dates are built
Online or on paper
IRCC now states that most applicants can apply online, through an account where you fill in the form, upload scans and pay. Two situations still require paper: you count days abroad as a Crown servant (or as the spouse, partner or child of one), which needs form CIT 0177, or a representative files the application on your behalf, which needs form IMM 5476. Everything else on this page applies to both channels, with small differences on photos and receipts.
| Point | Online | Paper |
|---|---|---|
| Fee receipt | uploaded | printed and enclosed |
| Photos | as the account asks | two identical colour prints, 50 × 70 mm |
| Presence calculation | the calculator inside your IRCC account | printed presence calculation |
| Date on the form | day you sign | day you sign; returned if received after 90 days |
Documents for an adult
The adult form is CIT 0002 and the document checklist is CIT 0007. Every applicant includes:
- colour copies of all passports and travel documents held during the eligibility period;
- the physical presence calculation (see our day-by-day calculator to prepare it);
- proof of language if you are 18 to 54 on the day you sign (accepted proof);
- copies of two pieces of personal identification;
- the fee receipt.
Some files need more: a police certificate from each country where you lived 183 days or more in a row in the last 4 years, counting only time since your 18th birthday; translations of documents not in English or French; form CIT 0177 for Crown service abroad; IMM 5476 for a representative; and supporting papers when you ask for a waiver. The calculator at the top counts how many items your own situation adds up to.
The date you sign
This is where most avoidable problems start. The form must carry the date on which you sign it, neither earlier nor later. That same date is the "application date" of the presence calculation, and you must be eligible on the day before it. In practice: finish the calculation, check that the 1,095 days are reached the day before, then sign and date the form that day. On paper, mail it quickly, because a file reaching IRCC more than 90 days after the date on the form comes back to you.
Families
A couple or a group of adults can file online together, and a parent can add up to 20 minors to one account. Children aged 14 to 17 sign their own application. A child pays $100, an adult $653; the second calculator on this page totals a household, and the page on minors explains which child form applies.
Before you press submit
Compare the passport copies with the trips you declared: a stamp missing from the list is the kind of gap an officer notices. Keep a copy of everything you send, including the calculation, because you will bring originals and travel documents to any interview later. The full instructions are on IRCC’s how-to-apply page and the adult forms and documents page.