Applying for citizenship
Citizenship certificate: getting proof that you are Canadian
Enter how many certificates and record searches you need: the total of IRCC’s fees is calculated at once.
A Canadian citizenship certificate is the document that proves you are a Canadian citizen. It costs $75 per person and is not a travel document. Who needs one depends on how you became Canadian. If you were born in Canada, your provincial birth certificate is generally enough proof. If you were naturalized, you received a certificate at the ceremony, electronic or on paper, and only apply again for a replacement or an update. If you were born abroad to a Canadian parent, the certificate is how IRCC confirms whether you are a citizen, and some limits apply; since Bill C-3, IRCC tells people in that situation to apply for one to find out for sure. The application uses form CIT 0001 with checklist CIT 0014, plus form CIT 0555 on the Canadian parent’s physical presence where needed. Some people can apply online and then have 60 days to submit once they start; others must use paper. Urgent processing exists for listed reasons. A record search, also $75, is a different service: it produces a letter about citizenship records, valid 1 year, that cannot prove citizenship or support a passport application.
Questions, counts and fees by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How questions and dates are built
Do you need a certificate at all?
| How you are Canadian | Usual proof | When to apply |
|---|---|---|
| Born in Canada | provincial birth certificate | generally not needed |
| Naturalized (grant) | certificate received at the ceremony | replacement or update only |
| Born abroad to a Canadian parent | citizenship certificate | to confirm citizenship; some limits apply |
| Became a citizen automatically in 2025 | citizenship certificate | to find out for sure, as IRCC advises |
The certificate is above all the tool of people born abroad. Bill C-3, in force since December 15, 2025, made many of them citizens automatically, and the certificate application is where IRCC checks and records that status. The page on citizenship by descent explains the rules the officer applies.
Online or on paper
IRCC offers an online application to some applicants. Once started, it must be submitted within 60 days. Paper remains mandatory in a list of cases, including:
- people born in Canada on or before February 14, 1977;
- people naturalized on or before April 16, 2009;
- guardians applying on behalf of minors;
- replacements of a certificate and updates to it;
- families applying for four or more children.
The paper file uses form CIT 0001 with checklist CIT 0014. When the case rests on a Canadian parent who was also born abroad, form CIT 0555 documents that parent's physical presence in Canada, which matters for children born or adopted from December 15, 2025 onward. The details are on IRCC’s application page.
Urgent processing
IRCC accepts requests for urgent processing for listed reasons: a job offer or school admission that depends on proof of citizenship, access to a pension, health care or a social insurance number, travel because of a death or serious illness in the family, statelessness and a few others. The request needs a letter explaining the reason and documents that prove it. Without one of these reasons, ask early instead: plan the certificate well before the step that needs it.
The record search, a different service
A search of citizenship records costs $75 and uses form CIT 0058. You can ask for one about yourself or about someone else, which makes it useful for family history or estate matters. The result is a letter describing what IRCC's records show; it stays valid for 1 year, or without expiry if the person is deceased. It is not proof of citizenship and cannot be used for a passport. If what you need is proof, apply for the certificate. The calculator above adds up both fees for a family; the rules are on IRCC’s record search page.
For new citizens
If you are on your way to citizenship through a grant, you do not apply separately: the certificate is handed over at the citizenship ceremony, and your passport application comes after it. Keep the certificate safe; a replacement later means a new application, on paper. The full list of citizenship fees is on the fees page, and IRCC’s certificate page describes the document itself.