Canadian Citizenship
Canadian Citizenship
If you are a permanent resident who has made Canada your home, you may be ready to apply for Canadian citizenship. A successful grant application gives you Canadian citizenship once you take the oath, allowing you to apply for a Canadian passport and exercise citizenship rights such as voting when eligible.
01 What Is Canadian Citizenship?
Canadian citizenship is a legal status that may be acquired automatically at birth or granted after an eligible person applies. For most permanent residents, becoming a citizen is a separate process that requires an application to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Canadian citizens can apply for a Canadian passport, vote and run for elected office when eligible, and enter Canada by right. Citizenship does not expire because a citizen lives outside Canada.
02 Do You Need a Grant or Proof of Citizenship?
The correct application depends first on whether you are already a Canadian citizen.
Apply to Become a Citizen
This route is generally for a permanent resident who is not already a Canadian citizen and meets the applicable grant requirements. Adults and minors use different eligibility rules in some situations.
Apply for a Citizenship Certificate
If you were born in Canada or born outside Canada to a Canadian parent, you may already be a citizen. The rules for citizenship by descent depend on facts including when and where you and your parent were born and, for some people born on or after December 15, 2025, the Canadian parent’s prior physical presence in Canada.
A citizenship certificate confirms existing citizenship; it does not grant citizenship to someone who is not already a citizen.
Check if you may already be a citizen03 Who Can Apply?
The requirements depend on the applicant’s age and, for a minor, whether a parent is Canadian or applying at the same time.
Adults Aged 18 or Older
An adult applicant generally must:
- hold permanent resident status and have no unfulfilled conditions relating to that status;
- meet the physical presence requirement;
- have filed Canadian income tax returns for at least three years in the five-year eligibility period, if required to file;
- if aged 18 to 54 when signing the application, show speaking and listening ability at Canadian Language Benchmarks level 4 or higher and pass the citizenship test;
- take the oath of citizenship if the application is approved; and
- not be under a citizenship prohibition.
Applicants aged 55 or older do not need to prove language ability or take the citizenship test.
Minor With a Canadian Parent or Applying with a Parent
A child under 18 may apply for citizenship if at least one parent is already a Canadian citizen or is applying for citizenship at the same time. The child must be a permanent resident and must not be legally prohibited from becoming a citizen.
Children applying through this process do not need to meet physical presence, tax-filing, language, or citizenship-test requirements. Children aged 14 to 17 must take the oath of citizenship if approved.
Minor Without a Canadian Parent or a Parent Applying at the Same Time
A child under 18 may apply for citizenship even if neither parent is a Canadian citizen or is applying for citizenship at the same time. The child must be a permanent resident, meet the physical presence and any applicable tax-filing requirements, and must not be legally prohibited from becoming a citizen.
There are no language or citizenship-test requirements. Children aged 14 to 17 must take the oath of citizenship if approved.
04 How Is Physical Presence Counted?
Adult applicants must generally have been physically present in Canada for at least 1,095 days during the five years immediately before signing the application. This requirement also applies to children who have neither a Canadian citizen parent nor a parent applying for citizenship at the same time.
At least 730 of those days must have been spent as a permanent resident.
Time as a Permanent Resident
Each day physically present in Canada after becoming a permanent resident counts as one full day.
Eligible Time Before Permanent Residence
Each day physically present in Canada as an authorized temporary resident or protected person during the eligibility period counts as one-half day. No more than 365 days of credit can come from this time.
Time That Does Not Count
Time in prison, on parole, or on probation generally does not count. Time spent waiting for a decision on a refugee claim does not count unless and until protected-person status is granted.
05 What Can Prevent Approval?
IRCC cannot approve an application while a citizenship prohibition applies. A prohibition may arise if you:
- are serving a sentence in Canada or abroad, or are in prison, on parole, or on probation in Canada;
- are charged with, on trial for, or appealing certain offences in Canada or equivalent offences committed abroad;
- were convicted of an indictable offence in Canada, or an equivalent offence abroad, during the four years before applying;
- are under a removal order;
- are involved in proceedings concerning war crimes or crimes against humanity; or
- had a citizenship application refused for misrepresentation in the past five years or citizenship revoked for fraud in the past ten years.
Other security-related prohibitions may apply. If a relevant event occurs while IRCC is processing the application, it must be disclosed.
06 How to Apply
The usual citizenship process has the following stages.
Confirm the Correct Application and Eligibility
Determine whether you need a grant of citizenship or proof of existing citizenship. For a grant, confirm the adult or minor category and the requirements that apply on the day before the application is signed.
Calculate Presence and Gather Documents
Complete the physical presence calculation where required and collect the identity, status, travel-history, language, photograph, and other documents listed for your application category.
Complete and Submit the Application
Most applicants can apply online. Complete every required field, pay the current fee, and submit the supporting documents requested by IRCC. Some applicants must use a paper application.
Respond During IRCC’s Review
IRCC checks the application and may request additional information, an interview, fingerprints, or other documents. Applicants aged 18 to 54 are invited to take the citizenship test unless a waiver applies.
Receive the Decision and Take the Oath
If the application is approved, applicants who must take the oath attend a citizenship ceremony. Citizenship is granted after the oath is taken, and the citizenship certificate is then issued.
07 Frequently Asked Questions
Do I automatically become a citizen if I marry a Canadian?+
Can I apply with an expired PR card?+
Can I travel after submitting my citizenship application?+
Do adults aged 55 or older take the language test or citizenship test?+
Does a minor need 1,095 days in Canada?+
Talk to a Licensed Expert
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