How to Apply for Canadian Citizenship by Descent

If one of your parents was a Canadian citizen when you were born outside Canada, you are almost certainly already a Canadian citizen, and applying for Canadian citizenship by descent means proving that connection to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and receiving a citizenship certificate. The application uses Form CIT 0001, costs $75, and currently takes about 10 months to process.¹²

Are You Eligible?

Two things determine eligibility: whether at least one of your parents held Canadian citizenship at the moment of your birth, and when you were born. A Citizenship Act amendment (Bill C-3) took effect on December 15, 2025, and the rules divide at that date.

If you were born outside Canada before December 15, 2025, you are a Canadian citizen as long as at least one parent was a Canadian citizen when you were born. It doesn’t matter whether that parent was born in Canada or naturalized, and it doesn’t matter whether that parent was themselves born abroad. The old first-generation limit that had blocked second-generation children born abroad since 2009 no longer applies to anyone born before December 15, 2025.³

If you were born outside Canada on or after December 15, 2025, and your Canadian parent was also born outside Canada, one more requirement kicks in. Your Canadian parent must have spent at least 1,095 days physically in Canada before your birth. Those days do not need to be consecutive. If your Canadian parent was born in Canada, no physical-presence requirement applies regardless of when you were born.⁴

IRCC has not published a dedicated calculator or a fixed list of proofs for the 1,095-day requirement the way it has for naturalization. In practice, the parent’s travel history, school records, tax returns, and Canadian employment records all help establish physical presence, and IRCC may request supporting documents during processing.

One long-standing exception cuts through the generational rules: if the Canadian parent was working abroad for the Canadian Armed Forces, the federal public administration, or a provincial or territorial government at the time of the child’s birth, the child qualifies by descent no matter how many generations were born outside Canada.⁵

One boundary worth flagging: if you were born abroad and adopted by a Canadian citizen, you are not automatically a citizen and you do not use this process. Your adoptive parent (or you, when old enough) applies for a direct grant of citizenship on a different form, with higher fees — $649.75 for an adult and $100 for a minor under 18.³⁶

Documents to Gather Before You Start

Start collecting these early. Foreign vital records and certified translations take time to obtain.

Your birth certificate, showing your parent’s name.
Proof of your parent’s Canadian citizenship: a Canadian birth certificate, citizenship certificate, or naturalization certificate.
A marriage certificate or adoption order, if you need to bridge a name change or legal parentage between your parent’s citizenship document and your birth certificate.
Two pieces of valid identification.

Any document that isn’t in English or French must be submitted with a professional translation, a sworn affidavit from the translator, and a certified copy of the original.⁷ IRCC will not accept translations done by family members.⁸

How to File the Application

The form is CIT 0001, “Application for a Citizenship Certificate for Adults and Minors (Proof of Citizenship) Under Section 3.” You can complete it through IRCC’s online portal or download and mail a paper version.¹

Online

Most applicants can apply online. You’ll need an email address, a scanner or digital camera to upload documents, and a credit card or Canadian debit card. Once you start the online application, you have 60 days to finish and submit it.⁸

On Paper

You must apply on paper if you were born in Canada on or before February 14, 1977, became a naturalized Canadian citizen on or before April 16, 2009, are applying for four or more children at once, or don’t have information about your parents or grandparents. Don’t submit both a paper and an online version of the same application; IRCC will not process the duplicate.⁸

The Fee

A citizenship certificate costs $75, the same for adults and minors.⁶ Don’t confuse this with the much higher fee for a grant of citizenship ($649.75 for adults), which covers naturalization and adoption applications, not proof of citizenship you already hold by descent.

How Long It Takes

Processing currently runs about 10 months. Applications submitted from outside Canada and the United States may take longer. IRCC recommends adding three to four months for mailing if you apply through a Canadian embassy or consulate, and six to eight months if you’re submitting a paper application for a minor living outside North America directly to the processing centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia.²

IRCC may contact you during processing to request more documents or clarification. Responding quickly matters, because delays on your end push the timeline out further. Incomplete applications get returned in full, so check everything before you submit.

Urgent processing exists but only for exceptional situations: you need Canadian citizenship to get or keep a job, or you need to travel because of a family death or serious illness and cannot get a passport from your other nationality. Include a written explanation and supporting documents with your application, and write “Request Urgent Processing” on the envelope if you’re mailing it in.⁹

After the Certificate Arrives

The citizenship certificate proves you’re Canadian. It is not a travel document. To enter Canada as a citizen or travel on your Canadian nationality, you’ll need a Canadian passport. Applying from the United States requires a guarantor: another Canadian citizen, at least 18 years old, who has known you for two years and holds a valid or recently expired Canadian passport.¹⁰ Finding one who meets those criteria can take some effort, so start thinking about it before your certificate shows up.

Keeping Your Other Citizenship

Canada allows multiple citizenships. Claiming Canadian citizenship does not require you to give up citizenship in your current country.¹¹ Not every country is as permissive, so check your current country’s rules before applying.

If you’re a U.S. citizen, becoming Canadian creates no conflict with American law, but the IRS still requires U.S. citizens to report worldwide income regardless of where they live or what other citizenships they hold. If you open a Canadian bank account, you may also need to file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) annually with the IRS when the combined value of your foreign accounts exceeds $10,000 at any point during the year.¹²

1
Government of Canada. Application for a Citizenship Certificate (CIT 0001)
2
Government of Canada. Apply for a Canadian Citizenship Certificate – About the Process
3
Government of Canada. Check If You May Be a Citizen
4
Government of Canada. Change to Citizenship Rules in 2025
5
Government of Canada. Changes to Citizenship Rules 2009 to 2015
6
Government of Canada. Citizenship and Immigration Application Fees – Fee List
7
Government of Canada. What Language Should My Supporting Documents Be In?
8
Government of Canada. Apply for a Canadian Citizenship Certificate – How to Apply
9
Government of Canada. Apply for Citizenship – Urgent Processing
10
Government of Canada. Apply for a New Adult Passport From the US
11
Government of Canada. Dual Citizens
12
Internal Revenue Service. Frequently Asked Questions About International Individual Tax Matters