Canadian Ancestry — Getting Started With Your Research

A guide to finding the records you need to support your Canadian citizenship by descent application

To apply for a Canadian citizenship certificate by descent, you need to prove an unbroken family line from a Canadian ancestor — whether Canadian by birth or by naturalization — to you. This means gathering vital records (birth, marriage, and death, as applicable) for each generation in that chain.

This guide will help you understand what to look for, where to search, and how to work through common challenges.

If you get stuck at any point, let us know. In most cases where you are unable to locate essential documents, we will strongly recommend that you engage a professional genealogist — see the Genealogist Contacts section at the end of this guide.

NOTE: A successful application often requires more than just primary records. In particular, for the Canadian anchor in your family chain, our goal is to gather a range of supporting documents that together help establish the strength and credibility of your lineage.

This guide is intended as a starting point to help you understand what to look for. Once you share all of the documents you have gathered, our team will review everything carefully and let you know if any further digging is recommended.

On this page: Lineage Chain · What Records You Need · Search Tips · Saving Records · Province-by-Province Guide · If a Record Cannot Be Found · U.S. Records · Genealogist Contacts

Understanding Your Lineage Chain

A lineage chain is the documented family line that connects you to your Canadian ancestor. Each link in the chain is a generation, and each link needs to be supported by records.

For example, if your great-grandfather was born in Canada, your lineage chain would be:

Generation	What It Proves
Great-grandfather	Born in Canada — proves Canadian origin
Grandfather	Proves descent from great-grandfather
Parent	Proves descent from grandfather
You	Proves descent from parent

Important — this is only an example. Your lineage chain may be shorter or longer than the one shown above. Under Bill C-3, citizenship by descent is no longer limited to the first generation born abroad — there is no generational cap, so your Canadian ancestor may be several generations back. However many generations your chain includes, the same principle applies: each link must be documented.

At each generation, the goal is to prove (a) that the person was born, and where, and (b) that they are the parent of the next person in the chain.

For every person in the chain, a birth record is essential — either a civil birth certificate or, for births before civil registration began, a baptismal record. Marriage and death records are strongly recommended and very helpful: they provide further proof of identity and parentage, and they are especially valuable for the Canadian anchor (helping to establish their Canadian status, whether by birth in Canada or by naturalization) and for the first generation born abroad (a marriage record, for instance, may also list a parent’s place of birth).

In some cases a marriage record may be required — for example, where it is needed to prove a name change that links one document to the next (such as a person appearing under different surnames across records). Whether this applies depends on the nature of the records in your particular chain.

As always, once we review all of your documents together as a whole, we will let you know if anything further is needed.

If your Canadian anchor became Canadian through naturalization: Your anchor is often someone born in Canada, but in some cases a person became Canadian by naturalization (for example, an immigrant who was later granted Canadian citizenship). If your eligibility is based on a naturalized ancestor rather than one born in Canada, then proof of that ancestor’s naturalization is essential — it takes the place of a Canadian birth record as the document that establishes their Canadian status. Naturalization records can often be located through Library and Archives Canada.

What Records Do You Need?

For each person in your lineage chain, we group evidence into two categories: primary evidence (the core proof) and secondary evidence (supporting material that corroborates and strengthens the file).

Primary Evidence

Primary evidence is the foundation of your file. These are the official vital records that directly establish identity and parent-child relationships.

Record Type	Where to Start
Birth certificate or baptismal record	FamilySearch, Ancestry, provincial archives, or vital statistics office.
Marriage record	FamilySearch, Ancestry, church records, provincial archives.
Death record	FamilySearch, Ancestry, provincial archives or vital statistics office.

Before civil registration: Each Canadian province started official civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths at different times (see the province sections below). Before those dates, church records (baptisms, marriages, burials) serve as the primary vital records. A baptismal record from this era IS the birth record — there is no separate government certificate.

For the Canadian anchor specifically: the essential record is whatever establishes their Canadian status — a Canadian birth record (or baptismal record) if they were born in Canada, or a naturalization record if they became Canadian through naturalization. This is the cornerstone of your entire chain, so proof of the anchor’s Canadian status is essential.

Secondary Evidence

Secondary evidence corroborates your primary records and becomes critical when primary records are missing, damaged, or difficult to obtain.

Record Type	Where to Start
Census records	Library and Archives Canada — Census Search, FamilySearch, Ancestry.
Immigration / naturalization records	Library and Archives Canada, Ancestry, FamilySearch.
Property and probate records	Provincial archives, land registry offices, wills and estates.
Military service records	Library and Archives Canada.
Obituaries and newspaper articles	Newspapers.com, library archives, local historical societies.
Family photographs with context	Family collections.
Church records (confirmation, burial)	Parish archives, FamilySearch, Drouin Collection.
City directories and voter lists	Library and Archives Canada, provincial archives, Ancestry.

Tip: Secondary evidence is especially important for the Canadian anchor in your family chain, but it also matters for anyone in the chain where certain primary records are unavailable.

Tips for Searching Historical Records

Historical records can be tricky to find. Here are some common challenges and how to work through them.

Tip: Search the same person across all three databases. Each has different collections, and you may find a record on one site that does not appear on the others.

Challenge	What to Try
Name spelling variations	Spelling was not standardized in older records. Try different spellings: Tremblay/Tremblais, MacDonald/McDonald, LaRoche/Laroche/La Roche. Use wildcard searches when available (e.g., Trem* on Ancestry).
French vs. English names	Many French Canadians used both French and English versions of their names. Jean-Baptiste might appear as John Baptist. Marie might appear as Mary. Search for both versions.
Uncertain dates	If you are not sure of an exact birth year, search a range of ±5 years. Ages on census records are often approximate — do not assume they are exact.
“Dit” names (Quebec)	In Quebec, many families had a “dit” (also called) name — for example, “Gauthier dit Larouche.” The person might be recorded under either name. Search for both.
Cannot find the record at all	Not all records have been digitized. If you cannot find a record online, it may exist in a physical archive. See the province section below for where to send a formal request. You can also try census records to confirm a person’s existence and location, which narrows down where to search for vital records.
Handwritten or faded records	If you find a record but cannot read it, save it anyway and send it to us. Our team can often work with difficult handwriting. Do not rely on online transcriptions — they are often inaccurate, especially for older French records.

How to Save Records Properly

When you find a record — particularly when downloading from an online digital platform such as FamilySearch, Ancestry, or BAnQ — we need both the document image and the source citation (which tells us exactly where the record came from, including the database, collection name, and reference number). Without the citation, we may not be able to verify the record’s authenticity. We have separate step-by-step guides for this:

How to Save Records from FamilySearch.org — covers downloading images with citations and saving source information
How to Save Records from Ancestry.com or Ancestry.ca — covers saving document images and source citations from Ancestry
How to Scan Documents from Your Phone — covers scanning physical documents like IDs, certificates, and other papers

Important: Always save the source citation along with the record. A document without a citation is much harder for us to verify and may need to be re-found later.

Province-by-Province Research Guide

Each Canadian province has its own archives, vital statistics office, and historical record collections. The sections below cover where to search and who to contact for each province.

If your ancestors came from more than one province, review each relevant section — the archives and processes are different for each.

Tip: Tap a province in the table below (or any province heading) to jump to and open its section.

Province	Key Feature
Quebec	Civil reg. from 1926. Extensive French church records; BAnQ has a large, free searchable digitized collection.
Ontario	Civil reg. from 1869. Records accessed mainly through FamilySearch and Ancestry.
Nova Scotia	Civil reg. from 1864 (gap 1877–1908). Free, searchable BMD database with digitized originals online.
New Brunswick	Civil reg. from 1888. Free searchable database (FEDS); records organized by county.
Prince Edward Island	Civil reg. from 1906. Searchable PARO collections database online.
Manitoba	Civil reg. from 1882. Free, searchable Vital Statistics index online.
Saskatchewan	Civil reg. from 1895. Free online genealogy search (eHealth Saskatchewan).
Alberta	Civil reg. from 1870. Searchable BMD indexes via the Provincial Archives.
British Columbia	Civil reg. from 1872. BC Archives has free, searchable online indexes.
Newfoundland & Labrador	Civil reg. from 1891. Records via The Rooms; search births on FamilySearch.

Can’t find what you need? If you have searched and cannot locate a record, see What Happens If a Record Cannot Be Found for next steps, including how to work with a professional genealogist and how to build supporting evidence.

Have U.S.-born ancestors in your chain? If anyone in your lineage — including yourself — was born in the United States, you will likely need U.S. vital records to complete the chain. See A Note on U.S. Records for where to search and how to request them.

Quebec

Civil registration began: 1926. Before 1926, church parish registers (baptisms, marriages, burials) serve as the official vital records. Church records remained legally equivalent until 1994.

Key Archives & Registries

Directeur de l’état civil (DEC) — Quebec’s vital statistics office. Issues certified copies of birth, marriage, and death records from civil registration (1926 onward). Formal written requests required, usually in French.
Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ) — Holds digitized church registers, notarial records, and other historical documents. Many records are searchable online for free. This is your best starting point for pre-1926 Quebec records. numerique.banq.qc.ca
Drouin Collection — A major collection of Quebec church records available through Ancestry and some other platforms.

What’s Available Online

BAnQ online — Digitized parish registers, notarial acts, and other archival documents. Free to search — your best starting point for pre-1926 Quebec records.
FamilySearch — Extensive Quebec Catholic church records (baptisms, marriages, burials) going back to the 1600s.
Ancestry — Drouin Collection, Quebec vital records, census records.

What Requires a Formal Request

Certified copies of civil records (1926 onward) must be requested from the Directeur de l’état civil (DEC). Pre-1926 church records may require contacting the parish directly or BAnQ.

Good to know: Quebec records before 1926 are almost entirely church records written in French. The parish where the event occurred is the key — if you know the town, you can usually identify the parish. Baptismal records from this era list the child’s name, parents’ names, godparents, and the date.

Quebec Records Guide: For detailed, step-by-step guidance on where to search and when a formal request is needed based on the year of your ancestor’s birth, see our Quebec Birth Records Guide.

Need help finding records? If you have searched and cannot locate a record, or if you would like professional assistance, see the Genealogist Contacts section at the end of this guide.

Ontario

Civil registration began: 1869. Before 1869, church records are the primary source.

Key Archives & Registries

Archives of Ontario — Holds vital statistics records, land records, and church records. Some collections are searchable online. archives.gov.on.ca
ServiceOntario / Ontario Vital Statistics — Issues certified copies of birth, marriage, and death certificates for events registered in Ontario.

What’s Available Online

Archives of Ontario online — Growing collection of digitized records.
FamilySearch — Ontario vital records, church records, and county-level collections. FamilySearch has digitized microfilm of Ontario vital statistics (free).
Ancestry — Ontario vital records indexes, church records, and census records.

What Requires a Formal Request

Certified copies of vital records must be requested from ServiceOntario. Historical records (typically 100+ years old) may be available through the Archives of Ontario.

Good to know: Ontario has both church records and civil registration records from 1869 onward. For events before 1869, church records are the primary source. Ontario’s records are in English, though some early Catholic records may be in French or Latin.

Need help finding records? If you have searched and cannot locate a record, or if you would like professional assistance, see the Genealogist Contacts section at the end of this guide.

Nova Scotia

Civil registration began: 1864. One of the earliest provinces to begin civil registration.

Important: there is a gap from 1877 to 1908 where no civil birth or death records were registered. For ancestors born during this period, church and baptismal records are the expected primary evidence. That said, Nova Scotia has over 100,000 surviving delayed birth registrations covering 1830–1909 (most from after 1880). Always check for a late registration before concluding that no civil record exists.

Key Archives & Registries

Nova Scotia Archives — Holds historical vital records, church records, land records, and court records. archives.novascotia.ca/vital-statistics
Nova Scotia Vital Statistics — Issues certified copies of birth, marriage, and death records.

What’s Available Online

Nova Scotia Archives — Births, Marriages & Deaths — A free, searchable database where every name is linked to a digitized original record you can view and download at no charge.
FamilySearch — Nova Scotia church and vital records.
Ancestry — Nova Scotia vital records and census records.

What Requires a Formal Request

Certified copies from Vital Statistics. Historical records through Nova Scotia Archives.

Good to know: Nova Scotia has good early records due to its long settlement history. Halifax records go back to the 1700s. Church records are important for events before 1864. Note the 1877–1908 gap: no civil birth or death records exist for this period, so church/baptismal evidence is the appropriate primary document for ancestors born during those years.

Need help finding records? If you have searched and cannot locate a record, or if you would like professional assistance, see the Genealogist Contacts section at the end of this guide.

New Brunswick

Civil registration began: 1888. Some county records exist earlier.

Key Archives & Registries

Provincial Archives of New Brunswick (PANB) — Holds vital records, church records, land grants, and other historical documents. Offers paid search services.
Service New Brunswick / Vital Statistics — Issues certified copies of birth, marriage, and death records.

What’s Available Online

PANB — Federated Database Search — A free search across all PANB databases at once, including births, marriages, deaths, and more.
FamilySearch — New Brunswick church records and vital records.
Ancestry — New Brunswick vital records and census records.

What Requires a Formal Request

PANB offers paid archival searches (approximately $10–$25 per search). Certified copies from Vital Statistics.

Good to know: New Brunswick records are heavily organized by county (e.g., Westmorland, York, Saint John). Knowing the county helps narrow your search significantly. Early Acadian records may be in French.

Need help finding records? If you have searched and cannot locate a record, or if you would like professional assistance, see the Genealogist Contacts section at the end of this guide.

Prince Edward Island

Civil registration began: 1906. Before 1906, church records are the primary source. PARO holds baptisms (1777–1923), marriages (to 1933), and deaths (to 1960).

Key Archives & Registries

PEI Public Archives and Records Office (PARO) — Holds church records, land records, and historical vital records. princeedwardisland.ca/en/topic/paro
PEI Vital Statistics — Issues certified copies of vital records.

What’s Available Online

PARO Collections Database (PAROsearch) — A searchable index of baptisms (to approximately 1923), marriages, and deaths; copies can be requested online.
FamilySearch — PEI church records and vital records.
Ancestry — PEI vital records and census records.
Island Register — Community genealogy resource for PEI families.

What Requires a Formal Request

Certified copies from Vital Statistics. Historical records through PARO.

Good to know: PEI is a small province with tight-knit communities. If your ancestor was on PEI, there is a good chance their records survived. Church records are important for events before 1906.

Need help finding records? If you have searched and cannot locate a record, or if you would like professional assistance, see the Genealogist Contacts section at the end of this guide.

Manitoba

Civil registration began: 1882. Before 1882, church records are the primary source.

Key Archives & Registries

Archives of Manitoba — Holds vital records, church records, Hudson’s Bay Company records, and immigration records.
Manitoba Vital Statistics — Issues certified copies of birth, marriage, and death records. Births 100+ years, marriages 80+ years, and deaths 70+ years are searchable online. vitalstats.gov.mb.ca

What’s Available Online

Manitoba Vital Statistics — Free, searchable index online (births 100+ years, marriages 80+ years, deaths 70+ years).
FamilySearch — Manitoba church records and vital records.
Ancestry — Manitoba vital records and census records.

What Requires a Formal Request

Certified copies from Vital Statistics. Historical records through Archives of Manitoba.

Good to know: Manitoba’s records include Métis and First Nations records alongside settler records. Hudson’s Bay Company records at the Archives of Manitoba can be useful for earlier periods.

Need help finding records? If you have searched and cannot locate a record, or if you would like professional assistance, see the Genealogist Contacts section at the end of this guide.

Saskatchewan

Civil registration began: Marriages were registered from 1878 and births and deaths from 1888 under the Northwest Territories Vital Statistics Ordinance. Early compliance was poor; systematic recording began around 1895. Saskatchewan became a province in 1905.

Key Archives & Registries

Saskatchewan Archives — Holds historical records including homestead files, church records, and vital records.
eHealth Saskatchewan / Vital Statistics — Issues certified copies of vital records. Free search available online. genealogy.ehealthsask.ca

What’s Available Online

eHealth Saskatchewan — Free genealogy search online. Phone: 1-800-667-7551.
FamilySearch — Saskatchewan church records and vital records.
Ancestry — Saskatchewan vital records and census records.

What Requires a Formal Request

Certified copies from eHealth Saskatchewan. Historical records through Saskatchewan Archives.

Good to know: Before Saskatchewan became a province in 1905, records were registered under the Northwest Territories. Homestead records can be useful for confirming when and where a family settled.

Need help finding records? If you have searched and cannot locate a record, or if you would like professional assistance, see the Genealogist Contacts section at the end of this guide.

Alberta

Civil registration began: 1870. Birth indexes from 1870–1903 and death indexes from 1870–1973 are available online. Before Alberta became a province in 1905, records were registered under the Northwest Territories.

Key Archives & Registries

Provincial Archives of Alberta — Holds vital records, church records, homestead files, and other historical documents.
Alberta Vital Statistics — Issues certified copies of birth, marriage, and death records.

What’s Available Online

Provincial Archives of Alberta — Birth, Marriage & Death Records — Searchable historical indexes (free to search; copies available to purchase).
FamilySearch — Alberta church records and vital records.
Ancestry — Alberta vital records and census records.

What Requires a Formal Request

Certified copies from Alberta Vital Statistics. Historical records through Provincial Archives of Alberta.

Good to know: Like Saskatchewan, Alberta’s pre-1905 records were registered under the Northwest Territories. Birth indexes from 1870–1903 are available online and are a good starting point.

Need help finding records? If you have searched and cannot locate a record, or if you would like professional assistance, see the Genealogist Contacts section at the end of this guide.

British Columbia

Civil registration began: 1872. BC Archives has searchable online indexes for births (1854–1903), marriages (1871–1949), and deaths (1872–2004).

Note: Births 1854–1871 in the index reflect delayed registrations of births that occurred before civil registration formally began in 1872.

Key Archives & Registries

BC Archives — Holds vital records, church records, land records, and colonial records. search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca
BC Vital Statistics — Issues certified copies of birth, marriage, and death records.

What’s Available Online

BC Archives — Searchable online indexes for births, marriages, and deaths.
FamilySearch — BC church records and vital records.
Ancestry — BC vital records and census records.

What Requires a Formal Request

Certified copies from BC Vital Statistics. Historical records through BC Archives.

Good to know: BC Archives has searchable online indexes for historical vital events, which can help you identify records before ordering certified copies. BC also has records from the colonial period (pre-Confederation).

Need help finding records? If you have searched and cannot locate a record, or if you would like professional assistance, see the Genealogist Contacts section at the end of this guide.

Newfoundland & Labrador

Civil registration began: 1891. Newfoundland did not join Confederation until 1949. Pre-1891 church records were transcribed in the 1940s. Birth records 1891–1919 and marriages 1891–1922 are available at The Rooms.

Key Archives & Registries

The Rooms Provincial Archives — Holds vital records, church records, and colonial government records.
Vital Statistics Division — Issues certified copies of birth, marriage, and death records.

What’s Available Online

FamilySearch — Newfoundland church records and vital records.
Ancestry — Newfoundland vital records and census records.

What Requires a Formal Request

Certified copies from Vital Statistics Division. Historical records through The Rooms Provincial Archives.

Good to know: Newfoundland was not part of Canada until 1949, so federal Canadian census records do not include Newfoundland before that date. Newfoundland conducted its own censuses. Church records (especially Anglican, Catholic, and United Church) are essential for earlier periods.

Need help finding records? If you have searched and cannot locate a record, or if you would like professional assistance, see the Genealogist Contacts section at the end of this guide.

What Happens If a Record Cannot Be Found?

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, a record cannot be found online or through the usual archives. This is not uncommon, especially for ancestors born before civil registration began or in provinces where records have been lost, destroyed, or never digitized. If you find yourself in this situation, here is what to do:

Step 1: Contact a Professional Genealogist

A professional genealogist who specializes in Canadian records can often locate documents through sources you may not have access to or know about. Even when a record truly does not exist, a genealogist can provide a professional statement documenting the search efforts and explaining why the record is unavailable. This type of statement can carry significant weight with IRCC.

See the Genealogist Contacts section below for how to get connected.

Step 2: Gather Available Supplementary Supporting Evidence

While a birth certificate or baptismal record is the strongest proof, other documents can help corroborate the details of your ancestor’s birth and family connections. Useful supporting evidence includes:

Census records listing household members, ages, and birthplaces
Marriage records that name parents
Military service records
Immigration or naturalization records
Any correspondence or documentation of your search efforts (request letters to vital statistics offices, refusal letters, negative search results from online databases)
Baptismal or church records that establish birth and parentage
Property and probate records that demonstrate familial relationships and inheritance

Step 3: Document Your Search Efforts

Keep a record of every search you have conducted and every request you have made. If a vital statistics office confirms they have no record on file, save that correspondence. If an archive search comes back empty, document it. This paper trail helps demonstrate that you have conducted a thorough, good-faith search.

This should also include any work completed with professional genealogists, along with any reports, findings, or written statements they provide.

Why are these additional steps important? Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) evaluates citizenship by descent applications on a case-by-case basis. The goal is to create a file with sufficient depth and breadth of evidence to withstand scrutiny. Where a primary record does not exist or is genuinely unavailable, IRCC may accept reasonable explanations supported by corroborating documentation. The key is demonstrating that you have made every reasonable effort to obtain the record, and that its absence has been adequately explained and supported by a comprehensive collection of supporting evidence. A complete file with documented search efforts and multiple forms of supporting evidence puts your application in the strongest possible position.

A Note on U.S. Records

If you are based in the United States, you may need U.S. vital records (your own birth certificate, your parent’s birth certificate, marriage records, etc.) to complete the lineage chain between you and your Canadian ancestor. These records are issued by individual U.S. states, not the federal government. Each state has different record-keeping practices, access rules, and processing timelines, so it is important to identify the specific states where your ancestors resided and understand what records are available from each.

To request a U.S. birth certificate, contact the vital records office for the state where the birth occurred. Processing times and fees vary by state. The CDC maintains a directory of state vital records offices at cdc.gov/nchs/w2w.

Beyond vital records, do not overlook the secondary evidence types that can strengthen your file. Depending on which states your ancestors lived in, consider searching for census records, naturalization papers, military records, and property records. State archives and county clerk offices often hold historical documents that may not be available online. These sources can be particularly valuable for filling gaps and providing the supporting evidence that creates a bulletproof file.

For historical U.S. records (census, immigration, naturalization), the same databases apply: FamilySearch, Ancestry, and the National Archives (archives.gov) are your best resources.

Genealogist Contacts

When you have exhausted your own search and need professional assistance, a genealogist who specializes in Canadian records can access sources that are not available online and, where a record truly does not exist, provide a professional statement that supports your application.

We work regularly with a small group of trusted genealogists. Rather than list them here, we prefer to match you with the right specialist for your case and brief them on your file, so they can begin with a clear picture rather than starting from scratch. Just let us know — by leaving a Comment on Visto or emailing onboarding@immigration.ca — and we will share their details and make an introduction.

Remember: Every record you find helps us build your case. Even if you are unsure whether a record is relevant, save it and send it to us — it is always better to have more than less.

Our review is a careful, considered process. Share everything you find with us — even items you are unsure about. As part of our review of your complete file, we will let you know if anything further is needed, and we will also advise if a particular document is not required or may be best left out of the final submission. Deciding what to include — and what is better left out — is part of the care we put into preparing the strongest, clearest application for you.