How to Apply for Canada Citizenship: A Step-by-Step Guide

On This Page, You Will Find:

• Bill C-3 and citizenship by descent
• Step 1: Ensure you meet the eligibility criteria
• Step 2: Choose how to apply – online or on paper
• Step 3: Gather the required documents
• Step 4: Pay the fee and submit your application
• Step 5: Track your citizenship application
• Step 6: Prepare for and take the citizenship test
• Step 7: Attend an interview or hearing, if required
• Step 8: Take the Oath of Citizenship
• Frequently asked questions

Becoming a Canadian citizen is an exciting step that brings numerous benefits, including the right to vote, a Canadian passport, and freedom from the permanent resident residency obligation. This guide walks you through the citizenship application process, from checking your eligibility and applying online to taking the citizenship test and the Oath of Citizenship.

Bill C-3 and Citizenship by Descent

This guide covers the grant of citizenship for permanent residents. Some people born outside Canada may already be Canadian citizens through a Canadian parent and do not need to follow this process. Bill C-3, which came into force on December 15, 2025, removed the first-generation limit for many people born abroad before that date, and introduced a substantial-connection test (1,095 days in Canada before the child’s birth) for Canadian parents born abroad whose children are born on or after that date.

People who are already citizens apply for a citizenship certificate as proof of status, not for a grant of citizenship. To understand how the changes may apply to your family, read our guide: Claiming Canadian Citizenship by Descent Under Canada’s New Citizenship Act (Bill C-3).

Navigating citizenship requirements can be complex. Book a virtual consultation with Attorney Colin R. Singer, a Canadian immigration lawyer with over 35 years of experience, to make sure your application is handled correctly and to avoid costly mistakes.

Step 1: Ensure You Meet the Eligibility Criteria

Before you begin the citizenship application process, make sure you meet these requirements on the day before you sign your application:

1. Permanent residency: You must hold permanent resident (PR) status in Canada, with no unfulfilled conditions, and must not be under review for immigration or fraud reasons or subject to a removal order. Your PR card does not need to be valid.
2. Physical presence: You must have been physically present in Canada for at least 1,095 days (three years) in the five years before the date you sign your application. Time spent in Canada as a temporary resident or protected person before becoming a PR can count as half-days, up to 365 days. Use IRCC’s physical presence calculator and apply with a margin above the minimum.
3. Income tax filing: You must have filed taxes for at least three years within the five-year eligibility period, if you were required to file under the Income Tax Act.
4. Language proficiency: If you are 18 to 54 when you sign your application, you must provide proof that you can speak and listen in English or French at CLB/NCLC level 4 or higher.
5. Knowledge of Canada: If you are 18 to 54, you must pass the citizenship test on Canada’s history, geography, government, symbols, and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
6. No prohibitions: You must not be prohibited from becoming a citizen, for example because you are serving a sentence, are charged with an indictable offence, or had a citizenship application refused for misrepresentation in the past five years.

Step 2: Choose How to Apply – Online or on Paper

IRCC now encourages applicants to apply online. Most adults and minors can apply through the IRCC citizenship online application account, which is faster than paper, includes built-in checks that catch errors before you submit, and sends an immediate confirmation that your application was received. You must choose one method: do not apply both online and on paper.

Key points about applying online:

• Each adult needs their own online account; adults (family members or not) can link their accounts and apply together as a group.
• A parent or legal guardian can add a minor’s application to their account (up to 20 minors per account).
• If you use a representative, you must still create your own account, fill out, sign and submit the online application yourself; your representative can help and can communicate with IRCC after you submit.

You must apply on paper instead if:

• your physical presence calculation includes time spent outside Canada as a Crown servant, or as the family member of a Crown servant, or
• you want your representative to complete and submit the application for you.

Paper applications take longer to begin processing, because IRCC must digitize and manually check each one.

Step 3: Gather the Required Documents

If you apply online, your account lists the forms and documents to upload. If you apply on paper, adults use the Application for Canadian Citizenship – Adults (CIT 0002) and the document checklist (CIT 0007); minors use the minor application forms. In general you will need:

• Your physical presence calculation from the IRCC online calculator.
• Copies of all passports and travel documents you held during the five-year eligibility period (identity pages).
• Two pieces of personal identification with your name, photo and date of birth (for example, PR card plus a provincial health card or driver’s licence).
• Language proof, if you are 18 to 54.
• Two identical citizenship photos that meet IRCC specifications (paper applications).
• Your fee receipt.
• Police certificates, if in the past four years and since age 18 you spent 183 days or more in a row in a country outside Canada (other than your country of origin immediately before you became a PR).
• Certified translations of any document not in English or French, plus other documents if they apply to you, such as a Use of a Representative form (IMM 5476) or name-change documents.

All documents must be clear and readable; IRCC may return incomplete or unreadable applications.

Book a consultation with our team for help preparing your application.

Step 4: Pay the Fee and Submit Your Application

Since March 31, 2026, the citizenship fee for an adult is $653 (a $530 processing fee plus a $123 Right of Citizenship Fee). The fee for a minor is $100. Pay online, only when you are ready to submit. The Right of Citizenship Fee is refunded if your application is not approved.

1. Online: Complete the application in your account, pay the fee online and upload the receipt, sign and date the application, and submit it. You will receive an email confirmation.
2. On paper: Download the application package from the IRCC website, complete and sign the forms, pay online and print the receipt, and mail or courier the complete package to the address in IRCC’s instructions (Case Processing Centre – Sydney for regular mail). The date you sign must match the application date in your physical presence calculation, and IRCC returns paper applications received more than 90 days after the signature date.

Whichever route you use, make sure you are still eligible on the day before you sign, and that every application in a family or group is complete.

Step 5: Track Your Citizenship Application

Once IRCC confirms your application is complete, you will receive an acknowledgement of receipt (AOR) with your application number. You can then monitor progress using the citizenship application status tracker:

1. Sign in to the IRCC citizenship application status tracker.
2. Use your unique client identifier (UCI) and application number, or your online account.
3. Check regularly for updates, such as requests for documents, test invitations, interviews and ceremony dates.

Processing times change regularly, so check IRCC’s processing times tool for the current estimate.

Step 6: Prepare for and Take the Citizenship Test

If you are 18 to 54 on the day you sign your application, you must pass the citizenship test unless you receive a waiver. IRCC emails a test invitation within a few weeks or months of receiving your application. Here is what to expect:

• Default format – online test: Most applicants are invited to take the test online. You have 30 days from the invitation to take it, from anywhere (you do not need to be in Canada), on a computer or tablet with a webcam, using Chrome or Safari.
• Duration: The online test is 45 minutes long. Once the timer starts it cannot be paused, and the test is submitted automatically after 45 minutes.
• Other formats: Applicants who need an accommodation take the test in person (on paper, orally or in another format such as Braille) or orally by Microsoft Teams video call. IRCC contacts you to schedule these formats.
• Content and pass mark: The test has 20 multiple-choice and true-or-false questions drawn from the official study guide, Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship. You need at least 15 correct answers (75%) to pass, and you have three chances to pass across all formats. You can take it in English or French.

Step 7: Attend an Interview or Hearing, if Required

Depending on your test result and file, IRCC may invite you to an interview or a hearing with a citizenship official. During the interview, the official may:

• verify your original documents and identity
• assess your knowledge of Canada and your language skills, if applicable
• review your physical presence and overall eligibility

Bring all requested documents and answer honestly. Missing a required test, interview, hearing or ceremony without contacting IRCC can lead to your application being closed.

Step 8: Take the Oath of Citizenship

The final step is the citizenship ceremony, where you take the Oath of Citizenship. You will:

1. receive a notice with the date, time and format of your ceremony
2. attend an in-person or virtual ceremony
3. take the oath, sing “O Canada”, and receive your citizenship certificate, at which point you officially become a Canadian citizen

Applicants aged 14 or older must take the oath. Once you are a citizen, you can apply for a Canadian passport.

Frequently Asked Questions