Canadian Citizenship by Birth: Descent Rules and Certificate

If you were born on Canadian soil on or after February 15, 1977, you acquired Canadian citizenship by birth automatically, no matter your parents’ nationality or immigration status. The same is true, with different rules, for many people born outside Canada to a Canadian parent. What you still need to do in either case is get a citizenship certificate, which is the document that proves the status you already hold.

Born in Canada: The Basic Rule

Section 3(1)(a) of the Citizenship Act says a person born in Canada after February 14, 1977 is a citizen.¹ Nothing about the parents matters for this purpose. Citizens, permanent residents, work permit holders, students, visitors on tourist visas, people without status — a child born to any of them in Canada is Canadian from the moment of birth. No application creates the citizenship itself. You are a citizen because of where you were born, and the paperwork later only documents that fact.

This is the principle known as jus soli, right of the soil. Canada is one of the countries that still applies it without conditions attached to parental status, and legislative attempts to narrow the rule have not passed.

The Diplomatic Exception

There is one carve-out, and it is narrow. Under section 3(2) of the Citizenship Act, a child born in Canada does not receive citizenship if, at the time of birth, neither parent was a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and at least one parent was:¹

a diplomatic or consular officer or other representative or employee in Canada of a foreign government;
an employee in the service of such a person; or
an officer or employee in Canada of a United Nations specialized agency or other international organization with equivalent diplomatic privileges.

Both conditions have to be met. If even one parent was a Canadian citizen or permanent resident when the child was born, the child is Canadian regardless of the other parent’s diplomatic role.²

Born Abroad to a Canadian Parent

Canada also grants citizenship at birth to some people born outside the country. If you were born abroad after February 14, 1977 and at least one of your biological (not adoptive) parents was a Canadian citizen when you were born, you are generally a citizen.¹ The wrinkle has always been what happens when both you and your Canadian parent were born abroad, and those second-generation rules changed at the end of 2025.

The Old First-Generation Limit

Before December 15, 2025, citizenship by descent stopped after one generation born outside Canada. A Canadian citizen could pass status to a child born abroad, but that child could not pass it on to their own child born abroad, even if the grandparent was a Canadian born in Canada.³

What Bill C-3 Changed

Bill C-3 received royal assent on November 20, 2025 and came into force on December 15, 2025. It removed the first-generation limit in some situations and replaced it with a physical presence test going forward.⁴ Which rule applies to you depends on your date of birth or adoption.

If you were born or adopted abroad before December 15, 2025, and you were denied citizenship under the old first-generation limit because your Canadian parent was also born abroad, in most cases you are now a Canadian citizen automatically. The change applies retroactively.⁵

If you were born or adopted abroad on or after December 15, 2025, and you are in the second generation or later born outside Canada, you can be a citizen only if your Canadian parent (the one who was also born abroad) spent at least 1,095 days physically in Canada before your birth.⁵ The 1,095 days (three years) are cumulative, not consecutive. Multiple visits and stays across many years can add up. But if the parent never accumulated three years of physical presence in Canada, the child born abroad does not qualify.⁴

Adopted children follow parallel rules. For adoptions on or after December 15, 2025, the Canadian parent must still meet the 1,095-day physical presence requirement.

Proving Your Citizenship: The Certificate

Having citizenship and being able to prove it are two different things. The document that proves it is a Canadian citizenship certificate, and you will need one before you can apply for a Canadian passport. Applications use form CIT 0001.⁶

What You Need to Submit

Every applicant sends the same core package:⁷

Two pieces of valid ID, both showing your name and date of birth, and at least one with a photo. Driver’s licences, passports, and provincial health cards work. Birth certificates, SIN cards, bank cards, and prior citizenship certificates do not count as ID here.
Two identical citizenship photos, unattached to the application.
A receipt showing you paid the fee.
Clear colour copies of supporting documents, unless originals are specifically requested.

If you were born in Canada, add a provincial or territorial birth certificate that names your parents. Quebec birth certificates issued before January 1, 1994 are not accepted.⁷ If you are claiming citizenship through a Canadian parent, add proof of that parent’s citizenship (their birth certificate or citizenship certificate) and documents linking you to them.

Any document not in English or French needs a certified translation. The translator cannot be you, a family member, a friend, or your immigration representative, and the translation must include the translator’s name, signature, contact details, credentials, and a signed accuracy statement.

Online or Paper

You can apply online only if you were born outside Canada to a parent who was born in Canada after February 14, 1977 or who was naturalized after April 16, 2009. Everyone else applies on paper, including people born in Canada and people replacing an existing certificate.⁸ This catches people off guard: if you were born in Canada, there is no online option.

Fee and Processing Time

The fee is $75 CAD, paid through the government’s online payment system, and it is non-refundable.⁹ Include the receipt with the application or the package will be returned unprocessed.

Processing times move with application volume and are posted on the IRCC website. They have historically run from several months to over a year. Applicants outside Canada and the United States should add three to four months of mailing time when sending through an embassy or consulate, and six to eight months for minor applications routed to the processing centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia.¹⁰

1
Department of Justice. Citizenship Act RSC 1985 c C-29 – Section 3
2
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Check if You May Be a Citizen
3
Department of Justice Canada. Bill C-3 – An Act to Amend the Citizenship Act (2025)
4
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Bill C-3 – An Act to Amend the Citizenship Act (2025) Comes Into Effect
5
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Change to Citizenship Rules in 2025
6
Government of Canada. Application for a Citizenship Certificate (CIT 0001)
7
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Guide for Paper Applications for a Citizenship Certificate for Adults and Minors
8
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Apply for a Canadian Citizenship Certificate – How to Apply
9
Government of Canada. Pay Your Application Fees Online
10
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Apply for a Canadian Citizenship Certificate – About the Process