There are three ways to become a Canadian citizen: being born on Canadian soil, inheriting citizenship from a Canadian parent when born abroad, or naturalizing after living in Canada as a permanent resident. Naturalization is the route for most newcomers, and it turns on a single core requirement: 1,095 days of physical presence in Canada during the five years before you sign your application.1Canada.ca. Canadian Citizenship for Adults and Minor Children: Who Can Apply
If You Were Born in Canada
Almost anyone born on Canadian soil is automatically a citizen, regardless of the parents’ immigration status. The one exception covers children born to foreign diplomats, consular officers, or employees of international organizations who hold diplomatic immunity, and only when neither parent was a Canadian citizen or permanent resident at the time of birth. If one parent held citizenship or permanent residence, the child qualifies for automatic citizenship despite the other parent’s diplomatic status.2Justice Laws Website. Citizenship Act R.S.C., 1985, c. C-29 – Section 3
If You Were Born Abroad to a Canadian Parent
A child born outside Canada automatically becomes a citizen if at least one parent held Canadian citizenship at the time of birth. Between 2009 and 2025, a first-generation limit blocked Canadians who were themselves born abroad from passing citizenship to their children born outside Canada.3Canada.ca. Changes to Citizenship Rules 2009 to 2015
That changed on December 15, 2025. Under Bill C-3, children born or adopted abroad in the second generation or later can now obtain citizenship if their Canadian parent spent at least 1,095 days physically present in Canada during any five consecutive years before the child’s birth.4Parliament of Canada. BILL C-3 An Act to Amend the Citizenship Act The same threshold applies to adoptive parents. For people born abroad in the second or later generation before December 15, 2025, the law is retroactive in most cases: they are generally now automatically Canadian citizens, even if they previously lost or never had citizenship under the old rule.5Canada.ca. Change to Citizenship Rules in 2025
Naturalizing as a Permanent Resident
If you moved to Canada as an adult, this is your path. The requirements are strict, and missing any one of them means denial.
Permanent Resident Status
You must already hold valid permanent resident status when you apply. Temporary workers, students, and visitors are not eligible.
Physical Presence: 1,095 Days
You need at least 1,095 days of physical presence in Canada during the five years before you sign your application.1Canada.ca. Canadian Citizenship for Adults and Minor Children: Who Can Apply Time in Canada before you became a permanent resident, as either a temporary resident or protected person, counts at half value, up to a maximum credit of 365 days. IRCC provides an online physical presence calculator to help you confirm you meet the threshold.6IRCC. Physical Presence Calculator
Members of the Canadian Armed Forces follow a modified rule. Military service substitutes for the presence requirement: 1,095 days of service within the six years before your application. Both Regular and Reserve Force service counts, regardless of whether you were paid as a full-time member.7Canada.ca. Apply for Citizenship: Canadian Armed Forces
Tax Filing
You must have filed personal income taxes for at least three of the five years in your eligibility window. IRCC verifies compliance directly with the Canada Revenue Agency using your Social Insurance Number.
Language
Applicants between 18 and 54 on the day of signing must show adequate speaking and listening in English or French at Level 4 of the Canadian Language Benchmarks (or NCLC for French). Accepted proof includes results from approved providers such as IELTS or CELPIP, or a diploma from a program taught in English or French. Applicants under 18 or 55 and older are exempt.
The Citizenship Knowledge Test
Applicants aged 18 to 54 also take a test on Canadian history, geography, government, and the rights and responsibilities of citizens. It has 20 multiple-choice and true-or-false questions, and you need 15 correct to pass. Fail, and you get at least two more attempts before IRCC rejects the application. Waivers for both the language and knowledge requirements are available for applicants with severe medical conditions lasting a year or more, with specific supporting documentation.
Criminal Bars
Certain criminal situations block your application outright. You cannot be granted citizenship or take the oath while serving a prison sentence, on parole, or on probation in Canada, or while charged with, on trial for, or appealing an indictable offence under federal law.8Justice Laws Website. Citizenship Act R.S.C., 1985, c. C-29 – Section 22 A conviction for an indictable offence within the four years before your application date creates a separate bar, and equivalent offences committed outside Canada trigger the same four-year prohibition, regardless of any foreign pardon. In practical terms, if you have unresolved criminal matters, the citizenship clock does not start until everything, including probation, is fully concluded.
Filing the Application
Adult applicants use form CIT 0002 from the IRCC website. It asks for detailed biographical information and a full residential, employment, and travel history covering the five-year eligibility window, along with your Social Insurance Number for tax verification.
You will need to include:
- Two pieces of valid personal identification, such as your Permanent Resident card and a current foreign passport.
- A completed printout from the IRCC physical presence calculator.
- Approved language test results or an educational transcript, for applicants aged 18 to 54.
- Two identical citizenship photos meeting IRCC’s size and lighting specifications.
- Certified translations of any document not in English or French. Self-translations, family translations, and machine translations are not accepted. Where a certified translator is unavailable, a non-certified translation with an affidavit of accuracy sworn before a notary or commissioner of oaths is permitted.
- Documentation of any name changes.
Incomplete applications are returned without processing, so assemble everything before you submit. As of March 31, 2026, the total fee for an adult application is $653: a $530 processing fee and a $123 Right of Citizenship fee.9Canada.ca. Right of Citizenship Fee Increasing Soon The fee for a minor child is $100.10Government of Canada. Apply for Canadian Citizenship: Adults and Minor Children
After You Apply: Test, Interview, and Oath
Once your application is accepted, IRCC schedules the citizenship test and a follow-up interview where an officer reviews your original documents. Current processing times for adult applications run about 13 to 14 months from submission to completion, against a service standard of 12 months for 80% of applications.
If the officer approves your application, you receive an invitation to a citizenship ceremony. At the ceremony you recite the Oath of Citizenship, which includes a pledge of allegiance to the King of Canada, a commitment to observe Canadian laws including the Constitution, and an acknowledgment of the Aboriginal and treaty rights of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.11Canada.ca. The Oath of Citizenship Taking the oath is the final legal step. You are a Canadian citizen the moment you complete it.
Keeping Your Original Citizenship
Canada permits its citizens to hold multiple citizenships, so foreign nationals who naturalize as Canadian are not required to give up their original nationality.12Travel.gc.ca. Dual Citizens Your other country may take a different view: some require you to enter and exit on their passport, may impose military service obligations, or may restrict your access to Canadian consular assistance. When flying back to Canada, dual citizens must carry a valid Canadian passport for re-entry. Canadian citizenship on its own does not create Canadian tax obligations if you live abroad; Canada taxes based on residency, not citizenship.
If Your Application Is Denied
You can challenge a denial by applying for judicial review at the Federal Court of Canada, and you must file within 30 days of receiving the decision.13Federal Court. Application for Leave and for Judicial Review (Citizenship) The process starts with a request for leave, meaning permission to proceed. If leave is refused, there is no further appeal. If leave is granted, the Court sets a hearing for a full judicial review. The Court does not re-decide the application; it reviews whether the original decision-maker applied the law correctly and acted fairly. Given the tight deadline and the formal nature of the proceeding, most applicants work with an immigration lawyer at this stage.