Canadian citizen

Eligibility

To be eligible to become a Canadian citizen, you must:

be a permanent resident
have lived in Canada for 3 out of the last 5 years
have filed your taxes, if you need to
pass a test on your rights, responsibilities and knowledge of Canada
prove your language skills

Check your eligibility

There are additional or different requirements if you are:

applying for a minor (under age 18)
a Canadian applying for your adopted child born outside Canada
a current or former Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) member applying under the fast-track process
a past Canadian citizen who want your Canadian citizenship back (including current and former CAF members)

Spouses of Canadian citizens

You don’t automatically become a citizen when you marry a Canadian.

If you’re the spouse of a Canadian citizen, you must meet the same requirements listed above (no exception).

Children and grandchildren of Canadian citizens

If you have a Canadian parent or grandparent, you may be a Canadian citizen.

See if you may be a Canadian citizen
To find out for sure, apply for a Canadian citizenship certificate

Permanent resident status

Regardless of your age, if you’re applying for citizenship, you must have permanent resident (PR) status in Canada.

This means you must not:

be under review for immigration or fraud reasons
be asked by Canadian officials to leave Canada (removal order)
have unfulfilled conditions related to your PR status, for example: medical screening

Before applying for citizenship, you should review the documents you received when you became a permanent resident to make sure you’re eligible.

You don’t need a valid PR card to apply for citizenship. You can apply with an expired PR card.

Time you’ve lived in Canada

COVID-19: safety measures

Find out if you’re affected by coronavirus/COVID-19.

Adults and some minors must have been physically present in Canada for at least 1095 days during the five years right before the date you sign your application.

We encourage you to apply with more than 1095 days of physical presence to have extra days in case there is a problem with the calculation.

Use a travel journal to record your trips outside Canada. It will help you calculate your physical presence in Canada.

You may be able to use some of your time spent in Canada as a temporary resident or protected person towards your physical presence calculation. Crown servants and family members of Crown servants may be able to use time spent outside Canada.

Filing income tax

You may need to file taxes in Canada for at least 3 years during the 5 years right before the date you apply.

Find out if you need to file your taxes

Language skills

Canada has two official languages: English and French. If you’re 18 to 54 years of age on the day you sign your application, you must show that you can speak and listen at a specific level in one of these languages.

The ways we measure your language skills in English or French include:

reviewing the proof you send with your application
noting how well you communicate when you talk to a citizenship official anytime during the process
assessing your language level during a hearing with a citizenship official, if necessary

To become a citizen, you need to meet the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) Level 4 or higher. This means you can:

take part in short, everyday conversations about common topics
understand simple instructions, questions and directions
use basic grammar, including simple structures and tenses
show you know enough common words and phrases to answer questions and express yourself

We accept various certificates, diplomas and tests as proof of your language skills.

Pass a test on your rights, responsibilities and knowledge of Canada

If you’re 18 to 54 years of age on the day you sign your application, you need to take the citizenship test. You’ll need to answer questions about the rights and responsibilities of Canadians and Canada’s:

history
geography
economy
government
laws
symbols

The test is:

in English or French
30 minutes long
20 questions (pass mark: 15 correct answers)
multiple-choice and true or false questions
based on the official citizenship study guide: Discover Canada
usually written, but may be oral

Learn more about the citizenship test.

Prohibitions

If you committed a crime in or outside Canada

you may not be eligible to become a Canadian citizen for a period of time
time spent serving a term of imprisonment, on parole, or on probation doesn’t count as time you’ve lived in Canada

Find out about situations that may prevent you from becoming a Canadian citizen:

If you’re not sure whether the situations apply to you, contact your lawyer or arresting police officer.
Wait until the situation no longer applies before you apply for citizenship.
We’ll review your application on a case-by-case basis.

See if you may be a citizen

There are a few ways you can become a Canadian citizen without applying to be one. In these cases, you may still want to get proof of citizenship.

There are also times when you might think you became a citizen, but you did not. In those cases, you may be eligible to apply for citizenship.

You likely are a Canadian citizen if you…

were born in Canada
became a citizen because of changes to the Citizenship Act
applied for and received your Canadian citizenship (became a naturalized citizen)
received Canadian citizenship as a minor when a parent or legal guardian naturalized you by applying for your citizenship
were born outside Canada and at least one of your parents was:
- born in Canada
- naturalized in Canada before your birth

You likely aren’t a Canadian citizen if you…

were born in Canada to foreign diplomats
had your citizenship taken away (revoked)
renounced your Canadian citizenship and never applied to get it back

You aren’t automatically a Canadian citizen if you…

marry a Canadian citizen
are adopted by a Canadian citizen
have your refugee claim accepted
live in Canada as a permanent resident for many years
were born outside Canada to Canadian parent(s) on or after April 17, 2009, but neither parent was born or naturalized in Canada.

Applying for proof of Canadian citizenship is the formal way to find out if you’re a citizen. We don’t refund fees, even if you apply for proof of citizenship and find out you aren’t a citizen.

Canadian Citizenship