Guide: Application for Canadian Citizenship: Adults - Subsection 5(1) CIT 0002

Canada is a country that embodies multiculturalism and diversity and encourages newcomers to achieve their full potential by supporting their integration and active participation in social, cultural, economic and political affairs. We thank you for the commitment you are showing to Canada by applying to become a Canadian citizen!

This form and guide are for Permanent Residents, 18 years of age or older who wish to apply to become Canadian citizens.

This is not a legal document. The explanations and definitions are not legal definitions. In case of a discrepancy between the language in this document and the relevant legislation or regulations, the legal text in the legislation and regulations prevails.

For legal information, see the:

• Citizenship Act
• Citizenship Regulations and Citizenship Regulations No. 2

This information will help you complete the forms and guide you through the application process.

Accessing help

If you need help, you may find the answer to your questions by visiting the Help Centre.

To download and open a PDF form, you need to have Adobe reader 10 or higher installed. Mobile devices such as iPads, tablets and mobile phones can’t be used for IRCC forms.

If you are having difficulties downloading the form, visit How do I download and open a PDF form for IRCC’s website? in the Help Centre

Steps to Canadian Citizenship

• Step 1 – Make sure you're eligible
• Step 2 – Calculate how long you’ve been in Canada
• Step 3 – Gather your documents
• Step 4 – Complete your application form
• Step 5 – Pay the fees
• Step 6 – Submit your application
• What happens next
• Appendix A – Name change
• Appendix B – Date of birth correction
• Appendix C – Change of gender designation
• Appendix D – Waiver request(s) and/or guardianship documents
• Need help?

Step 1 – Make sure you're eligible

To be eligible for Canadian citizenship, you:

• must be a permanent resident (landed immigrant) of Canada
• must have been physically present in Canada for at least 1,095 days in the 5 years immediately before you apply
• may need to file personal income taxes for at least 3 years within the 5-year period
  • Find out if you need to file your taxes
• must demonstrate adequate knowledge of English or French (if you are between 18 and 54 years old when you apply)
• must demonstrate you have knowledge of Canada and of the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship (if you are between 18 and 54 years old when you apply—this is assessed after you apply)
• can’t have any unfulfilled conditions related to their permanent resident status
• can’t be under a removal order
• can’t be inadmissible or prohibited on criminal or security grounds

Use this tool to check if you’re eligible to apply for Citizenship.

Possible loss of other citizenship

You could lose your present nationality or citizenship if you become a Canadian citizen. If you have any questions about this, please contact the embassy, high commission or consulate of the country of your present nationality before applying for Canadian citizenship.

Step 2 – Calculate how long you’ve been in Canada

To calculate how long you’ve been in Canada (your physical presence)

• use the online calculator, and
• print a copy of your results and include it with your application

If you can’t use the online calculator, use our form: How to Calculate Physical Presence (CIT 0407) (opens in new tab) .

Double-check your calculations. Errors can delay the processing of your application.

For help, see questions about physical presence calculations.

Step 3 – Gather your documents

Submit the following documents with your application:

1. The original printout of your Online Physical Presence Calculation or form CIT 0407 (opens in new tab) 
2. Colour photocopy of all pages (valid or expired) of your passport(s) or travel document(s) during your (5) year eligibility period, including the biographical page which includes: name, photo, date and place of birth, passport/travel document number, issue date and expiration date.
   • If you do not have these documents or there is missing time between the validity dates of the travel documents, provide an explanation in question 14 on the application form.

3. Photocopies of two (2) pieces of personal identification.

   Examples of identification you can use include:

   • a copy of the biographical page of your passport/travel document (as requested above and also can be one (1) of your pieces of personal identification)
   • permanent resident card (PR card)
     • A PR card may only be used as personal identification if your second piece of personal identification was issued by the Canadian government (Canadian federal, provincial or territorial government-issued documents that can be used to establish identity).
   • driver’s licence
   • health insurance card
   • senior citizen identification card
   • age of majority card
   • foreign identity documents, such as a passport or government issued identification documents

   Note: If there is information on both sides of the identification document, photocopy both sides.

4. If you are 18 to 54 years old:

   • Photocopies of your proof of English or French language ability.

     Examples of the types of language evidence that can be submitted include:

     • results of a third-party language test
     • diploma, certificate or transcripts from a secondary or post-secondary education program in Canada or abroad, where the language of study was English or French
     • proof that you have reached the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 4 or higher through a government-funded language training program

     For more information visit “What documents can I use to prove that I meet the citizenship language requirement?”

     or

     • If you are 18-54 years of age and unable to demonstrate that you have the necessary English or French language ability due to compassionate grounds, submit supporting evidence with your application.
     • Provide a completed Waiver Request Form (CIT 0116) (opens in new tab) .
     • If you are requesting a waiver due to a medical condition, we recommend you also provide a Medical Opinion Form for Citizenship Waivers (CIT 0547) (opens in new tab) , filled out by a medical professional licensed to practice in Canada.
     • You should also provide any additional documentation that we should consider with your waiver request.

   Compassionate grounds include medical and non-medical factors. Examples include (but are not limited to) evidence of

   • a severe medical condition that has lasted (or is expected to last) for at least 1 year, including
     • serious illness
     • physical or developmental disability
     • mental impairment
   • trauma due to
     • war
     • torture
     • living in a refugee camp
     • other similar circumstances
   • low levels of education or literacy in the first language (mother tongue)
   • other circumstances that may justify a waiver.

   Requesting a waiver does not guarantee it will be approved. Waiver requests are assessed on a case-by-case basis.

5. Two (2) identical citizenship photos
6. Fee Receipt
7. Fill in the The Document Checklist (CIT 0007) (opens in new tab)  to ensure that your application is complete and submit it with your application.

Step 4 – Complete the application form

• Application for Canadian Citizenship - Adults (CIT 0002)

  Get the instructions (opens in a new tab)

Certified true copies

To have a photocopy of a document certified, an authorized person must compare the original document to the photocopy and must print all of the following on the photocopy:

• the name and signature of the authorized person;
• their official position or title;
• the name of the original document;
• the date they certified the document; and
• the phrase “I certify that this is a true copy of the original document”.

Who can certify copies?

Only authorized people can certify copies.

Important information: Certifying of copies must not be done by the applicants themselves nor by an applicant’s parent, guardian, sibling, spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, grandparent, child, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew or first cousin.

People authorized to certify copies include the following:

In Canada:

• a notary public;
• a commissioner of oaths; or
• a commissioner of taking affidavits.

Authority to certify varies by province and territory. Check with your local provincial or territorial authorities to learn who can certify documents.

Outside Canada:

• a notary public.

Authority to certify international documents varies by country. Check with your local authorities to learn who can certify documents in your country.

Step 5 – Pay the fees

You must pay your fees online (opens in a new tab) . If you have forgotten your password for the online payment system, you can reset it.

For the fee amounts, please refer to the Fee list.

If more than one member of your family is applying for Canadian citizenship, pay the fees all together.

After you pay, print the receipt and include it with your application.

All payments must be made in Canadian funds.

Explanation of fees and refunds

This section describes the fees that are required and if they are refundable.

Processing fee

Applicants 18 years of age and older applying under subsection 5(1) and minors applying under subsection 5(2) must pay the processing fee.

You can’t get a refund of your processing fee once we start processing your application, even if you are refused. If you choose to withdraw your application, or abandon your application, you will only be refunded the Right of Citizenship fee.

Right of citizenship fee

Applicants over 18 years of age must pay the Right of Citizenship fee.

You will be refunded your Right of Citizenship fee if you don’t become a citizen.

We will issue any refunds to the person on the Payer Information section of the receipt. If there is no name on the receipt, we will send the refund to the applicant.

Step 6 – Submit your application

Send your completed application to one of the following addresses:

If you are sending more than one application

If you are sending more than one application (for example, applications for family members, including siblings), you may send one receipt to cover all applications. Mail the receipt (if applicable) and all applications together in one envelope so that they will be processed together.

What happens next

Processing your application

The list below presents the phases of the Citizenship process of most applications. In some cases, processing may take longer.

Application review and file creation

The Case Processing Centre in Sydney makes sure your application

• meets the minimum processing requirements;
• includes all the required documents;
• has the right fee.

If your application is complete, processing starts.

You will receive:

• acknowledgement of receipt;
• the citizenship study guide.

Your application will be returned if:

• it doesn’t meet the minimum processing requirements;
• doesn’t include the correct fee payment; and/or
• isn’t complete.

If returned, we send you a letter that explains why your application is incomplete and what the next steps are.

The letter will tell you:

• which forms, documents or fees are missing
• if you have to
  • refill the application form
    • if so, use the newest version of the form: Application for Canadian Citizenship - Adults (CIT 0002) (opens in new tab) 
    • sign and date the form
  • recalculate your physical presence/time you’ve lived in Canada (opens in a new tab) 
    • if so, include the new calculator printout when you resubmit the application
  • submit a new fee receipt
    • if the letter doesn’t ask for a new receipt, include the same receipt when you resubmit the application
  • resubmit any documents

Be sure to check the Document Checklist (CIT 0007) (opens in new tab) . Once you get the information we ask for in the letter, resubmit your complete application.

Prepare for your test

During the processing period, if you are between the ages of 18 and 54, you should:

• prepare for the citizenship test and/or interview on Canada’s history, geography, government, and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship based on the study guide and
• continue to maintain and improve your English or French if necessary.

If you have requested a waiver of the knowledge requirement (i.e., citizenship test), you will not be invited to the test. Instead, your waiver request will be assessed. You will only be invited to the citizenship test if your knowledge waiver request is denied.

If we invite you to an interview, test, and/or hearing, your invitation will tell you what to bring.

If applicable, you will be tested on your knowledge of:

• English or French
• Canada’s history, geography, government, and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship (the citizenship test).

We will send you one or more of these notices:

• Notice to appear to take a citizenship test
• Notice to appear for an interview with a citizenship official
• Notice to appear for a hearing with a citizenship officer or a citizenship judge

Decision

• The CPC sends your application to the IRCC office nearest to your home for further processing.
• The IRCC office completes the steps necessary for a decision to be made on your application.
• You may be asked to come to the IRCC office for a review of the original documents you submitted in support of your application, as well as your current passport and travel document. If applicable, you will be evaluated on your knowledge of English or French and on your knowledge of Canada’s history, geography, government, and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

Correspondence you may receive:

• Notification to appear to take a citizenship test; and/or
• Notification to appear for an interview with a citizenship official; and/or
• Notification to appear for a hearing with a citizenship official.

Take the oath

If you meet all the requirements for citizenship, the IRCC office notifies you of the time and place of your citizenship ceremony.

What you receive:

• Notification to appear to take the oath of citizenship
• Certificate of Canadian citizenship received at the ceremony after taking the oath of citizenship

If you are unable to understand the significance of taking the oath of citizenship due to mental disability, you can request a waiver. To request an oath waiver, please provide a Medical Opinion Form for Citizenship Waivers (CIT 0547) (opens in new tab) , filled out by a medical professional licensed to practice in Canada. You should also provide any additional documentation that we should consider with your waiver request.

• Requesting a waiver does not guarantee it will be approved. Waiver requests are assessed on a case-by-case basis.

If you do not notify us of any change in your contact information, and we can’t reach you, your application could be abandoned or closed.

Remember, Canada Post’s Mail Forwarding Service does not forward parcels and a citizenship application package is considered a parcel.

Checking application status

You can check the status of your application online. Your status will only appear online once we receive and have accepted your application into processing.

Find out how to remove your application status information from the Internet.

Protecting your information

Your personal information:

• is only available to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) employees who need to see it in order to provide the services to you,
• may be shared, with your consent, with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) for the purposes of validating your tax filing information; and
• is not disclosed to anyone else except as permitted under the provisions of the Privacy Act and the Citizenship Regulations.

Note: The legal authority for IRCC to collect income tax information including filing history and the Social Insurance Number (SIN) is provided for in subsection 5(1) of the Citizenship Act, section 26.6 of the Citizenship Regulations and paragraph 2(1)(d) of the Citizenship Regulations No.2. The CRA’s legal authority to disclose income tax information including filing history upon applicant consent is provided for in paragraph 241(5)(b) of the Income Tax Act. Income tax information including filing history provided by the CRA to IRCC may be used to verify a citizenship applicant’s income tax information including filing history for the purpose of assessing their citizenship application against the tax filing requirement of subsection 5(1)(c) of the Citizenship Act. IRCC may, on occasion, send information pertaining to a citizenship application to the CRA in respect of any relevant information related to any discrepancies between the information obtained from the applicant and that provided by the CRA if there are reasonable grounds to believe that the discrepancy is a result of false representation, fraud or concealment of material circumstances made in the course of an application, as well as any personal information, including the SIN, of an applicant that the CRA is authorized to collect for the purpose of the administration of the Income Tax Act. IRCC will not use this information for any other purpose or share it with any other third party.

For more information. You can obtain additional information on the protection of your data by visiting the Help Centre.

Quality Assurance Program

Our quality assurance program randomly chooses applications for a special review. If chosen, you may be asked to provide other information and we will ask you to attend an interview with an IRCC official to:

• verify that the documentation and any other information you submitted is accurate,
• verify that your application has been completed properly, and
• verify that you meet the requirements for citizenship.

Appendix A – Name Change

If you have changed your name, consult the information below to determine the documents that are to be included with your application.

If you have legally changed your name within Canada

Then you must submit a copy of the change of name document issued by a Canadian province or territory, or by the appropriate foreign-state authority. The document must show both your previous and amended names.

The following documents are accepted:

• Legal change of name document
• Court order specifying name change
• Adoption order

The following documents are accepted for changes to family name only:

• Marriage certificate
• Divorce decree
• Registration or declaration of union issued by civil authorities
• Revocation of declaration or annulment of union issued by civil authorities
• Registration for common-law relationship, in provinces that permit changes of name for common-law relationships under their provincial/territorial law

If you have legally changed your name outside Canada and are residing in Canada

Then you must provide a copy of the following documents:

• A foreign passport or other national authoritative documentation amended to reflect the new name;
• A foreign name change document that links your previous name to your new name, such as a foreign marriage certificate (with an official translation); and
• A document in the new name from Canadian provinces or territories (ex. driver's licence, health card, age of majority card, senior citizen’s identification card, or social service card)

If you have legally changed your name outside Canada and are residing outside Canada

Then you must provide a copy of the following documents:

• a foreign passport or other national authoritative documentation amended to reflect the new name;
• a foreign name change document that links your previous name to your new name, such as a foreign marriage certificate (with an official translation) or other foreign legal change of name document issued by foreign authorities; and
• an authoritative national or state/province (or equivalent) issued photo identification document issued in the country or state/province in which you reside that displays the new name, such as:
  • a foreign passport or other travel documents, if you are a dual citizen;
  • a state/provincial (or equivalent) identification card.

If you have applied and obtained an amendment to your Record of Landing, or Confirmation of Permanent Residence due to errors made by Canadian immigration officials when recording your name, then you must submit a copy of the amendment or a letter confirming the change of name.

Important information: Once processing of your application has begun a name change can only be made due to an administrative error made by the Department, or a legal change of name.

Important information: You cannot request a change of an adopted person’s name after Part 2 of the application has been submitted.

If satisfactory documentation is not provided with the application to support the request for a change of name, the name that appears on the citizenship certificate will be the name listed on the adoption order.

Appendix B – Date of Birth Correction

The date of birth on your citizenship certificate will be the same as the one shown on your immigration document unless you:

• have corrected your date of birth on your immigration document or
• have legally changed it after arriving in Canada or
• are requesting a different date of birth for your citizenship certificate and you can provide supporting documents.

If your date of birth has been corrected on your immigration document, then you must provide a copy of:

• an approved Request to Amend Immigration Record of Landing (IMM 1000) or Confirmation of Permanent Residence (IMM 5292 or IMM 5688), and
• your new corrected Permanent Resident Card (if you have one).

If you have legally changed your date of birth by a provincial/territorial court order, then you must provide a copy of:

• provincial/territorial court order changing your date of birth and
• completed questionnaire Request to Correct a Date of Birth for a Permanent Resident Document or Citizenship Certificate [IRM 0003] (PDF, 2.4 MB)

If you did not change your date of birth by a provincial/territorial court order and your date of birth has not been corrected on your immigration document, then you must provide a copy of:

• a refused Request to Amend the Immigration Record of Landing (IMM 1000) or Confirmation of Permanent Residence (IMM 5292 or IMM 5688) and
• completed questionnaire Request to Correct a Date of Birth for a Permanent Resident Document or Citizenship Certificate [IRM 0003] (PDF, 2.4 MB), and
• documents to support your new date of birth.

Important information: You cannot request a change in your date of birth after your application has been submitted. If satisfactory documentation is not provided with the application to support the date of birth requested, the citizenship certificate will reflect the date of birth indicated on your immigration document.

Important information: If you do not have a provincial/territorial court order changing your date of birth, you must first request an amendment to your immigration document before requesting a different date of birth on your citizenship certificate.

For more information. For information on amending your immigration document refer to the guide Request to Amend Record of Landing, Confirmation of Permanent Residence or Valid Temporary Resident Documents (IMM 5218)

Appendix C – Change of Gender Designation

If you need to change the gender on your citizenship certificate or would like to use a different gender than the one on your immigration document, complete and submit the Request form for a Change of Sex or Gender Identifier (IRM 0002) (opens in new tab)  with your application.

Appendix D – Waiver Request(s) and/or Guardianship Documents

If you need to request a waiver of the knowledge and/or language requirements due to compassionate grounds, please submit the Waiver Request Form (CIT 0116) (opens in new tab)  filled out to provide us with an explanation of the details of your request.

If you are requesting a waiver of the knowledge and/or language requirements due to a medical condition, we recommend you provide the Medical Opinion Form for Citizenship Waivers (CIT 0547) (opens in new tab) , filled out by a medical professional (physician, psychologist, or nurse practitioner) licensed to practice in Canada.

If you are requesting a waiver of taking the oath of citizenship, please submit the Medical Opinion Form for Citizenship Waivers (CIT 0547) (opens in new tab) . Waivers of the oath of citizenship only occur if you are unable to understand the significance of taking the oath of citizenship due to mental disability.

If you have a legal guardian who we should be corresponding with, please provide documents showing guardianship. Documents could include a power of attorney document, judicial court order, an affidavit, or other documentation proving guardianship.

Affidavits should:

• be written by the guardian in the person's own style;
• indicate that they are qualified to act on the applicant's behalf;
• be in simple, understandable English or French;
• contain specific information outlined below; and
• include signed statements/letters, outlining the facts, of other family members/interested parties, if available.

The information required in an affidavit to act on behalf of a citizenship applicant should include:

1. Application ID number (if known)
2. (Name of guardian) of the city of (name of city) in the province of (name of province) affirm that:
3. Using the first person, the guardian should state what his/her relationship is to the applicant (applicant's name) born on (applicant's date of birth) in (applicant's place of birth), whose application for citizenship is being/was made on (date of application).
4. The guardian should state why they are acting on behalf of the applicant (include applicant’s name). The guardian should include any important facts, including the nature of the relationship with the client and any legal authority presently held showing that the guardian can represent the client.
5. The guardian should state whether they are acting in the best interest of the client. The guardian should include any known personal knowledge of the client's needs and wishes.
6. The guardian should state whether any medical information about the applicant was provided to IRCC.
7. The guardian signs the affidavit.
8. The affidavit is attested by an authorized person.