Guide CIT 0003 - Application for Canadian Citizenship - Minors (under 18 years of age)

Possible loss of other citizenship

The minor could lose their present nationality or citizenship if they become a Canadian citizen. If you have any questions about this, please contact the embassy, high commission or consulate of the country or territory of the minor’s present nationality before applying for Canadian citizenship.

Step 2 - Gather the minor’s documents

Submit the following documents with your application:

1. Photocopies of the minor’s biographical page of all valid and expired Passport(s)/Travel documents for the five (5) years immediately before the date of application, or since the minor became a permanent resident if that date is more recent than five (5) years. 

   The biographical page means the page where it has the minor’s name, photo, passport/travel document number, issue date and expiration date.

   If the minor was included in the passport(s) of one of the parents, provide copies of that (these) passport(s).

   Provide photocopies of any renewal pages of the passport(s)/travel document(s).

   Note: If any of these documents are no longer in your possession, provide an explanation in the space provided in question 8C on the application form.

   Note: If there are any gaps in time between the validity periods of the minor’s passports or travel documents during the past five (5) years, or since the minor became a permanent resident if the minor became a permanent resident within the past five years, provide an explanation in the space provided in question 8D.

2. Photocopy of two (2) pieces of personal identification.
   Both pieces of identification should show the minor’s name and date of birth, one of which must have a photo on it.
   Examples include:
   • 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
   • school record;
   • health insurance card;
   • a passport page containing their photo and personal details;
   • a hospital or immunization record, may be provided.
   • Note: If there is information on both sides of the identification document, photocopy both sides.
3. Photocopy of birth certificate or adoption order.
   The document must show:
   • the minor’s name;
   • date of birth;
   • place of birth;
   • the names of the parents or adoptive parents.

4. For an adopted minor living in Quebec, you must submit one of the following documents:

   • jugement d’adoption ;
   • jugement sur requête en adoption ;
   • reconnaissance de jugement d’adoption ;
   • certificat d’inscription d’adoption ;
   • attestation d’adoption ;
   • lettre d’attestation d’adoption.
5. One (1) photocopy of proof of the parent’s Canadian citizenship (if applicable)
   Examples include:
   • provincial/territorial birth certificate;
   • certificate of Canadian citizenship;
   • certificate of naturalization;
   • certificate of Registration of Birth Abroad;
   • certificate of retention issued between January 1, 1947 and February 14, 1977.
6. Photocopy of Proof of guardianship (if applicable)
   A legal guardian applying on behalf of the minor must provide legal documentation proving guardianship.
7. Citizenship photos – Two (2) identical citizenship photographs
8. Fee Receipt - The application fee of $100.00 per minor paid online.
9. Document Checklist [CIT 0008] (PDF, 1.82 MB)

Question 5A

Write the minor’s date of birth exactly as it appears on the minor’s most recent Canadian immigration document.

• If the minor’s entire date of birth is unknown, please use ‘**’ (two star signs or asterisks) to fill in the spaces for the month or day, where applicable.
• Do you need to correct the minor’s date of birth? If the minor’s date of birth is incorrect on previous immigration documents, see Appendix B - Date of birth correction section in this guide.

Question 5B

Write the minor’s place of birth, including the city or town and country or territory.

Note: If the city, town, country or territory of birth is indicated on their passport or travel document, please record it as it appears on the document.

Question 5C

Tell us if the minor has had immigration, permanent resident status and/or citizenship in any other country or territory outside of Canada, including their country of birth.

• Check either “Yes” or “No”.
• If you check yes, complete the chart.
• Tell us which countries or territories the minor has held status in, and exactly what status they held or currently hold (student, refugee/protected person, permanent resident, citizen, employment/worker).
• Provide the date (YYYY-MM-DD) that the minor obtained each status.
• If the minor’s status is no longer valid, provide the date (YYYY-MM-DD) their status ended. If the minor still holds this status, leave the “End date” section blank.

Question 5D

• Choose the minor’s gender (F-Female, M-Male or X-Another gender).

  Note: If the gender identifier chosen is F or M, it must match the sex that appears on the passport or travel document you provide with the minor’s application. If the gender identifier chosen is X, it should match an equivalent non-binary option

  If the minor legally changed their gender designation you must submit additional documents. See Appendix C - Request for a change of sex or gender identifier.

• Indicate the minor’s height (how tall they are), either in centimetres or feet and inches
• Indicate the minor’s natural eye colour.
• Choose the minor’s current marital status:
  • Annulled Marriage - This is a marriage that is legally declared invalid. An annulment can also be a declaration by the Catholic Church that the marital union did not have a binding force.
  • Common-Law - This means that you have lived continuously with your partner in a marital-type relationship for a minimum of one year.
  • Divorced - This means that you are officially separated and have legally ended your marriage.
  • Separated - This means that you are married, but are no longer living with your spouse.
  • Married - This means that you and your spouse have had a ceremony that legally binds you to each other. Your marriage must be legally recognized in the country where it was performed and in Canada.
  • Single - This means that you have never been married and are not in a common-law relationship.
  • Widowed - This means that your spouse has died and that you have not re-married or entered into a common-law relationship.

Question 6

Home address in Canada

Enter the minor’s current home address (where the minor lives).

Note: All correspondence will go to this address unless you give us your e-mail address.

• Apartment (Apt.) or Unit, if it applies
• Street Number (No.)
• Street Name. Do not abbreviate words (Street, Avenue, Boulevard, Drive etc.) except for directions (NW, SE, W, etc.)
• City or Town
• Country or Territory
• Province or State
• Postal Code
• District, if it applies.

Note: Canada Post’s Mail Forwarding Service does not forward parcels and a citizenship application package is considered a parcel. If IRCC needs to return your application package to you because it is incomplete, the package will be returned to IRCC instead of being forwarded to the address you have indicated with Canada Post. If your application package is returned to IRCC by Canada Post, it will not be processed.

Mailing address

Indicate if the minor’s current home address is the same as your mailing address. If you select “No”, enter the following:

• Apartment (Apt.) or Unit, if it applies
• Street Number (No.)
• Street Name. Do not abbreviate words (Street, Avenue, Boulevard, Drive etc.) except for directions (NW, SE, W, etc.)
• City or Town
• Country or Territory
• Province or State
• Postal Code
• District, if it applies.

Note: If you wish to authorize the release of information from your application to a representative, indicate their e-mail and mailing address on the IMM5476 form.

Phone number(s)

Check the correct box to tell us if your other telephone number is from Canada, the United States or Other (any other country).

Choose the type of telephone:

• Residence (home)
• Cellular (cell or mobile)
• Business (work)

Enter your telephone number including the country code, area or regional codes, etc.

If you have an extension number, write it after your phone number under “Ext.”

Note: Providing an alternative phone number is optional.

Email Address

If you have one, type your e-mail address using a format similar to the following: name@provider.net, in both spaces.

Note: Make sure you check your email regularly. Any emails sent to you by IRCC will end in:

• “@cic.gc.ca”,
• “@canada.ca” or
• “@international.gc.ca”.

Please add these to your “safe senders” list in your email program and check the junk mail folder in case important emails get filtered. If we find that your email address does not work or no longer exists, we will communicate with you by mail.

By giving us your e-mail address, you are hereby authorizing us to send your correspondence, including file and personal information electronically to this address.

Question 7

For each parent enter the following information. If only one parent is known, select “Unknown” for parent 2 and leave the section blank.

Question 7A

Indicate if the minor's parent is the biological or adoptive parent. A biological parent means the minor has a genetic or gestational connection to that parent. An adoptive parent means you legally adopted the minor

Question 7B

Enter the family name (surname/last name) and given name(s) of the minor’s parent. Include any other names used.

Question 7C

Enter the country or territory and date of birth of the minor’s parent.

Question 7D

Select “Yes” or “No” to indicate if the minor's grandparent(s) was a Canadian citizen at the time of the parent's birth.

Question 7E

Indicate whether the parent will be submitting an application with the minor’s application.

Question 7F

Indicate the parent’s Canadian Birth Certificate Registration number OR Canadian Citizenship Certificate number and the date it was issued, if applicable.

Question 7G

Indicate whether the minor's parent left Canada for more than one (1) year before 1977. If “Yes”, provide the dates the minor's parent was away and indicate the country they were staying in.

Question 7H

Indicate whether the parent was employed outside Canada as a Crown servant (in or with the Canadian Armed Forces, the federal public administration or the public service of a province or territory other than as a locally engaged person) at the time of the minor's birth or adoption.

Question 7I

Indicate whether either of the minor's grandparents was employed outside Canada as a Crown servant (in or with the Canadian Armed Forces, the federal public administration or the public service of a province or territory other than as a locally engaged person) at the time of the parent’s birth or adoption.

To complete the form:

Once the application is completed, click on the “Validate” button located at the top or bottom of the form. This will generate a barcode page – see image below. If this application form is completed on a computer and printed, you must place the barcode page on the top of your application (or if applying as a group, each individual application package).

• If a barcode does not appear, find out why and how to fix the issue.

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.

Explanation of fees and refund

This section describes the fees that are required and if they are refundable. All payment must be made in Canadian funds.

Processing Fee

Amount: $100 for each minor (under 18 years of age) applicant.

You cannot get a refund once processing of the minor’s application has begun, even if you withdraw the application, abandon the application or if the minor’s application is refused.

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 (CPC) in Sydney makes sure the application:

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

You will receive:

• acknowledgement of receipt;
• correspondence asking for more information (in some cases).

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 your application is returned, we’ll 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
  • fill out a new application form
    • if so, use the newest version of the form: Application for Canadian Citizenship – Minors (under 18 years of age) [CIT 0003] (PDF, 3.53 MB)
    • 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 used for the first form when you resubmit the application
  • resubmit any documents

Be sure to check the Document Checklist [CIT 0008] (PDF, 1.82 MB). Once you get the information we ask for in the letter, resubmit your complete application.

Decision

• The IRCC office completes the steps necessary for a citizenship officer or a citizenship judge to make a decision on the application.
• The applicant and person applying on their behalf may be asked to come to the IRCC office for an interview to:
  • review the original documents submitted in support of the application,
  • all passports and travel documents for the five (5) year eligibility period or since the minor became a permanent resident.

Correspondence you may receive:

• Notice to appear to take the oath of citizenship;
• Certificate of Canadian Citizenship received at the ceremony after taking the oath of citizenship;
• Notice of a negative decision of the minor’s request to waive the requirement that the application be made by a person with custody/empowered to act on behalf of the minor;
• Notice to appear for an interview with a citizenship official; and/or,
• Notice to appear for a hearing with a citizenship officer or a citizenship judge.

Take the oath

If, up until this point, the minor meets all the requirements for citizenship, the final requirement is to take the oath of citizenship to become a Canadian citizen!

Minors aged 14 or over will receive a Notice to Appear with the location and time to attend a citizenship ceremony and take the oath of citizenship before a citizenship judge or presiding official. Once the oath is taken, you will receive the minor’s certificate of Canadian citizenship.

Minors under 14 years of age are not required to take the oath of citizenship at a ceremony. However minors are welcome to attend a citizenship ceremony. If you would like them to attend a ceremony, please check “Yes” box in Question 11 on the application form.

If an application for a minor under 14 years of age is not submitted at the same time as a parent (non-concurrently), the certificate of Canadian citizenship is mailed to the parent/guardian.

To avoid delays or closure of the minor’s application, tell us as soon as possible if you/ the minor can’t attend the scheduled ceremony.

Remember to tell us if any of the situations that prevent a person from becoming a citizen apply to the minor when arriving at the ceremony.

If a minor aged 14 and over is unable to understand the significance of taking the oath of citizenship due to mental disability, a waiver can be requested. To request an oath waiver, please provide a Medical Opinion Form for Citizenship Waivers [CIT 0547] (PDF, 2.59 MB), 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.

Protecting your information

Your personal information is:

• available to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) employees who need to see it to provide the services to you, and
• not disclosed to other organizations except as permitted under the provisions of the Privacy Act or 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 subsections 5(1.2) of the Citizenship Act, subsection 26.6 of the Citizenship Regulations and paragraph 2(2)(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(1.2) 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 about the protection of your data, visit the Frequently Asked Questions/Help Centre.