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Documents that prove your Canadian citizenship

You can only use certain documents to prove your Canadian citizenship.

 We accept

 We don't accept

Proofs of citizenship we accept

Floods in British Columbia

If you’re directly affected by the floods, you may be able to get

  • free replacement of documents that are lost, damaged, destroyed or inaccessible due to the floods
  • urgent processing and a refund for an application you’ve submitted because of the floods

Find out how to apply

 Citizenship certificates

A citizenship certificate is an 8½ x 11-inch paper document that proves your Canadian citizenship. It has:

  • the certificate number
  • your family name and given name(s)
  • your date of birth
  • your gender (male, female, or another gender)
  • the effective date of citizenship

How to get a citizenship certificate

Example of a citizenship certificate

Example of the new citizenship certificate (front, back)

 Older citizenship certificates

We gave out different citizenship certificates in the past. These older certificates are still valid as proof of Canadian citizenship.

Examples of older citizenship certificates

Example of a special citizenship certificate to commemorate Canada’s 150th anniversary (front, back)
Example of an older certificate (front, back)
Example of an older certificate (front, back)

 Citizenship cards

We stopped giving citizenship cards and the commemorative certificates that came with them in February 2012. 

  • The cards are still valid as proof of Canadian citizenship.
  • The date on your citizenship card is not the date you became a Canadian citizen (it’s the date we produced the card).
  • To update or replace your citizenship card, apply for a citizenship certificate.

Example of a citizenship card

Example of an older citizenship card

stop Do not re-laminate your citizenship card

A re-laminated card is not valid as proof of citizenship because it:

  • blurs the security features of the original laminate
  • makes it difficult to detect a fake card

 Other documents we accept

  • birth certificates from a Canadian province or territory (there are exceptions)
  • naturalization certificates issued before January 1, 1947
  • registration of birth abroad certificates issued between January 1, 1947 and February 14, 1977
  • certificates of retention issued between January 1, 1947 and February 14, 1977

Documents we don’t accept

 Citizenship record letter

If you apply for a search of citizenship records, the record letter you receive is not a valid proof of Canadian citizenship.

 Commemorative certificates

The commemorative certificate that came with your citizenship card is not a valid proof of Canadian citizenship (even though it has the date you became a Canadian citizen).

 Exceptions for birth certificates

Your Canadian birth certificate doesn’t prove your citizenship if when you were born:

We also don’t accept DND 419 birth certificates as proof of citizenship.

If you can’t use your birth certificate as proof of citizenship, apply for a Canadian citizenship certificate.

Working for a foreign government/international organization

Your parent worked for a foreign government/international organization if they were 1 of the following:

  • a diplomat or a consular officer of a foreign government (or an employee of these persons)
  • an employee or a representative of a foreign government (or an employee of these persons)
  • an officer or an employee of an agency of the United Nations
  • an officer or an employee of any other international organization with diplomatic privileges and immunities

DND 419 birth certificates

They were issued by the Department of National Defence to children born outside Canada to Canadian Forces personnel before November 1979.

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