Citizenship and naturalization records

A person born in another country may apply to become a Canadian citizen, a process called naturalization. The Canadian Citizenship Act came into force on January 1, 1947. Before this point, Canadians were considered British subjects.

Most citizenship and naturalization records from 1854 to the present are held at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Find out how to apply for a search of their citizenship records.

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Gather information such as:

Places to look

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) holds these records relating to citizenship. They are indexed and digitized in these databases:

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There may not be a citizenship record for a person because:

Provisions changed over time. If you need more specific details of factors that may have affected your ancestor’s status, refer to the relevant Act.

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2025-07-30