Citizenship and naturalization records

In the early 1800s, many people were coming from the United States to settle in Upper Canada, now Ontario. Concerns were raised by authorities about their loyalty to the British monarchy, since most of these new settlers grew up under a republican government. To address this problem, The Act to Secure and Confer upon Certain Inhabitants of this Province the Civil and Political Rights of Natural Born British Subjects was passed in 1828. Under this act, alien men who had been living in Upper Canada for seven years, were expected to take an oath of allegiance before the County Registrar and thus become British subjects.

After the union of Lower and Upper Canada, a second Naturalization Act was passed in 1841. A third act was passed in 1845, which reduced the required period of residence from seven years to five years.

Library and Archives Canada holds 188 registers (RG 5 B47) that includes the names of 2,967 individuals naturalized between 1828 and 1850.

The registers are available on microfilm reels C-15692 and C-15693. Most of the registers consist of several pages, usually including an introduction or explanatory text and the schedule of names.

These files were created by the Montréal Circuit Court office about people who applied for citizenship. Some files are for people who were born in Canada or Great Britain and became American citizens. 

There are 8437 files in RG6 F3, volumes 876 to 958. 

The files usually provide these details: 

• name, age and place of birth
• occupation
• former and present place of residence
• number of years residing in Canada

Most of the files include these documents: 

• petition to be naturalized as a British subject
• oath of residence and oath of allegiance
• certificate confirming the oaths were taken

The names of people who were naturalized between 1915 and 1951 are found in the lists published by the Canada Gazette and in the annual reports of the Secretary of State. This was required starting with Naturalization Act of 1914 and was carried on by later acts.

The lists are digitized and indexed by name in this database. However, the collection does not include copies of the actual naturalization files, instead it provides names and certificate numbers, which can be used to order copies of the actual documents held at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). See IRCC's website for more details on how to obtain copies of the records.

The records were published in different sources across time.

1915 to 1920

Certificates issued from 1915 to 1920 were published together in one report: Report of the Secretary of State of Canada for the year ending March 31, 1920.

The lists are arranged by serial type and serial number. They also include the names of some people who received a certificate after 1914 but who had taken the oath of allegiance years before.

1921 to 1951

From 1921 to March 1932, the lists were published yearly in the Secretary of State’s annual reports.

From April 1932 to April 1951, they were published monthly in the Canada Gazette.

The certificates were listed alphabetically by surname. In some years, there were also supplementary lists added at the end of the main list.

Information about the certificate series

Certificates were issued based on the category of naturalization. Each certificate included a number and a letter, which indicated the series. “French” written after the certificate number meant that it was issued in French rather than English.

Series A to K

• Series A: Certificates granted to adult aliens
• Series B: Certificates granted to aliens with minor children included (a minor child was under the age of 18)
• Series C: Certificates granted to minors
• Series D: Certificates granted to persons whose nationality as British subjects was in doubt
• Series E: Certificates granted to persons naturalized under earlier local legislation
• Series F: Repatriation; certificates granted to persons readmitted to British subject status (no children included)
• Series G: Repatriation; certificates granted to persons readmitted to British subject status (children included)
• Series H: Certificates granted to married women whose husbands were naturalized
• Series I: Certificates of retention granted to married women whose husbands had ceased to be British subjects
• Series J: Certificates granted to married British-born women whose husbands were enemy aliens (subjects of a country at war with His Majesty)
• Series K: Certificate granted to persons who had ceased to be British subjects during their minority (under the age of 18) because their fathers had ceased to be British subjects

See Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for more details about these Types of citizenship certificates, particularly how they related to wives and children.