Proof of citizenship

Issue

Media reports suggest that there are thousands of Canadians born abroad who have “lost” their citizenship. Many of these are children born to Canadians serving in the military overseas. Because they do not have proof of their citizenship, they are reported as not being Canadian citizens or as having lost their citizenship.

Fact

In the vast majority of cases, these Canadians have not “lost” their citizenship. They have lost their proof of citizenship. They need to apply to replace it, much like anyone who loses a birth certificate must apply to replace it. This may seem a frustrating step for someone who needs that proof to apply for a passport, for example. However, in this era of heightened security concerns, it is important that we take steps to verify identity and check for potential fraudulent applications.

Complicating this issue is the question of which documents are valid or required. Three documents in particular come into play: the Registration of Birth Abroad (RBA), the current Citizenship Certificate and the Certificate of Birth issued by the Department of National Defence.

Between 1947 and 1977, when Canadians had a child abroad, the birth had to be registered with citizenship officials and the RBA was issued (the requirement to register the birth of a first-generation Canadian born abroad ended with the new laws introduced in 1977). The military in particular were quite thorough in ensuring that RBAs were issued and the exceptions where documents were not issued are rare.

An RBA is proof of citizenship and can be used today, for example, to apply for a passport. If an individual has lost this document, or if it is in poor condition, they can apply to Citizenship and Immigration Canada to replace it with the current Citizenship Certificate.

Sometimes, individuals don’t know if they’ve ever had an RBA. The document would have been issued to their parents and they may not know where it is. When they go to apply for a passport, for example, they find they do not have proof of citizenship. In the vast majority of these cases, the individuals were indeed issued an RBA, and it is a matter of applying to replace the document and receiving a current Citizenship Certificate.

There is also some confusion about the fact that many children born to military personnel abroad were also issued a Certificate of Birth by the Department of National Defence. This document is not, and has never been, proof of citizenship.

Read more about citizenship.