Canadian Citizenship

For all matters relating to Canadian citizenship, consult Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

If you are in Canada, contact a Citizenship and Immigration Call Centre.

If you are outside Canada, contact the nearest Canadian government office abroad for the country or region in which you are located.

If you were born after February 14, 1977 outside Canada to a Canadian parent who was also born outside Canada to a Canadian parent you may need to take steps to keep (retain) your citizenship. You need to take these steps before you turn 28 years old. If you do not take these steps you could lose your Canadian citizenship. This is true even if you are living in Canada. Further information is available on the Citizenship and Immigration Canada Web site.

If you were born abroad, please visit our Birth Registration and Dual Nationality sections for further details.

Transport companies, such as air, rail, and bus services, are required to ensure that all passengers travelling to Canada can produce valid, universally accepted travel documents. This includes Canadian citizens returning to Canada from abroad. Transport companies, especially international airlines, may be fined if they carry improperly documented travellers and are often liable to return those passengers to their point of origin.

A Certificate of Canadian Citizenship (CCC) is not a travel document and airlines are known not to accept it as such. Airlines are known to refuse boarding to dual national Canadian passengers returning to Canada, travelling on a passport that requires a visa to enter Canada, regardless of whether the passenger presents a valid CCC as proof of Canadian citizenship.