Canadian Citizenship-by-Descent: Am I a Canadian Citizen?

Canada changed its citizenship-by-descent rules on December 15, 2025. The changes to the Citizenship Act extended Canadian citizenship to many people born outside Canada who were previously excluded because their Canadian connection was more than one generation back.

Use our free Canadian citizenship-by-descent tool below to check whether you may already be a Canadian citizen.

Are You a Canadian Citizen?

Answer a few questions about where you were born and your family’s connection to Canada. Our Canadian Citizenship-by-Descent calculator will give you an assessment of whether you may be a Canadian citizen under Canada’s current citizenship rules.

You may need to know:

• Whether you were born in or outside Canada
• Whether you were adopted outside Canada
• Who your closest Canadian ancestor is
• How your Canadian parent became a citizen, in some cases
• Whether your Canadian parent lived in Canada before your birth, in some cases

Disclaimer: This tool provides a general assessment based on the information you enter. A result indicating that you are likely a Canadian citizen does not confirm your citizenship. You must apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for proof of citizenship to receive an official determination.

How Does Canadian Citizenship-by-Descent Work?

Canadian citizenship by descent, also referred to as Canada birthright citizenship, generally refers to citizenship passed from a Canadian parent, grandparent, or older Canadian ancestor to a child born outside Canada.

Canada’s Citizenship Act was broadened significantly on December 15, 2025, when Bill C-3 came into effect. Prior to that, Canadian citizenship by descent was limited to the first-generation born abroad.

For people born outside Canada before December 15, 2025, the new law removed the previous first-generation limit for Canada birthright citizenship. This means you may now be a Canadian citizen even if your closest Canadian-born or naturalized ancestor was your grandparent, great-grandparent, or someone further back in your direct family line.

For people born outside Canada on or after December 15, 2025, different rules apply when their Canadian parent was also born or adopted outside Canada. In these cases, the Canadian parent generally needs to have spent at least 1,095 days in Canada before the child’s birth to pass citizenship to them (substantial connection requirement).

Are You a Canadian Citizen If Your Parent Is Canadian?

You may be.

If you were born outside Canada and at least one of your parents was a Canadian citizen when you were born, you may have acquired Canadian citizenship automatically.

If your parent was born in Canada or became a naturalized Canadian citizen before you were born, your situation may be relatively straightforward.

However, if your Canadian parent was also born outside Canada, your eligibility will depend on when you were born and, possibly, the amount of time your Canadian parent has spent in Canada before your birth.

If you were born before December 15, 2025, the citizenship law changes may mean you are now a citizen.

If you were born on or after December 15, 2025, your parent’s time spent physically in Canada may determine whether they can pass citizenship to you. Cumulatively, they must have spent at least 1,095 days in Canada before you were born.

One important exception is if your parent became a Canadian citizen after you were born. In that case, you may not automatically become a Canadian citizen. However, if you were born abroad, they may be eligible to sponsor you for permanent residence.

Can You Get Citizenship Through a Canadian Grandparent or Great-Grandparent?

In some cases, yes.

Before the December 2025 changes, Canada’s first-generation limit prevented citizenship from automatically passing to many second-generation or later descendants born outside Canada.

Bill C-3 changed that for people born before December 15, 2025.

As a result, you could now be a Canadian citizen if your Canadian connection comes through a grandparent, great-grandparent, or an even earlier generation. However, you need to establish a direct family line between yourself and the Canadian ancestor.

For example, if your great-grandmother was Canadian, you may need official records establishing the relationship from your Canadian great-grandmother to your grandparent, from your grandparent to your parent, and from your parent to you.

The further back your Canadian connection goes, the more documentation you may need.

You can read our complete guide to Canadian citizenship by descent for more information about the new rules and documenting your Canadian ancestry.

How Do I Know for Sure If I Am a Canadian Citizen?

Our citizenship-by-descent tool can help you understand whether you are likely to be a Canadian citizen, but it cannot officially determine your citizenship.

To find out for sure, you should apply to IRCC for a Canadian citizenship certificate, also known as proof of citizenship. You will need official documentation to prove your lineage.

A citizenship certificate is different from an application to become a Canadian citizen (also called grant of citizenship).

If you acquired citizenship automatically through your family, you are not asking Canada to grant you citizenship. Instead, you are asking IRCC to confirm that you are already a citizen and issue a citizenship certificate proving your status.

Your citizenship certificate is not a passport or travel document.

How Do I Submit a Canadian Citizenship by Descent Application?

A Canadian citizenship by descent application is the same as a proof of citizenship application. It is meant for applicants who are already (or who may be) Canadian citizens.

If you’re eligible, you can submit a citizenship by descent application online through the IRCC portal or as a paper application. You will need to pay a processing fee of $75 along with the application.

What Documents Do I Need for My Canadian Citizenship-by-Descent Application?

If you are claiming citizenship through a Canadian ancestor, IRCC generally requires official documents establishing both your ancestor’s Canadian citizenship and each parent-child relationship connecting you to that person.

This could include documents such as:

• Provincial or territorial Canadian birth certificates
• Birth certificates from other countries showing parent-child relationships (for each generation)
• Canadian citizenship or naturalization certificates
• Certificates of registration of births abroad
• Certificates of retention of Canadian certificates
• British naturalization certificates issued in Canada or Newfoundland and Labrador
• Other official historical records accepted by IRCC

For example, if you are claiming citizenship through your Canadian grandmother, you could need your grandmother’s Canadian birth certificate, your parent’s birth certificate showing your grandmother as their parent, and your own birth certificate showing your relationship to your parent.

IRCC says the records supporting each generation should be authentic, reliable, verifiable, and issued by the authority responsible for the original record.

If an official birth record is unavailable, IRCC may consider certain other records. You should explain why you cannot provide the usual document and provide evidence showing that you tried to obtain it.

What If I Was Adopted Outside Canada by a Canadian Citizen?

Being adopted outside Canada by a Canadian citizen does not automatically make you a Canadian citizen.

Instead, adopted people generally have a separate citizenship application process. Eligibility for a direct grant of citizenship depends on factors including when the adoption took place, the Canadian parent’s citizenship, the adopted person’s age, and how the parent obtained their citizenship.

For adoptions on or after December 15, 2025, a Canadian parent who was also born or adopted outside Canada may need to show that they spent at least 1,095 days in Canada before the adoption.

What Should I Do If the Tool Says I Am Likely a Canadian Citizen?

If our assessment says you are likely a Canadian citizen, your next step is to gather the documents needed to prove your citizenship.

Start by identifying the Canadian citizen in your direct family line and obtaining official documents showing their Canadian citizenship. You will also need records establishing each family relationship between that person and you.

Once you have the necessary documents, you can apply to IRCC for a citizenship certificate.

The Canadian government will review your application and determine whether you are a Canadian citizen. If your application is approved, you will receive a Canadian citizenship certificate that you can use as official proof of your Canadian citizenship status.

Canadian Citizenship-by-Descent FAQs

What is the Difference Between a Grant of Citizenship and Proof of Citizenship?

A grant of citizenship is for someone who is not already a Canadian citizen and is applying to become one. This is commonly known as naturalization. Most applicants must first become permanent residents and meet requirements related to physical presence in Canada, taxes, language skills, and the citizenship test, where applicable. Usually, children adopted abroad by Canadians must also apply for a grant of citizenship.

Proof of citizenship is for someone who is already a Canadian citizen and needs official documentation confirming their status. For example, you may apply for proof of citizenship if you were born outside Canada to a Canadian parent or acquired citizenship through a Canadian parent or ancestor under Canada’s citizenship-by-descent rules.

How Can You Acquire Canadian Citizenship?

There are typically three different ways to acquire Canadian citizenship:

• By being born in Canada: You may be a Canadian citizen if you were born in Canada, although there are limited exceptions. For example, children born in Canada to certain foreign diplomats generally do not automatically acquire Canadian citizenship.
• By descent: If you were born abroad, you may acquire Canadian citizenship through a Canadian parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, or earlier ancestor. Whether citizenship passes to you depends on several factors in the descent framework including when you were born and how citizenship passed through your family.
• By naturalization: This generally involves first becoming a Canadian permanent resident and then applying for a grant of citizenship once you meet the applicable requirements.

Does Having a Canadian Parent Automatically Make Me a Canadian Citizen?

Not always, but you may already be Canadian if your parent was a Canadian citizen when you were born and you were born before December 15, 2025.

Your date of birth, where you and your parent were born, and how your parent obtained Canadian citizenship can affect the answer. For people born on or after December 15, 2025, a Canadian parent who was also born or adopted outside Canada may need to meet Canada’s 1,095-day physical presence requirement.

Can I Be a Canadian Citizen Without Ever Living in Canada?

Yes. Some people may be Canadian citizens by descent even if they were born outside Canada and have never lived in Canada.

However, the rules for passing that citizenship to another generation are different for children born on or after December 15, 2025. If a Canadian citizen was also born or adopted outside Canada, they generally need 1,095 days of physical presence in Canada before their child’s birth to pass citizenship to that child.

What if I Don’t Know Whether My Parent or Grandparent Was Canadian?

You may need to research your family history before you can determine whether you have a claim to Canadian citizenship.

Start by identifying where your parent, grandparent, or earlier ancestors were born and whether they ever held Canadian citizenship. Birth certificates, citizenship records, naturalization documents, and other official records can help establish their status.

Provincial archives can also be useful when tracing older records. For example, Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ) provides access to many historical Quebec records, while the Archives of Ontario and BC Archives hold historical records for Ontario and British Columbia. Depending on the type and age of the record, you may need to contact the province’s vital statistics agency instead.

If you uncover a Canadian citizen in your direct family line, you can return to our Canadian Citizenship-by-Descent tool above and reassess your situation.

Can I Apply for a Canadian Passport if I Am a Citizen by Descent?

Yes. Canadian citizens by descent can apply for a Canadian passport. However, you will need to obtain your Canadian citizenship certificate first. You can then use that proof of your Canadian citizenship status as part of your passport application.