Obtaining Canadian Citizenship in 2026

The most common way for foreigners to obtain Canadian citizenship is naturalization. To do this, you need to obtain permanent resident status, meet the physical presence requirements, prove knowledge of a language (English or French), pass a citizenship knowledge test, and file a tax return. In cases provided for by law, citizenship is available by birth or descent. The procedure is governed by Canada's Citizenship Act.

Canada is suitable for immigration for those who genuinely plan to move to the country. You cannot buy a passport or obtain one through investment. Among citizens of non-European countries, Canadian citizenship has become popular thanks to stable immigration legislation, a high standard of living, and broad opportunities for international travel.

In this article, we will examine the genuine ways to obtain Canadian citizenship, the requirements, documents, timelines, costs, and schemes that do not work in 2026.

Advantages of Canadian Citizenship

With a Canadian passport, you can travel freely to a number of countries without a visa. One of the main advantages is the ability to visit the United States and Schengen Area countries, including visa-free destinations such as Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, the Netherlands, and other countries, for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.

Canada has a public healthcare system funded through taxes. Citizens can obtain health insurance from their province or territory, after which most essential and emergency medical services are provided free of charge. The specific list of covered services depends on the region of residence.

A Canadian passport gives you the right to study at a college or university at domestic tuition rates. The cost depends on the chosen program and educational institution. On average, it is CAD 2,500–11,400 per year. Canadians may also qualify for student loans and government education grants. For example, the Canada Student Financial Assistance program helps pay for tuition and related expenses.

Tax residents in Canada are eligible for tax deductions and government benefits, including the Canada Child Benefit for families with children and support programs for people with low and middle incomes.

Main Ways to Obtain Canadian Citizenship

For most foreigners, the only way to obtain Canadian citizenship is naturalization. Citizenship may also be available by birth or descent.

Naturalization and Marriage

Naturalization is the main way to obtain citizenship for foreigners without Canadian ancestry. It is available to applicants with permanent resident (PR) status who have lived in the country for at least 1,095 days during the past 5 years. At least 730 of those days must have been spent as a PR. Days after obtaining PR status are counted in full. Time spent in the country before that as a temporary resident or protected person may be counted as half a day. Thus, no more than 365 days can be credited.

If you were required to pay taxes and received an official CRA requirement, you must provide tax returns for at least 3 years out of the last 5 when applying for citizenship. Applicants aged 18–54 must pass the citizenship test and demonstrate language proficiency at no lower than CLB/NCLC 4.

The government fee for submitting the application is CAD 653, of which CAD 530 is the application processing fee and CAD 123 is the right of citizenship fee.

According to reviews from people who obtained citizenship through naturalization, the complexity of the procedure is considered moderate. The main difficulty for many is obtaining permanent resident status and the need to comply with other legal requirements.

Marriage to a Canadian citizen does not provide an automatic right to citizenship and does not reduce the required period of residence. A Canadian spouse can act as a sponsor when applying for permanent residence, but after obtaining PR status, the foreign spouse must meet the standard naturalization requirements.

Investment

Canadian citizenship cannot be obtained through investment. However, the Québec Immigrant Investor Program operates in the province of Quebec. It can help obtain PR status, after which the standard naturalization route must be followed. The program is intended for investors with at least CAD 2,000,000 in assets and at least 2 years of management experience within the last 5 years. French language proficiency at no lower than level 7 on the Quebec scale is also required. The financial component includes a five-year investment of CAD 1,000,000 and a non-refundable financial contribution of CAD 200,000. The CAD 1,000,000 investment is guaranteed by the Government of Quebec and is returned without interest at the end of the term. The application processing fee for participation in the investment project is CAD 18,241.

Descent

Canada does not have a classic repatriation program under which an applicant with Canadian roots can obtain citizenship. However, descent matters if a parent is a Canadian citizen.

Since December 15, 2025, Canada has expanded the rules for passing citizenship to children born abroad. If a Canadian citizen was themselves born or adopted outside the country, they can pass Canadian citizenship to their child who is also born abroad. For children born or adopted before that date, the parent must have spent a total of at least 1,095 days in Canada before the child's birth or adoption.

If a person is eligible for citizenship by descent, they do not first need to live in the country for 3 years, as with naturalization. They must confirm their entitlement and obtain a citizenship certificate. The government fee for issuing it is CAD 75.

If the Canadian route seems too long, it is worth checking whether you have grounds for obtaining EU citizenship more quickly. Some countries have simplified procedures that make it possible to obtain a European passport without many years of naturalization. Our specialists will help verify available grounds, choose a suitable program, and understand the application requirements.

Requirements and Procedure for Obtaining Canadian Citizenship

To become a Canadian citizen through naturalization, you must:

1. Move to Canada. A foreign national obtains an appropriate immigration or temporary status. This may be a temporary residence permit for work or study. However, temporary status is not a mandatory stage for everyone. Some immigration programs make it possible to obtain PR without first living in Canada for a long period, for example, skilled professionals with foreign work experience.
2. Obtain Permanent Resident status. This can be done through an appropriate federal or provincial immigration program, family sponsorship, or another category provided for by law.
3. Accumulate the required period of physical presence. Before applying, it is advisable to use the official Physical Presence Calculator and not submit documents when the number of days is borderline.
4. Meet your tax obligations. If filing tax returns was required by law, this condition must be met for at least 3 tax years within the relevant 5-year period.
5. Prepare the documents. Usually required are information confirming PR status, identity documents, passports and travel documents for the period being reviewed, photographs in the required format, proof of language proficiency, the fee payment receipt, and additional documents depending on the circumstances. If a person spent 183 consecutive days or longer in another country during the last 4 years after reaching the age of 18, a police clearance certificate may be required. The assistance of a translator may be needed when preparing the documents, because papers issued in a language other than English or French must be translated.
6. Submit the application. Most applicants can do this online. Paper filing remains available for certain categories (if, when calculating physical presence, time spent in another country as a Crown servant or as a member of their family is counted, as well as if the applicant wants a representative, for example a lawyer, to complete and submit the application independently on their behalf). An online application and a paper application cannot be submitted at the same time.
7. Undergo IRCC review. The authority reviews immigration status, taxes, documents, language requirements, and possible prohibitions on granting citizenship.
8. Pass the citizenship test. The test is mandatory for most applicants aged 18–54 (an exemption may be granted for medical reasons). It tests knowledge of Canada, the rights and responsibilities of citizens, history, and other topics.
9. Take the oath. After approval, the applicant is invited to an oath ceremony. After taking the Oath of Citizenship, the person becomes a citizen and receives a Canadian citizenship certificate.
10. Obtain a Canadian passport. A fee is paid when applying for a passport. The amount depends on the applicant's age and the document's validity period.

How Much Time and Money Are Needed to Obtain Canadian Citizenship

The time and costs depend on the way citizenship is obtained. Documents can be processed most quickly by descent, while naturalization first requires obtaining PR status and meeting the residence requirements.

With naturalization, including when spouses of Canadian citizens obtain citizenship, an application can be submitted after living in the country for at least 3 of the last 5 years and paying the CAD 653 fee. The time and expenses required to obtain PR beforehand should also be added, so the entire immigration process takes more than three years. IRCC sets a processing time of 12 months for the citizenship application itself. However, the actual duration of a specific case may differ.

If a person is already a Canadian citizen by descent, there is no need to wait 3 years — it is enough to confirm the status. A citizenship certificate costs CAD 75.

After citizenship is obtained, a passport is issued separately. The fee is CAD 122.50 for a 5-year passport and CAD 163.50 for a 10-year passport. A passport for a child under 16 costs CAD 58.50. Standard processing takes 10 business days for an in-person application at a passport office or 20 business days when applying by mail or through a regular Service Canada Centre.

Additional costs should be taken into account for document translation, photographs, the language test, certificates, representative services, and expenses related to the previous stage of obtaining PR.

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What Does Not Work: How You Cannot Obtain a Canadian Passport

There are offers online to “get a passport made” without residence or to buy a ready-made document. Such options are either based on a misunderstanding of the law or are associated with fraud. The most common are:

1. Buy a ready-made Canadian passport. There is no legal sale of citizenship or genuine passports. An offer to arrange a document for a fixed price without a legal basis is a serious sign of fraud.
2. Buy real estate. Buying an apartment, house, or other real estate does not in itself grant Canadian citizenship. Investment and business programs may be used as a route to immigration if their conditions are met, but an investor does not automatically receive a passport.
3. Invest money and immediately receive a passport. Even the Quebec investor program is an immigration route to permanent residence, not citizenship by investment.
4. Enter into a sham marriage. A sham marriage for immigration purposes is considered fraud. The application will be refused, and the foreign national may face a 5-year ban on entering Canada.
5. Have a child and obtain passports for the parents. A child born in Canada becomes a Canadian citizen at birth in most cases. However, the child's citizenship does not automatically make the parents citizens.
6. Find distant Canadian roots. Descent must be assessed under the rules of the Citizenship Act. The mere fact of having a relative from Canada does not create a universal right to repatriation.
7. Falsify days of residence or hide trips. IRCC checks compliance with the requirements. Providing false information can lead to refusal and other immigration consequences.

Dual Citizenship in Canada: Is It Permitted to Have Multiple Passports?

Canada allows dual and multiple citizenship. Therefore, when obtaining a Canadian passport, you are not required to renounce your existing citizenship.

Dual citizenship means that a person is simultaneously a citizen of two countries. If a person has three or more citizenships, this is usually referred to as multiple citizenship.

If you want to expand your opportunities for living, working, and traveling, in addition to Canadian citizenship you can consider obtaining citizenship of an EU country. Our specialists will help choose a suitable basis and complete the procedure for obtaining a European passport under a simplified program.

Where It Is Faster and Easier to Obtain a Second Passport: Overview of Alternatives

Canadian citizenship is suitable for you if you genuinely plan to connect your life with this country. However, there may also be disadvantages along the way. The main difficulty lies not in the citizenship application itself, but in the preceding stages. You need to find a basis for immigration, obtain PR, and meet the physical presence requirement.

If the main goal is not moving to Canada but obtaining a second passport for living and working abroad, it is worth comparing the advantages of the Canadian route with available programs in other countries.

EU citizenship deserves particular attention. A passport of an EU member state provides a different set of opportunities. Its holder has the right to free movement and residence within the EU in accordance with European rules, rather than only the ability to make short-term tourist trips. Therefore, for a person whose interests are connected with Europe, obtaining European citizenship may be more practical than Canadian naturalization.

If you want to understand which route is suitable in your particular situation, you can first check the grounds for obtaining an EU passport and compare them with Canada's requirements. This will make it possible to assess timelines and costs before starting the process and choose a second citizenship based on your actual relocation goals. Book a consultation with our specialists to check the available grounds, compare the options, and choose a suitable route to obtaining a second citizenship.