Canadian citizenship by descent after the 2025 change
Since the amendment to the Citizenship Act took effect on 15 December 2025, people born outside Canada in the second or a later generation to a Canadian parent before that date are Canadian citizens automatically. For a child born or adopted abroad on or after 15 December 2025, the Canadian parent who was also born abroad must have spent at least 1,095 days in Canada before the birth.
For an adopted child, the days count before the adoption. Either way, the proof is a citizenship certificate, and the application needs documents for every generation back to the Canadian ancestor. Track them free in your cases.
What changed
Before the amendment, citizenship by descent generally stopped at the first generation born abroad. The amendment extended citizenship to people born abroad beyond the first generation, and to remaining lost Canadians and their descendants, and set a substantial connection test for future births.
| Born or adopted | Rule |
|---|---|
| Before 15 December 2025 | Citizen automatically if born to a Canadian parent. |
| On or after 15 December 2025 | Citizen if the Canadian parent born abroad spent at least 1,095 days in Canada before the birth or adoption. |
Rootdossier keeps the 1,095 day figure as a setting with a source note, because how days are counted and proved can change. Check the current page before you rely on it.
Proving it: the citizenship certificate
Being a citizen and being able to show it are different things. The certificate is what a passport office and a border officer will ask for. The application wants genuine documents from the issuing authority for every generation: birth certificates showing the parents, and citizenship or naturalisation certificates for each Canadian generation. Where no birth certificate exists, hospital or baptismal records can help. Documents not in English or French need a translation with an affidavit from the translator, and a family member may not translate.
Worked example: a grandfather born in Ontario
In the invented Canadian sample, Olivia was born in Australia in 2012 to a father born in England, whose own father Raymond was born in Ontario. The chain view says: "Born before 15 December 2025: under the 2025 rules this generation became Canadian automatically; the certificate is the proof." The register lists 7 documents.
Change Olivia's birth date to February 2026 and the register grows to 8 documents, because her father's days in Canada now need proof, and the chain view says: "Born on or after 15 December 2025: the parent born abroad needs 1095 days in Canada before your birth (a setting to confirm)." The discrepancy check also flags Raymond's birth place, written "Port Arthur, Ontario" on one record and "Thunder Bay, Ontario" on another: the same city after a merger and a new name.
Common mistakes
- Applying for a passport first. Get the citizenship certificate; the passport comes after.
- Sending documents for only one generation. The application wants proof for every generation back to the Canadian ancestor.
- Asking a relative to translate. Translations need a translator's affidavit, and family members may not do them.
- Counting to the wrong day. The parent's days in Canada count up to the birth, or up to the adoption for a child adopted abroad, not up to the application.
Start your dossier
Pick your country and route, add the people in your line, and the register lists every document the route asks for, with the rule behind each one. Free for one case. Your family's records stay in this browser.
Frequently asked questions
I was born abroad in the second generation before 15 December 2025. Do I need to apply to become a citizen?
The 2025 rules made that group citizens automatically. You apply for a citizenship certificate to have proof, which you need for a passport.
Does the 1,095 day rule apply to me?
It applies to children born or adopted abroad on or after 15 December 2025 beyond the first generation, and it is about the Canadian parent's days in Canada before that birth, not yours.
Can I apply for the certificate online?
Some people can, depending on when they and their parents were born or naturalised; others must apply on paper. The official page sets out who can use each.
Sources
Last reviewed 28 September 2026 against:
- Change to citizenship rules in 2025, Government of Canada (canada.ca), date modified 24 December 2025, read 28 September 2026. Used for: The in-force date, automatic citizenship for earlier births, and the test for later births.
- Apply for a citizenship certificate (proof of citizenship), Government of Canada (canada.ca), date modified 17 July 2026, read 28 September 2026. Used for: The citizenship certificate application, documents for every generation and translations.
This guide is our own summary of the sources, not legal advice. Rules change: if it disagrees with the current official page, the official page wins, and the consulate or a lawyer should confirm your case. Rootdossier is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to any government, consulate, embassy, ministry, court or law firm, including the German, Irish, Polish, Canadian and Italian authorities that decide citizenship cases.