Canada Citizenship Certificate Processing Time Reaches 25 Months

What Is a Citizenship Certificate?

A citizenship certificate is an official document proving that a person is a Canadian citizen.

It may be used when applying for:

• A Canadian passport;
• A Social Insurance Number;
• Certain jobs;
• A pension or government benefit; or
• Other services requiring proof of Canadian citizenship.

A citizenship certificate is not a passport, travel document or identity document. IRCC advises people who believe they are Canadian citizens to obtain proof of citizenship and then apply for a Canadian passport before travelling to Canada.

People born in Canada will normally use a provincial or territorial birth certificate as proof of citizenship and may not need a separate citizenship certificate.

Who May Apply for Proof of Citizenship?

A person may apply for a citizenship certificate if they:

• Need documentary proof of their existing Canadian citizenship;
• Want to replace a lost, stolen or damaged certificate;
• Need to update information on a certificate;
• Were born outside Canada to a Canadian parent and want IRCC to confirm their status; or
• Are applying on behalf of a minor child who may already be a Canadian citizen.

Applying for a certificate is not the same as applying to become a citizen through naturalization. IRCC reviews the evidence to determine whether the applicant already holds Canadian citizenship.

People who are uncertain about their status can begin with IRCC’s official citizenship status guidance.

Why Are More People Applying?

An important change to the Citizenship Act took effect on December 15, 2025.

The amendment changed the first-generation limit on citizenship by descent. According to IRCC, people born outside Canada before December 15, 2025, may now be Canadian citizens if they were born to a person who was a Canadian citizen at the time of their birth, including certain people in the second or later generation born abroad.

IRCC states that people who automatically became citizens under the amended law can apply for a citizenship certificate to have their status formally confirmed.

The rules differ for people born outside Canada on or after December 15, 2025. If their Canadian parent was also born or adopted outside Canada, the parent generally needs to demonstrate at least 1,095 cumulative days of physical presence in Canada before the child’s birth or adoption.

Applicants should review the official 2025 citizenship rule changes rather than assuming that a Canadian ancestor automatically establishes eligibility in every case.

What Does the 25-Month Estimate Mean?

The reported 25-month figure should be understood as a general processing estimate, not an individual deadline.

IRCC indicates that processing time can depend on:

• Whether the application is complete;
• The number of applications already awaiting processing;
• How easily officers can verify the applicant’s information;
• Whether additional documents are required;
• How quickly the applicant responds to IRCC;
• The complexity of the family history or citizenship claim; and
• Where and how the application was submitted.

Applications submitted from outside Canada and the United States may also require additional mailing time. IRCC’s citizenship-certificate information states that certain applications routed through a Canadian embassy, high commission or consulate may need an additional three to four months for mailing.

A minor living outside Canada and the United States whose paper application is sent directly to the Case Processing Centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia, may need an additional six to eight months for mailing.

These additional periods are not necessarily applicable to every overseas application. Applicants should follow the instructions for their location and method of submission.

Strong Documentary Evidence Is Increasingly Important

IRCC’s current application instructions require authentic, reliable and verifiable documents for every generation included in a citizenship-by-descent application.

Documents should normally:

• Come from the original authority that created or maintains the record;
• Clearly identify the issuing authority;
• Establish the relationship between each generation;
• Be legible and consistent with the information in the application; and
• Include a certified translation when required.

Depending on the family history, evidence may include:

• Birth certificates;
• Marriage certificates;
• Legal name-change records;
• Canadian citizenship or naturalization certificates;
• Certificates of Registration of Birth Abroad;
• Historical immigration or nationality records; or
• Other official civil-status documents.

Third-party genealogy records may help locate an official record, but IRCC states that an application cannot be supported solely by third-party records.

If an official document is unavailable, the applicant should provide a written explanation and evidence showing the steps taken to obtain it, such as correspondence with a civil registry, archive or vital-statistics authority.

Avoid Submitting a Duplicate Application

IRCC advises applicants who have already submitted a paper application not to submit the same request online.

A duplicate application does not necessarily accelerate processing and may create additional administrative complications. Applicants should instead monitor their existing file and respond promptly if IRCC requests more information.

People who submitted an application under the earlier interim measures also do not need to file a new citizenship-certificate application solely because the Citizenship Act changed. IRCC says those applications will be assessed under the amended rules.

Can an Application Receive Urgent Processing?

IRCC may consider urgent processing in limited circumstances.

The applicant must generally provide a clear explanation and evidence demonstrating why the certificate is urgently needed. An urgent request is not automatically accepted, and simply having travel plans may not be enough.

Applicants should review IRCC’s current urgent-processing instructions before submitting a request. They should not purchase non-refundable travel based on the assumption that urgent processing will be approved.

Can Applicants Travel While Waiting?

A pending citizenship-certificate application is not a travel document.

A citizenship certificate itself also cannot replace a passport. People who may already be Canadian citizens should carefully review the travel requirements that apply to Canadian and dual citizens.

IRCC recommends that someone who believes they are Canadian:

1. Apply for proof of Canadian citizenship.
2. Obtain a citizenship certificate if IRCC confirms the status.
3. Apply for a Canadian passport.
4. Travel using the document required for their circumstances.

Applicants with urgent travel plans should verify their options directly with IRCC before making arrangements.

Practical Next Steps for Applicants

People preparing or waiting on a citizenship-certificate application should:

1. Use IRCC’s official guidance to check whether they may already be Canadian citizens.
2. Review the rules that apply to their date of birth or adoption.
3. Build a clear documentary chain connecting every relevant generation.
4. Obtain civil records from the original issuing authorities whenever possible.
5. Arrange certified translations for documents not written in English or French.
6. Explain any missing official record and document the effort made to obtain it.
7. Avoid submitting duplicate online and paper applications.
8. Keep copies of every form, document, translation and payment receipt.
9. Monitor email, mail and the application account for IRCC requests.
10. Check the official processing-time tool regularly instead of relying on an older estimate.
11. Avoid making non-refundable travel plans based on the estimated completion date.
12. Notify IRCC of relevant changes using the appropriate official channel.

What Applicants Should Remember

The reported increase to 25 months is significant, particularly for people who need a certificate before applying for a Canadian passport or accessing another service that requires citizenship proof.

It does not mean every application will take exactly 25 months. Complete and well-documented files may move differently from applications requiring further verification.

Applicants should focus on providing a consistent, verifiable documentary record and should continue checking IRCC’s live processing-time information for changes.