Canadian Citizenship Application Checklist

Guides » Application Checklist

Last updated: 5 May 2026

This is a working checklist for adult applicants between 18 and 54 applying for Canadian citizenship through naturalisation. Applicants under 18, applicants over 54, and applicants applying as a family with minor children should also read IRCC's specific guidance because some requirements differ.

If you have not yet confirmed that you meet the 1,095-day physical presence rule, start with the calculator on the homepage and the guide on the physical presence rule. The checklist below assumes you have already met or are about to meet that threshold.

1. Confirm you meet every eligibility rule

Before you spend a single dollar on the application, walk through each of these. All of them must be true on the day you sign the application.

• You are a permanent resident of Canada with no unfulfilled conditions
• You have been physically present in Canada for at least 1,095 days within the five years immediately before the date you sign
• You have filed Canadian income taxes for at least three years within the five-year window, if you were required to file
• You can demonstrate adequate knowledge of English or French at CLB 4 or higher
• You can demonstrate adequate knowledge of Canada (the citizenship test, taken in English or French)
• You are not under a removal order, and you have not been the subject of one in the past
• You have not been convicted of an indictable offence or a federal offence in the relevant period
• You have not made a false representation in a previous application

If any of these are uncertain, talk to a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) or an immigration lawyer before submitting. A refused application is far more expensive than a one-hour consultation.

2. Gather your identity documents

• A valid passport (if you have one)
• Your Permanent Resident card, both sides scanned
• Your Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR), the original IMM 5292 or IMM 5688
• A second piece of identification, such as a provincial driver's licence or health card
• Two recent citizenship-style photos that meet the photo specification, taken within six months of submission

If your name has changed since landing (marriage, court order, anglicisation), gather the legal document that proves the change.

3. Gather your travel and presence proof

• Every passport you held during the five-year window, including expired ones
• All study permits, work permits, visitor records, and temporary resident permits that covered your pre-PR time
• A list of every trip outside Canada in the five-year window with departure date, return date, destination, and reason
• A CBSA Traveller History Report if any of those dates are uncertain (request via the ATIP request form, free, takes about 30 days)

This is the single most common source of errors. Build the list once, check it against your passport stamps, then check it again against airline records or credit card history.

4. Gather your tax documents

• Notices of Assessment from the CRA for the relevant tax years (download from your CRA My Account)
• If you were not required to file in some years, a brief written explanation

The application asks you to authorise IRCC to confirm your filing history with the CRA. If you have not filed when you should have, file before applying.

5. Pass the language requirement

For applicants between 18 and 54, IRCC accepts:

• CELPIP General test results at CLB 4 or higher in speaking and listening
• IELTS General results at CLB 4 or higher in speaking and listening
• TEF Canada or TCF Canada at the equivalent level for French
• A diploma, certificate, or transcript from a secondary or post-secondary program completed in English or French
• Evidence of completion of certain government-funded language training programs

Language test results have an expiry, two years from the test date for CELPIP and IELTS. If your test is older than that on the day you submit, you will need to retake it.

6. Prepare for the citizenship test

The test has 20 multiple-choice and true or false questions, and you need 15 correct to pass. Free study material is available from IRCC at no cost. The questions are drawn from the official Discover Canada study guide.

The test is given online for most applicants now. Practice tests are widely available. Allocate three to four weeks of light study, especially if you did not grow up with Canadian history and civics in school.

7. Pay the application fees

As of the most recent fee update, the fees for an adult applicant are:

• Processing fee
• Right of citizenship fee
• Total payable at submission

Fees change. Confirm the current amount on canada.ca before paying. Fees are paid online at the time of submission.

8. Complete and sign the application

The application package for adults is currently CIT 0002. The package includes:

• The application form itself
• The physical presence calculator output (printed from canada.ca, attached as proof)
• Document checklist CIT 0007
• Photo specifications
• Use of a representative form, if you used one

Sign and date the application on a day you are confident you have already accumulated more than 1,095 days. Most applicants now apply online through the IRCC portal, which carries the form internally.

9. Submit and track

Most applications are submitted online. After submission you will receive an Acknowledgement of Receipt and a UCI or application number to use for tracking. Note both.

10. Wait for the next steps

The typical sequence is:

• Application submitted
• Acknowledgement of receipt
• Linguistic and presence review
• Citizenship test invitation
• Citizenship test taken and passed
• Possible interview, in some cases
• Decision made
• Oath ceremony invitation
• Oath ceremony attended
• Citizenship certificate issued

Processing times move. As a rough planning number, allow 12 to 18 months from submission to oath, with significant variation by office and case.

11. Plan around your travel

Between application submission and the oath, you must continue to maintain physical presence and you must respond to any IRCC requests promptly. Plan large trips abroad with this in mind. Missing a test invitation or an oath ceremony notification can cause your file to be closed.

12. After the oath

You become a Canadian citizen the moment you take the oath. The certificate is mailed shortly after. Once you have it, you can apply for a Canadian passport.

A reminder: this guide is informational, not legal advice. The most reliable source for fees, forms, and processing times is canada.ca. If anything in your file is unusual, talk to a licensed RCIC or immigration lawyer.

This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or immigration advice. See the Disclaimer for full terms.