How to Apply for Canadian Citizenship Online, Step by Step

Step 1: Check that you qualify before you start

IRCC says you must make sure you are eligible before you apply, and that you should still be eligible the day before you sign. The main points for adults are at least 1,095 days in Canada during the 5 years before you sign (that period must include at least 730 days as a permanent resident), taxes where they apply, language proof for ages 18 to 54, the citizenship test, and not being under a prohibition. Our page on the eligibility requirements lists them, and the guide to counting physical presence shows how the days are counted.

IRCC also notes that some people must apply on paper: if your physical presence calculation includes time abroad as a Crown servant or a family member of one, or if you want a representative to complete and submit the application for you. If neither applies, IRCC recommends applying online.

Step 2: Gather your documents

If you apply online, the list of forms and documents appears in your IRCC online account, and that list is the one to follow. IRCC says that sending the wrong documents can make processing take longer, and that unclear copies or scans may lead to the application being returned. IRCC's page on adult documents for paper applications is a useful preview of what is typically needed:

• colour copies of the identity pages of every passport and travel document from your 5-year eligibility period
• your physical presence calculation
• proof of language skills, if you are 18 to 54 when you sign
• copies of two pieces of personal identification, each showing your name, photo and date of birth
• two identical citizenship photos
• a police certificate from each country outside Canada where you lived for 183 or more days in a row since age 18, within the past 4 years, if that applies to you
• a certified translation of any document that is not in English or French

Our guide to language proof explains the accepted documents. Always compare this list with the one in your own account.

Step 3: Sign in and fill in the application

You sign in to or create an IRCC online account, which gives you access to the application forms and the document information. You fill in the forms there and upload the required documents.

If you apply together with other adults, such as a spouse, IRCC says each adult has their own linked account. Only one adult can be in an account, every adult signs their own application, and one adult submits all of them together. IRCC also says not to share your account password with anyone, including a representative or the other people in your group.

A representative may help you, but IRCC says that in an online application you must create your own account, fill in the form yourself, and sign and submit it yourself.

Step 4: Pay the fee

IRCC's fee list shows $653 CAD for an adult, which includes the processing fee and the right of citizenship fee (list dated September 21, 2026). Fees change, so check the list before you pay. The payment instructions are in the payment section of your account, and you upload the receipt there. In a group, one person can pay and upload one receipt for everyone, or each person can pay separately. See our page on the cost of citizenship for more.

IRCC warns that if you pay nothing or only part of the fee, the application is returned and processing only starts after the full payment is included in the resubmitted application. If you withdraw before processing starts, or IRCC closes the application before then, the full amount is refunded. After processing starts, an adult gets back only the right of citizenship fee in those cases, and if the application is not approved, only that fee is refunded.

Step 5: Sign and submit

You sign and date your own application and then submit it. The date you sign matters, because IRCC measures your 5-year eligibility period back from it. IRCC advises making sure you are still eligible the day before you sign.

After you submit: confirmation, AOR and status

Right after you submit, you receive a confirmation email that the application was sent. IRCC stresses that this email is not the acknowledgement of receipt (AOR). The AOR is sent after IRCC confirms the application is complete, and it contains your application number and your unique client identifier (UCI). Processing starts only once the AOR is issued, and you can check your status online only after you have it. For typical timelines see the processing time page and IRCC's own processing time tool.

If an application is incomplete, IRCC returns it without processing the fee. Online applicants get an email and sign in to see what is missing. You may need to recalculate physical presence, sign and date again, or add a new fee receipt. Once the resubmitted application is complete, you receive the AOR and processing restarts.

Tell IRCC when your situation changes

IRCC lists situations where you must contact it while your application is in process:

• your address, email address or phone number changes (mail forwarding does not replace telling IRCC)
• you plan to be away from Canada for more than two weeks in a row
• you are charged with an offence
• you want to continue alone after applying as a group
• you need an accommodation or a waiver for the test, the language proof or the oath

IRCC says that not updating can slow processing or lead to refusal or abandonment of the application. If IRCC asks for fingerprints, you must pay the fees and have them taken as IRCC describes.

Next steps: test invitation, ceremony

Applicants aged 18 to 54 when they sign must take the citizenship test. IRCC says most people receive the invitation 1 to 3 months after the AOR, that you cannot book the test yourself, and that non-routine applications may take longer. Read about the test format and our guide to the online test. Most applicants then take the oath at a citizenship ceremony, which IRCC calls the final step before becoming a citizen.

IRCC says you can leave Canada after you apply if you keep your permanent resident status, can receive mail and email, can reply within about 30 days, and can attend the test, an interview and the ceremony.

Common problems IRCC points out

• unclear or wrong documents: the application may be returned or take longer
• no fee or only part of it: the application is returned
• eligibility that changed before you signed: check again the day before
• an old form version: if IRCC's letter asks for it, use the newest version when you resubmit
• an address or email that is out of date: tell IRCC right away, even if mail is forwarded
• sharing a password: IRCC says not to

A clean count of your days is also worth the effort: our guide on calculating physical presence walks through it.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply online as a family?

Yes, with limits. IRCC says each adult has a separate linked account, each signs their own application, and one adult submits them together. Minors have their own rules, covered in our guide to children under 18.

When does processing start?

When IRCC issues the acknowledgement of receipt after confirming the application is complete. The confirmation email you get on submitting is not the AOR.

Can a representative submit my online application?

IRCC says no: a representative may help, but you create your own account, fill in the form and sign and submit it yourself. If you want a representative to complete and submit it for you, you apply on paper.

How much does it cost?

$653 CAD for an adult on IRCC's fee list dated September 21, 2026. Check the list before you pay.

Who has to take the test?

In most cases applicants who are 18 to 54 on the day they sign the application.