What the certificate does, and what it does not
This is the shortest topic in the branch and the one that causes the most avoidable trouble, because a citizenship certificate proves citizenship and does nothing else. It is not a passport and it is not identification.
- It proves citizenship. Which is what you need in order to apply for a Canadian passport, and to access services and benefits that depend on being a citizen.
- It is not a travel document. It will not carry you across a border and an airline will not board you on it. An adult citizen travelling to Canada needs a Canadian passport. Children 15 and under are the exception, and may use a citizenship certificate or card, or a birth certificate, instead of a passport.
- It is not identification. It evidences status rather than identity.
- For a person born abroad it is the primary proof. There is no Canadian birth certificate for someone born outside Canada, so this document does the work that a birth certificate does for everyone else.
- It costs $75. Whether issued electronically or on paper.
- A search of records is a different thing. Also $75, it produces a letter confirming citizenship information, valid for one year unless the person searched is deceased, in which case it does not expire. Useful for an employer or a government body, and not accepted where a certificate is required.
Which document you actually need
| Your situation | The document | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Born in Canada | A provincial or territorial birth certificate | Set by the province |
| Born outside Canada to a Canadian parent | A citizenship certificate. This is your primary proof | $75 |
| Naturalised in Canada | Your certificate of citizenship or naturalisation | $75 to replace |
| Need to confirm status to an employer or a government body | A search of citizenship records, producing a letter valid one year, or with no expiry where the person is deceased | $75, and free in defined cases |
| Need to travel, aged 16 or over | A Canadian passport. No certificate substitutes for it | Set by the passport program |
| Need to travel, aged 15 or under | A Canadian passport, or in place of one an original citizenship certificate or citizenship card, or an original or a copy of a birth certificate | Set by the passport program |
If the December 2025 change made you a citizen, the certificate is the application to make. It confirms a citizenship you already hold rather than granting you one.