Canada
Citizenship by descent, in plain words.
- Furthest routine descent
- No first-generation limit for births before 15 Dec 2025
- Fee
- $75 CAD per person
- Watch out
- Births on or after 15 Dec 2025 need the 1,095-day test.
The rules
- Bill C-3 came into force on 15 December 2025.
- Born before that date: people in the second generation or later born abroad are now automatically Canadian, if they would have been citizens except for the old first-generation limit.
- Born on or after that date: the Canadian parent born abroad must show 1,095 days (three years) in Canada before the birth or adoption.
- Apply for proof with Form CIT 0001. Fee $75 CAD per person.
- You still need an ancestor who was a Canadian citizen (or a British subject living in Canada on 1 January 1947). Acadian descent alone doesn't prove it.
Documents to check
Check the official application checklist for this route before ordering records. It may ask for birth records linking each generation, name-change or marriage records, and proof of the ancestor’s citizenship. Special routes may need additional evidence. The consulate can confirm which documents, translations and certifications apply to you.
Official source
canada.ca Bill C-3 first-generation page and Guide CIT 0001.
Checked 8 November 2026.
Verify before applying. Rules and fees change. This page is a plain-language summary, not legal advice. Check the official source above, or ask the country's embassy or consulate, before you send anything.