Canadian Citizenship for Children Born Abroad: Are Your Kids Canadian Too?

If you have confirmed your Canadian citizenship by descent, or you are partway through claiming it, the next question is almost always about your children.

Are they Canadian too, and what do you need to do next?

The answer depends on one fact: your child's date of birth. Bill C-3 changed the rules on December 15, 2025, so children born before that date are treated very differently from children born on or after it.

This guide sorts your family by that date, explains what each child needs, and links to our deeper articles. If you are still working on your own eligibility, start with our overview of Canadian citizenship by descent.

Quick Answer: It Depends on Your Child's Birth Date

• Born before December 15, 2025: if your family line qualifies, your child is already a Canadian citizen, retroactive to birth. There is no time-in-Canada test. Your child still needs their own certificate as proof.
• Born on or after December 15, 2025, and you are a citizen by descent: your child is Canadian only if you, or your child's other Canadian parent, had been physically present in Canada for at least 1,095 days before the birth.
• Born on or after December 15, 2025, and you were born or naturalized in Canada: the presence test does not apply to you. Your child born abroad is a Canadian citizen and only needs a certificate as proof.

Children Born Before December 15, 2025

Bill C-3 removed the first-generation limit for most people born abroad before December 15, 2025.

If your chain of Canadian ancestry holds up, your children born abroad before that date automatically became citizens by operation of law, retroactive to their date of birth. They have no physical presence requirement, and neither do you as their parent.

However, that does not mean there is nothing to do.

Citizenship that exists in law still has to be proven on paper, and each child needs their own citizenship certificate to show it. A child's claim rests on the same lineage evidence as yours, plus the record connecting you to your child, so families who claim together can share most of the research.

Our article on what Bill C-3 means for Americans with Canadian ancestry explains how the change reaches back across generations.

Children Born on or After December 15, 2025

For a child born abroad on or after the cutoff, the question requires more than paperwork.

It is whether the child is a citizen at all. If you are a citizen by descent yourself, you pass citizenship to that child only if you were physically present in Canada for a cumulative 1,095 days before the birth.

When both parents are Canadian, either one meeting the threshold is enough. Only the parent’s own days count, not a grandparent’s, and no days after the child is born count either. However, they do not have to be consecutive.

Our full explainer on the 1,095-day substantial connection test explains how to count the days and what to do if you are short.

IRCC also revised the proof-of-citizenship forms in August 2026 to clarify the requirements for this group of families. Our summary of the August 2026 CIT 0001 and CIT 0014 updates covers what changed and what it means for files already signed.

Applying for Your Child's Certificate

Each child needs their own application. There is no family certificate, and you cannot add a child to a parent's file. For a minor, a parent or legal guardian completes and signs the application on the child's behalf.

When we handle your file, we prepare each child’s forms, then share the final version with you. Once the forms are complete and the genealogy is ready, you mail back only the signature pages and citizenship photos. We follow this process because signatures are only considered current for about 90 days.

The application is the CIT 0001, and IRCC's guide to the CIT 0001 application is the authority on what to include. The government fee is $75 CAD per certificate, as of October 2026.

Here are three key points to understand:

• Two pieces of identification, one with a photo. Many children have only a passport, and IRCC asks for an explanation letter when a minor lacks two pieces of ID. In our recent files, IRCC has accepted an immunization record or the current year’s report card as the second document, but not private health insurance cards or school or daycare registration documents. This reflects our recent experience, rather than a published rule. Our article on identity documents when your child only has a passport covers the options in detail.
• Citizenship photos, not passport photos. Citizenship photos must measure 50 mm wide x 70 mm high: you need two identical prints for a paper application, or one digital photo submitted online. US 2 x 2 inch passport photos are the wrong size, and non-compliant photos get the application returned.
• Your child's long-form birth certificate. The long-form birth certificate that names you as the parent connects your child to your claim.

Processing is slow. As of October 9, 2026, IRCC's estimate for proof of citizenship applications is about 34 months. Apply as early as you can, and do not build travel, school, or relocation plans around the published estimate.

As of October 2026, our flat fee for proof of Canadian citizenship starts at $9,999 CAD for the first applicant, and each additional family member is $3,000 CAD. The flat fee includes the IRCC filing fee ($75 CAD per applicant) and the cost of ordering records. Taxes (if applicable) not included.

Half the payment is due when you retain us, and the rest before the application is submitted. The $300 CAD initial consultation is credited toward the flat fee.

If you already have every birth record, from your Canadian ancestor down to each applicant, we reduce the first applicant’s fee by 30%. Our page on legal fees and what they include has the full breakdown.

Adopted Children

Adoption works differently. A child adopted abroad by a Canadian parent does not automatically become a Canadian citizen.

The route is a grant of citizenship under section 5.1 of the Citizenship Act, so the child is not a citizen until the grant is made. For adoptions on or after December 15, 2025, a parent who is a citizen by descent faces the same 1,095-day standard, measured before the adoption.

IRCC summarizes the 2025 changes to citizenship rules, including adoption.

After the Certificate: Apply for a Passport

A citizenship certificate proves your child is Canadian, but it is not a travel document. To travel as a Canadian, your child needs a Canadian passport, which you apply for separately once you have the certificate.

Also, you do not need to register your child's birth in Canada. The certificate is what confirms their status.

Planning for Your Grandchildren

Bill C-3 ended the old ceiling on generations, but replaced it with a test every generation born abroad must meet.

If your children are citizens by descent and later have children outside Canada, those grandchildren will be Canadian through your family line only if your children have their own 1,095 days in Canada before each birth.

This makes record-keeping worth starting now, while your children are young. Keep school records, travel itineraries, and anything else that shows time spent in Canada. Each family member can also request a CBSA Travel History Report, an official record of their entries into Canada.

Adult Children

Adult children apply for their own certificates and sign their own applications. Many families still file together, because a parent's claim and an adult child's claim usually rest on the same lineage evidence.

Our guide to what it costs to claim Canadian citizenship by descent breaks down government and legal fees for a family filing.

Claim for the Whole Family at Once

When parents and children file together, the lineage research is done once, and our in-house genealogy team attempts to source the Canadian ancestor's records for the whole family. With family pricing, each additional applicant is $3,000 CAD rather than a second flat fee starting at $9,999 CAD (both as of October 2026).

Only one CIT 0001 form, usually the parent’s, needs the details of every earlier generation back to the Canadian-born ancestor. The children’s forms do not need those extra ancestor pages. Relatives who share the same Canadian-born ancestor, such as siblings or cousins, can also be added later. With your consent, we can reuse the documents already on file for their application.

If your spouse has no Canadian line of their own, their path is different. Our article on options for a spouse without Canadian ancestry explains it.

If IRCC returns your family’s application as incomplete, we resubmit it at no extra legal cost and repay the government fees. It’s part of our promise to clients.

To talk through your family, book a consultation today. It is a video call on Google Meet with a lawyer on our team. We meet with you to understand your file, the risks and chances of success, before anything is signed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are my children automatically Canadian?

Yes, but only if they were born before December 15, 2025, and your family line qualifies. They are citizens by law, though each one still needs a certificate as proof. If they were born on or after that date and you are a citizen by descent, it depends on whether you, or the other Canadian parent, had 1,095 days of physical presence in Canada before the birth.

My child was born in 2026. Do they qualify?

Possibly. If you were born or naturalized in Canada, the presence test does not apply to you. If you are a citizen by descent, your child is Canadian only if you, or the other Canadian parent, had been physically present in Canada for at least 1,095 days before the birth.

Do I need to register my child's birth with Canada?

No, you do not need to register the birth in Canada. Your child only needs a citizenship certificate to prove their status.

Can my child get a passport without a certificate?

No, a Canadian passport application requires proof of Canadian citizenship, and for a child born abroad, that proof is the citizenship certificate. Apply for the certificate first, then the passport.

This article is general information, current as of its publication date, and is not legal advice for your specific situation. Citizenship rules, fees, and processing times change, some of them quickly. Speak with a qualified professional about your own circumstances.