Identity Documents for Children in a Canadian Citizenship Application: What IRCC Accepts and What It Returns

IRCC is now returning citizenship certificate applications for children because the identification sent with them is not acceptable. A returned application is not a refusal, but it costs you your place in the queue: the whole package comes back and you start again.

On September 29, 2026, the Case Processing Centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia returned an application with a short form email headed "Unacceptable Identification." That email says more about what IRCC wants for minors than the official guide does. This post walks through it and adds what we have learned from our own files. It builds on our earlier post, Identity Documents for a Child's Canadian Citizenship Certificate: What to Do When Your Minor Has Only a Passport.

The short version: for a child, send the passport biographical page plus an official immunization record or the current year's official report card. Do not send a private health insurance card.

What IRCC asks for

IRCC wants photocopies of two personal identification documents for every applicant, including babies and children. The CIT 0001 instruction guide says both must show the applicant's name and date of birth, and one must have a photo.

The September 2026 return email adds four points the guide does not spell out:

• The ID must be valid and not expired at the time you apply.
• If a document has information on both sides, copy both sides.
• A passport biographical page counts as only one of the two pieces.
• A permanent resident card counts only if it comes with a valid piece of Canadian ID.

The guide also confirms what never counts as ID: birth certificates, Social Insurance Number cards, bank cards, credit cards and previous citizenship certificates. A birth certificate still belongs in the application as proof of parentage; it just does not prove identity.

Why children's files get returned

Most adults have a passport and a driver's licence, and they are done. Most children have a passport and nothing else with a photo on it. Parents then reach for whatever is in the wallet with the child's name on it, and that is where returns start.

IRCC's own list of examples is written for adults: driver's licence, age of majority card, senior citizen's card. The return email is more useful for parents because it names documents a child actually has, and it names the ones that fail.

The guide does allow an explanation letter in place of a missing piece of ID for a minor. We treat a letter on its own as a last resort. Officers in Sydney screen for completeness quickly, and a second document from IRCC's own list is far safer than a letter asking them to accept less.

The best documents for a child

For almost every child, the strongest pair is the passport plus one official record from IRCC's list.

First piece: the passport biographical page

This is the piece with the photo. It must be valid on the day you apply, so renew it first if it has expired.

Second piece: an official immunization record

Use the official record from the provincial or state health authority, or the clinic's official record, showing the child's full name and date of birth. A handwritten card or a screenshot from a patient portal is weaker. Immunization records work especially well for babies and toddlers, who have no school records yet.

Or: the official report card for the current school year

It must be for the current year and show the child's name and date of birth. If the report card does not show the date of birth, ask the school for an official version that does. For school-age children, this is usually the easiest document to get.

Other options

• Provincial photo ID or provincial health card: only for children living in Canada. Copy both sides.
• Foreign government photo ID, for example a US state ID card issued to a minor: a government-issued equivalent of a provincial photo ID. Translate it if it is not in English or French.

Whatever you choose, make sure the name matches the passport exactly. If it does not, add a short note explaining the difference.

What does not work

Private health insurance cards are not ID. IRCC put this line in bold in its return email. The guide lists a "health insurance identification card" as acceptable, and many parents read that as any insurance card. It means a government health card, such as an Ontario or Quebec health card. A card from a private insurer, an employer plan or a US health plan (Blue Cross, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare and the like) will get the application returned. This also updates our June 2026 post: a health insurance card helps only if it is a provincial one, and school or daycare registration cards should no longer be relied on.

The return email and the guide also rule out:

• School enrolment or registration letters, PowerSchool printouts and office index cards
• A report card from a previous school year
• Expired passports or expired photo ID
• A permanent resident card sent without a valid piece of Canadian ID
• Birth certificates, SIN cards, bank cards, credit cards and previous citizenship certificates

Checklist before you mail a child's application

• The child's passport is valid today, and you have copied the biographical page in colour.
• You have a second document from IRCC's list: an official immunization record, the current year's official report card, or a government photo ID.
• Both documents show the child's full name and date of birth, spelled the same way as on the passport and the CIT 0001.
• Any card with information on the back is copied on both sides.
• Nothing in the package is a private or employer health insurance card, an enrolment letter or a school printout.
• Documents not in English or French come with a certified translation and the translator's affidavit.
• Only if a second piece truly does not exist: a short signed explanation letter from the parent saying why, placed where the missing ID would go.
• The two citizenship photos are included separately. Photos are not ID, and ID is not a substitute for photos.

If your application has already been returned, replace the ID and check the signature dates before sending it back. Signatures on the forms are valid for 90 days, so a package that sat for a few weeks may need fresh signatures. Include a copy of the return email so the officer can see what was fixed.

Get it right the first time

A return for ID costs weeks, sometimes months, for a problem that takes ten minutes to fix before mailing. For a child, the rule of thumb is simple: a valid passport, plus an official immunization record or this year's report card, both showing name and date of birth.

At Marin Immigration Law, our citizenship and immigration lawyers check every applicant's identification, children included, before a package goes out, and we stand behind that work if IRCC returns a file as incomplete. If you are preparing a citizenship certificate application for your family, book a consultation.

This post is general information, not legal advice. IRCC's requirements change; check the current CIT 0001 instruction guide before you apply.