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Citizenship

Attention: New Citizenship Rules

A new law will come into effect on April 17, 2009, amending the Citizenship Act. The new law will give Canadian citizenship to certain individuals who lost it and to others who will be recognized as citizens for the first time. Citizenship will be automatic and retroactive to the date of loss or date of birth, depending on the situation. People will not have to apply for citizenship, but may need to apply for a citizenship certificate to prove their citizenship. Individuals who are Canadian citizens at the time the law comes into effect will keep their citizenship. For more information, please visit New Citizenship Rules.

To find out if you are a Canadian citizen under the new citizenship law, please visit Am I a Canadian citizen under the new law?

Applying for Citizenship

Canadian Citizenship — Children Born Abroad

The proof of Canadian citizenship for a Canadian born abroad is a Canadian citizenship certificate. A child born outside Canada to a Canadian parent and meeting certain requirements is a Canadian citizen. However the child will not possess a birth certificate issued by a Canadian governmental authority and for proof of Canadian citizenship, the child will need to obtain a Canadian citizenship certificate. An application must be submitted to obtain this certificate. Although applications are processed in Canada, you may submit the application to a Canadian diplomatic office abroad. In Japan, such applications can be submitted to the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo.

For details on how to apply, please read How to Apply for a Canadian Citizenship Certificate for a Child Born Outside Canada. For a downloadable version of the appropriate application form please click here: Application for a Citizenship Certificate (PDF ^*, 318 KB).

The Embassy will not accept applications that are incomplete, or which have been incorrectly completed. Incomplete or incorrect applications will be returned to the applicant and will only be processed once all documentation has been submitted and/or the application correctly submitted.

Canadian Citizenship — Replacement Certificates

If you have had a Canadian citizenship certificate lost or stolen you should apply as soon as possible for a replacement. While applications are processed in Canada, you can submit the application to a Canadian diplomatic office abroad. In Japan such applications can be submitted to the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo.

For details on how to apply, please read How to Apply for a Replacement Citizenship Certificate. For a downloadable version of the appropriate application form please click here: Application for a Citizenship Certificate (PDF ^*, 318 KB).

Canadian Citizenship — Retention

Some citizens born outside Canada to a parent who was a Canadian at the time of their birth are required to make an application and meet certain requirements to keep (retain) Canadian citizenship before turning 28 years of age. This is called retention of Canadian citizenship. For more information, please see the Retaining Citizenship page.

Dual Nationality

Canada permits dual or multiple nationality. However in accordance with Japanese law, a Japanese citizen having a foreign nationality shall choose either of the nationalities before he or she reaches twenty two years of age (or within two years of acquisition of the second nationality if acquisition took place after the age of twenty).

Persons who hold both Canadian and Japanese nationality who wish to renounce Canadian nationality must make an application for renunciation at a citizenship office in Canada or a Canadian diplomatic office abroad. Renunciation is not granted automatically, and indeed it may take up to a year for an application to be processed. In choosing Japanese nationality the person must make submission to a ward or city office in Japan or a Japanese diplomatic office abroad.

Persons who hold both Canadian and Japanese nationality who wish to renounce Japanese nationality must submit notification to the Legal Affairs Bureau or District Legal Affairs Bureau in their area of residence and to the city or ward office in their area.

Instructions

How to Apply for a Canadian Citizenship Certificate for a Child Born Outside Canada

A child born to a Canadian parent and meeting certain requirements is a Canadian citizen at birth. To determine if your child, born outside Canada, is a Canadian citizen at birth, please see New Citizenship Rules. Proof of the child's citizenship, in the form of a Certificate of Canadian Citizenship (CCC) can be applied for at any time after the child's birth. The following documentation will need to be presented:

A completed application form | PDF ^* (338 KB).
Two photographs of the child as per the specifications.
The child's official record of birth which establishes the relationship between the child and the Canadian parent. In Japan this is usually the Certificate of Acceptance of Registration of Birth (shussei todoke no juri shomesho) issued by ward or city offices. This document must bear the names of the parents. Hospital records of birth are not acceptable.
The original of the parent's document which establishes his/her own Canadian citizenship. This is usually a birth certificate or a CCC.
Two additional pieces of personal identification for the child.
The fee.

Please note that any original documents to be submitted that were issued in languages other than English or French, must be accompanied by a translation into one of Canada's two official languages. Such translations can be performed by any person other than a family member. Please note that the translation must be notarized by the Canadian Embassy, Consulate or a local Notary Public. A sample copy of such a declaration can be found below.

The Canadian government will make every effort to issue a Canadian citizenship certificate in the name being requested. There are occasions when the name chosen for the child by the parents is not consistent with the name appearing on the official birth registration issued by the Japanese authorities. If you were not permitted to have your choice of name(s) reflected on the birth registration and if there is a variation between the names as they appear on the application form and the birth registration, you must prepare and sign a statutory declaration explaining the inconsistency. This declaration must also be signed in front of a Consul or Notary Public. A sample declaration can be found below.

Canadian citizenship certificates are issued in Canada, and you should expect that it will take upwards of a year for issuance.

A person whose Canadian citizenship is documented as above remains a citizen until such time as he/she renounces citizenship. Renunciation requires a formal application and official acceptance of this application.

How to Apply for a Replacement Citizenship Certificate

A person who is applying to replace a Canadian citizenship certificate must:

complete application form | PDF * (338 KB).
surrender any/all original citizenship/naturalization certificates and any pink transmission copies that may be in your possession.
submit two pieces of personal identification. Photocopies of these documents are acceptable. If original documents are submitted to the Embassy or Consulate, we will make the necessary copies and return the originals to you.
submit any other documentation which may apply to your circumstance such as legal change of name documentation, marriage license, etc.
submit two photographs as per the specifications and instructions shown on the application form.

Any supporting documents that you submit which had been issued in languages other than English or French must be accompanied by a translation into one of Canada's two official languages. The translation can be made by anyone other than a family member. Please note that the translation must be notarized by the Canadian Embassy, Consulate or a local Notary Public. A sample declaration follows.

The fee.

Sample Declarations

Sample Declaration
Re: Translation for Canadian Citizenship Certificate Application

I, Mary Smith, of 7-3-38 Akasaka, Minato-ku Tokyo Japan, do solemnly and sincerely declare:

1. that I am well acquainted with the Japanese and English languages; and

2. that the document attached is a true and faithful translation from Japanese into English of the Family Register of Kazuko Horiuchi as issued by the Ward Office of Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Japan.

I make this solemn declaration conscientiously believing it to be true and knowing it is of the same force and effect as if made under Oath.

______________________________________
Mary Smith

Declared before me at the
Embassy of Canada, Tokyo, Japan
this _______ day of __________ 2009.
________________________________________
Consul
Canadian Embassy

Sample Declaration
Re: Choice of Name for Canadian Citizenship Certificate

Explanatory Note:

If the names you wish to appear on the Canadian citizenship certificate differ from the names shown on the official birth registration AND IF this variation is due to the reasons outlined in the sample declaration (below), you must prepare a declaration along the lines of the sample and make this declaration in front of a Consul at a Canadian Embassy or Canadian Consulate. There must of course be a direct linkage between the name requested on the application and the parental names.

Please note that only one set of names may appear on a citizenship certificate.

Sample Statutory Declaration:

I, John Doe, solemnly declare that the names that my wife Kazuko Horiuchi and I have chosen for our daughter who was born in Tokyo, Japan on 10 November 1997 are Jane Diane Doe. I further declare that the Japanese authorities have issued official birth registration documentation showing her name as Jane Horiuchi and that neither were we permitted by the Japanese authorities to register our child as Jane Diane Doe nor were we issued an official birth certificate in the name of Jane Diane Doe.

My wife and I do hereby request that a Canadian citizenship certificate be issued to our child in the name of Jane Diane Doe.

I make this solemn declaration conscientiously believing it to be true and knowing it is of the same force and effect as if made under oath.

______________________________________
John Doe