Canadian Citizenship 2026: Eligibility, Test, Fees and Oath

You've been a permanent resident for a while, and Canada feels like home. Applying for Canadian citizenship is the last step in that journey, and it's more predictable than most immigration applications if you count your days carefully.

This guide covers who's eligible, how to calculate your physical presence, the fees, the test, the oath ceremony and the recent changes to citizenship by descent. Figures are as of September 2026, so confirm them on Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) pages before you apply.

Who is eligible for Canadian citizenship?

Most adults applying for a grant of citizenship must meet all of these requirements:

• Permanent resident status.
• Physical presence of at least 1,095 days (three years) in the five years right before you apply.
• Tax filing for at least three of those five years, if you were required to file.
• Language skills in English or French at Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) or NCLC level 4 in speaking and listening, if you're 18 to 54.
• A passed citizenship test, also for ages 18 to 54.
• No prohibitions on criminal or security grounds.

Time you spent in prison, on parole or on probation doesn't count toward physical presence. If you have any criminal history, get advice before you apply.

How to count your 1,095 days of physical presence

Your eligibility window is the five years immediately before the date you sign your application. Within that window, every full day you were in Canada as a permanent resident counts as one day.

Time before you became a permanent resident also helps. Each day you spent in Canada as a temporary resident or protected person, for example on a study or work permit, counts as half a day, up to a maximum of 365 days. That means at least 730 of your days must be as a permanent resident.

If you came as a student or worker, our guides to the Canada study permit and living and working in Canada explain the permits whose time can count.

Using the physical presence calculator

IRCC's calculator is built into the online citizenship account. You create your account, enter your dates and trips, and the calculator works out your total before you submit.

If you apply on paper, you can print the calculator's result or fill in form CIT 0407, How to Calculate Physical Presence. IRCC also offers an optional travel journal to help you record trips abroad, which you don't need to submit.

Say you arrived in Canada on a work permit in 2021 and became a permanent resident in September 2024, and you want to sign your application in September 2026. Your three years on a work permit give you the maximum 365 days. Your two years as a permanent resident give about 730 days, minus the 40 days you spent visiting family abroad, so about 690.

That adds up to roughly 1,055 days, about 40 short, and you'd also be under the 730-day minimum as a permanent resident. You'd need to wait until you've added enough days in Canada.

How much does Canadian citizenship cost?

Here are the government fees as of September 2026. Check IRCC's fee list on the day you pay.

Budget for your first Canadian passport too, which is a separate application after you become a citizen. Each adult in your family pays the full adult fee, so the total rises quickly.

The citizenship test and the "Discover Canada" guide

If you're between 18 and 54 on the day you sign your application, you'll usually take the test. IRCC emails your invitation, which can arrive a few weeks or months after you apply.

Most people take the test online, although IRCC may ask you to take it in person or on Microsoft Teams. The test lasts 45 minutes, and once the timer starts you can't pause it. You can take it in English or French.

To pass, you need at least 15 of the 20 questions right (75%). You get up to three chances within your 30-day test period. If you fail all three, IRCC invites you to a hearing with a citizenship official, which lasts 30 to 90 minutes.

The questions cover the rights and responsibilities of citizens, and Canada's history, geography, economy, government, laws and symbols. The official study guide is still Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship. As of September 2026, IRCC's study page doesn't list a replacement.

The guide is free online, as a PDF or eBook, in audio, and as a paper copy you can order. You don't need to pay for any study materials.

The citizenship ceremony: virtual or in person

Passing the test isn't the finish line. You become a citizen when you take the Oath of Citizenship at a ceremony.

IRCC invites you to either a virtual ceremony by video conference or an in-person ceremony. If you'd prefer the other format, you can ask to reschedule. Ceremonies last a few hours, and you can take the oath in English, French or both.

At an in-person ceremony, you'll usually get a paper citizenship certificate on the day if you chose one. At a virtual ceremony, you must sign the Oath or Affirmation of Citizenship form on the day you take the oath, not the day before or after, and IRCC tells you when your certificate will be available.

Dual citizenship and Bill C-3 citizenship by descent

Canadian law lets you be a citizen of Canada and another country at the same time. Some countries end your citizenship if you take another, though, so check with your country's embassy or consulate before you apply.

Bill C-3 took effect on December 15, 2025 and changed the first-generation limit, which used to stop Canadians born abroad from passing on citizenship to children also born abroad.

• Born before December 15, 2025. If you would have been a citizen but for the first-generation limit or other outdated rules, you're now Canadian. You can apply for a citizenship certificate to prove it.
• Born or adopted abroad on or after December 15, 2025. A Canadian parent who was also born or adopted abroad can pass on citizenship if they spent at least 1,095 days in Canada before the child's birth or adoption.

These rules are new, and individual cases can be complex. If your family history involves several generations abroad or adoption, consider a lawyer or RCIC.

How to apply for Canadian citizenship, step by step

1. Calculate your physical presence with IRCC's online calculator.
2. Confirm your tax filings for the years you were required to file.
3. Gather language proof if you're 18 to 54.
4. Apply online through your citizenship account and pay the fees.
5. Take the test when invited, using Discover Canada to prepare.
6. Attend an interview or hearing if IRCC asks.
7. Take the oath at your ceremony and collect your certificate.

Processing times change often, so check IRCC's online processing time tool for the latest estimate rather than relying on what a friend experienced.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Counting days from memory. Use travel records and include every trip, however short.
• Forgetting the 730-day PR minimum. Half days before PR are capped at 365.
• Missing test or ceremony emails. Keep your contact details up to date.
• Signing a virtual oath form on the wrong day. It must be the day of the ceremony.
• Assuming your other country allows dual citizenship.

Your next steps

Open an IRCC account and run the physical presence calculator today, even if you think you're not quite eligible. Then start reading Discover Canada and check whether your existing documents already prove your language level.

If you're still earlier in your journey, our Express Entry guide explains how many people become permanent residents in the first place.