Replace a Citizenship Document

To replace a lost or stolen citizenship card, you need to apply for a citizenship certificate (8½ x 11 paper certificate). Canadian authorities do not provide citizenship cards anymore but provide a citizenship certificate.

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A citizenship certificate is an 8½ x 11-inch paper document that proves your Canadian citizenship. It has the certificate number, family name and given name(s), date of birth, gender (male, female, or another gender), and the effective date of citizenship.

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When applying for a citizenship certificate and your documents aren’t in English or French, you must submit to IRCC:

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• colour copies that are clear and easy-to-read of the documents

• translation of the documents

• sworn statement (affidavit) from the person who did the translation, if they’re not a Canadian certified translator

 

Translations of documents done by the applicant, or their family members are not accepted. Translations need to be done by a certified translator. You can apply for a citizenship certificate either online or on paper. If you apply both online and on paper, your application process may be delayed.

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Once you submit your application, IRCC will review it to make sure it’s complete. If your case is complicated, IRCC may contact you to get more information or documents and need more time to process your application.

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There may be a delay between when they receive your application and when they start processing it. To make sure that your citizenship certificate application is properly done and to avoid any waste of time, contact us and we will be happy to take care of that for you.