How to Apply for a Search of Canadian Citizenship Records
Ask IRCC to search Canadian citizenship and naturalization records for yourself or another person, using the online or paper application route.
CA Canada
Documents & Identity ~ 12 min read
12 FAQ
Updated 2026-09-03
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You can ask Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to search citizenship records to confirm citizenship or naturalization information. The fee is $75 per person. You may apply online only for your own record; a request for someone else's record must be made on paper using Form CIT 0058 and may require consent, proof of death, proof of relationship or estate documents. Online applications must be submitted within 60 days after you start them. The result is a letter, not proof of Canadian citizenship: if you need official proof of citizenship or want to apply for a Canadian passport, apply for a citizenship certificate instead.
What you need
- Two valid pieces of identification showing your name and date of birth; at least one must include your photo.
- If applying online, an email address, access to a scanner or digital camera and a valid credit card, Debit MasterCard or Visa Debit card.
- If applying on paper, Form CIT 0058 – Application for a Search of Citizenship Records, completed, signed and dated.
- The $75 processing fee for each person searched, unless the IRCC exemption for a simultaneous citizenship certificate application applies.
- For a paper application, proof of online fee payment must be included with the application.
- If requesting the record of a living person, their required written consent authorizing release of their personal information.
- If requesting information about a person deceased for less than 20 years, documents required by IRCC for access, which may include proof of death, proof of your relationship and proof of your legal authority to obtain the information for estate administration.
- If requesting a record for a person deceased for more than 20 years, a copy of your personal identification as required by IRCC.
- For documents not in English or French, the required English or French translation and, where applicable, an affidavit from the translator.
- If requesting urgent processing, a letter explaining the urgency and supporting evidence showing that the request meets an urgent-processing situation recognized by IRCC.
Eligibility
You may request a search of Canadian citizenship records for yourself or another person to confirm citizenship or naturalization information. Online applications are available only when you are requesting your own record. Requests for another person's record must be submitted on paper and are subject to privacy requirements. A living person must provide the required consent. Access to information about a deceased person depends on how long the person has been deceased and, for a person deceased for less than 20 years, may require proof of death, relationship and legal authority to obtain the information. The search result does not establish citizenship for passport or proof-of-citizenship purposes.
How to do it
- Decide whose record you need. If you are searching only your own citizenship record, you may apply online or on paper. If you need someone else's record, use the paper route.
- Gather two valid identity documents showing your name and date of birth, with a photo on at least one document.
- If requesting someone else's record, gather the required consent or, where the person is deceased, the documents IRCC requires for access to the deceased person's information.
- For an online request, create or sign in to your IRCC account, choose the citizenship search or proof service, complete the guided questionnaire and upload the documents shown on your personalized checklist.
- For a paper request, download and complete Form CIT 0058, sign and date it, and include all required supporting documents.
- Pay the $75 fee per person. For a paper application, print the official payment receipt and include it with the package.
- Submit the application. An online application is submitted through the IRCC account and must be completed within 60 days after it is started.
- If applying on paper from Canada or the United States, send the complete package to the IRCC Digitization Centre – Citizenship in New Waterford, Nova Scotia. If you live outside Canada and the United States, submit it to the Canadian embassy, consulate or high commission responsible for your region.
- If you qualify for urgent processing, include the required explanation and supporting documents. For a mailed urgent paper application, mark the envelope as instructed by IRCC.
- Wait for IRCC to search its records. If a record is found, IRCC will send a letter stating when the person became a Canadian citizen or whether a Canadian citizenship application is in progress. If no record can be found, the letter will say so.
What does a search of Canadian citizenship records provide?
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada can search its citizenship records to confirm a person's citizenship and naturalization information. You can request a search for yourself or, subject to privacy requirements, another person.
The service can be useful when you need to check when someone became a Canadian citizen, confirm citizenship status information for an employer or government, establish that someone is not a Canadian citizen for a foreign passport process, research an ancestor or family member, or provide information connected with pension benefits.
The result letter is not a citizenship certificate
This distinction is important: a search of citizenship records letter is not proof of Canadian citizenship. You cannot use it as the citizenship document required to apply for a Canadian passport.
If you need an official citizenship document, use the separate procedure for applying for a Canadian citizenship certificate.
Can you search your own record or someone else's?
Yes. IRCC accepts searches for both your own record and another person's record, but the submission route and privacy requirements differ.
Searching your own record
You can apply either online or on paper for your own citizenship record. The online service requires an IRCC account, an email address, digital copies of the required documents and an accepted payment card.
Once you begin the online application, you have 60 days to submit it. After that period, IRCC states that the unfinished application is deleted and you must start again.
Searching someone else's record
You cannot use the online application to obtain someone else's record. Requests for another person's citizenship record must be submitted on paper.
If the person is alive, they must consent to the disclosure. IRCC's current application instructions state that the person can provide the required consent by signing and dating section 4B of the paper application.
What if the person whose record you need has died?
Privacy requirements depend on how long the person has been deceased.
Person deceased for less than 20 years
IRCC generally cannot disclose personal information about someone who has been dead for less than 20 years. However, access may be possible in certain circumstances, including where an executor or person with the required legal authority needs the information to administer the estate.
IRCC's current instructions require information such as the date of death and may require proof of death, proof of your relationship to the person and proof of your legal right to obtain the information, such as documentation showing that you are the administrator or executor of the estate.
Person deceased for more than 20 years
If the person has been deceased for more than 20 years, IRCC instructs the requester to provide a copy of their own personal identification.
What identification documents do you need?
Whether the search is about you or another person, IRCC requires two pieces of valid identification. Both must show your name and date of birth, and at least one must include your photograph.
Examples of Canadian federal, provincial or territorial government-issued identification accepted by IRCC include a driver's licence, age-of-majority card, passport, certificate of Indian status card, health insurance identification card, senior citizen's card and travel document.
If you live outside Canada and cannot provide Canadian identity documents, equivalent foreign government-issued identification may be used. If those documents are not in English or French, translation requirements apply.
IRCC specifically states that birth certificates, Social Insurance Number cards, bank cards, credit cards and previous Canadian citizenship certificates are not accepted as personal identification for this application process.
What if your documents are not in English or French?
Documents in another language must be accompanied by an English or French translation. Where the translator is not a Canadian certified translator, IRCC requires an affidavit in which the translator swears to their language ability and the accuracy of the translation.
The applicant and members of the applicant's family cannot prepare the translation themselves under IRCC's instructions.
How to apply online for your own citizenship record
The online application is available only when you are asking IRCC to search your own citizenship record.
- Create or sign in to the IRCC online account used for citizenship applications.
- Select the service for applying for a search or proof of citizenship.
- Answer the eligibility questions and complete the guided questionnaire.
- Upload the documents listed in your personalized document checklist.
- Pay the $75 fee using the payment options offered in the online application.
- Review and submit the application within 60 days after starting it.
For online applications, IRCC's guide requires two pieces of personal identification. Clear colour copies should be uploaded unless IRCC instructs otherwise. Missing or poor-quality documents can cause problems with the application.
How to apply on paper with Form CIT 0058
The paper route is available for your own record and is mandatory when requesting another person's record. Use Form CIT 0058 – Application for a Search of Citizenship Records.
Complete the form fully, sign and date it, and include the required identification, consent or deceased-person documentation, translations and proof of payment. IRCC warns that incomplete applications or applications with missing information may be returned, delaying the search.
Where do you mail the application?
If you live in Canada or the United States, send the completed application and supporting documents to:
IRCC Digitization Centre – Citizenship
3050 Wilson Ave
New Waterford, NS
B1H 5V8
IRCC recommends using a postal or courier service that provides a tracking number so you can confirm delivery.
If you live outside Canada and the United States, submit the paper application to the Canadian embassy, consulate or high commission responsible for the region where you live.
How much does a citizenship records search cost?
The current IRCC processing fee is $75 for each person searched. Once processing has begun, the fee is non-refundable regardless of the result of the search.
For a paper application, payment is generally made online and the official payment receipt must be included with the application. If the correct fee is missing, IRCC can return the application.
There is an important exception: IRCC states that if you apply for a citizenship certificate at the same time as the search of citizenship records, you do not have to pay the separate search fee.
Can you request urgent processing?
IRCC may process a search faster in certain special circumstances. Examples currently listed by IRCC include needing to confirm to a foreign government that you are not a Canadian citizen, administering the estate of a deceased person or executing a will, and needing to show that you are or are not a citizen for a particular job.
An urgent request must include a written explanation and documents supporting the urgency. Examples include a foreign-government letter, estate or executor documents, or an employer letter.
IRCC reviews each urgent-processing request and does not guarantee that the result will be issued by the date you need it.
Urgent paper applications
For an urgent paper application mailed from Canada or the United States, IRCC instructs applicants to write Urgent – search of citizenship records prominently on the envelope. Applicants outside Canada and the United States should request urgent processing through the Canadian embassy, high commission or consulate where the application is submitted.
How long does a search of citizenship records take?
IRCC's current public pages do not display one fixed processing-time figure for this service. Processing time varies depending on whether the application is complete, the volume of applications already received, how easily IRCC can verify the information and how quickly you respond if additional information is requested.
IRCC also confirms that online and paper applications are processed the same way and at the same speed, so choosing the online route does not itself provide faster processing.
What happens after IRCC searches the records?
IRCC first reviews the application for completeness and then searches its citizenship records using the information you provided. It may contact you for additional information or documents if needed.
If IRCC finds a record, the result letter can tell you when the person became a Canadian citizen or whether the person has a Canadian citizenship application in progress. If no record is found, or IRCC cannot locate one using the information supplied, it sends a letter explaining that result.
The result is normally sent electronically. For an online application, the letter is provided through the applicant's online account. For a paper application, IRCC sends the result to the email address provided unless a paper copy was requested.
How long is the search result letter valid?
A search result letter is generally valid for one year. If the person whose record was searched is deceased, IRCC states that the letter does not expire.
Validity of the search letter does not change its legal purpose: it remains a record-search result rather than an official citizenship certificate.
Do you need a search or a citizenship certificate?
Use a search of citizenship records when you need historical or status information from IRCC's records. If your actual goal is to obtain official proof that you are a Canadian citizen, the correct procedure is a citizenship certificate.
A citizenship certificate may be needed for matters such as proving citizenship when applying for a Canadian passport. If your certificate has not yet been obtained, see how to apply for a Canadian citizenship certificate. If your immediate goal is a passport and you have qualifying proof but face imminent travel, Helpydo also explains urgent and express Canadian passport service.
Common mistakes that can delay or invalidate your request
- Applying online for another person's citizenship record instead of using the required paper route.
- Assuming the search result letter can be used as proof of Canadian citizenship or for a Canadian passport application.
- Submitting fewer than two acceptable identity documents or failing to include a photo ID.
- Using a birth certificate, SIN card, bank card, credit card or previous citizenship certificate as one of the required identity documents even though IRCC does not accept those documents for this purpose.
- Requesting a living person's information without the required consent.
- Failing to provide the required death, relationship or estate documentation when requesting protected information about a deceased person.
- Forgetting to translate documents that are not in English or French according to IRCC's translation rules.
- Starting an online application and failing to submit it within 60 days.
- Submitting both a paper and online application for the same request; IRCC instructs applicants not to duplicate the application.
- Requesting urgent processing without evidence supporting one of the qualifying urgent circumstances.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a search of Canadian citizenship records cost?
IRCC charges $75 for each person searched. The fee is non-refundable once processing has begun. If you apply for a citizenship certificate at the same time, IRCC states that the separate search fee is not required.
Can I apply online for a search of someone else's citizenship record?
No. IRCC allows online applications only for your own citizenship record. A request for another person's record must be submitted on paper.
What form do I use to search Canadian citizenship records by mail?
Use Form CIT 0058 – Application for a Search of Citizenship Records, together with the required identification, supporting documents and proof of fee payment.
Can I use the citizenship records search letter as proof that I am Canadian?
No. IRCC explicitly states that the search result letter is not proof of Canadian citizenship. For official proof, you need a citizenship certificate.
Can the citizenship records search letter be used to apply for a Canadian passport?
No. A search result letter is not acceptable as proof of citizenship for a Canadian passport application. You need an accepted proof-of-citizenship document such as a citizenship certificate where applicable.
What identification do I need for a citizenship records search?
IRCC requires two valid identity documents showing your name and date of birth. At least one must contain your photograph.
Do I need permission to search a living person's Canadian citizenship record?
Yes. To obtain another living person's information, you need the person's written consent authorizing disclosure of their personal information. The paper application provides a consent section for this purpose.
Can I search the citizenship record of someone who died?
Yes, but privacy and document requirements depend on how long the person has been deceased. For someone deceased for less than 20 years, IRCC may require proof of death, relationship and legal authority to obtain the information. Different access rules apply after 20 years.
How long do I have to finish an online citizenship records application?
You have 60 days from the date you start the online application to submit it. IRCC states that the application is deleted after that period if it has not been submitted.
Can I request an urgent search of citizenship records?
Yes, in special cases recognized by IRCC, such as proving to a foreign government that you are not Canadian, administering an estate or showing citizenship status for a job. You must explain the urgency and provide supporting evidence, and expedited completion is not guaranteed.
How long is a Canadian citizenship records search letter valid?
The search result letter is generally valid for one year. If the person whose record was searched is deceased, IRCC states that the letter does not expire.
Are online citizenship record searches processed faster than paper applications?
No. IRCC states that online and paper applications are processed the same way and at the same speed.
Official sources
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada - Search of citizenship records: About the processImmigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada - Search of citizenship records: How to applyImmigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada - Search of citizenship records: After you applyImmigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada - Application for a Search of Citizenship RecordsImmigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada - Form CIT 0058Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada - Guide for Online Applications for a Search of Citizenship RecordsImmigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada - Guide for Paper Applications for a Search of Citizenship RecordsImmigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada - Search of citizenship records urgent processingImmigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Help Centre - Applying for a citizenship certificate or search of citizenship recordsRelated procedures
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