The short version
- You may be Canadian if a parent was a citizen when you were born, even if you were born abroad.
- Until 2025, citizenship by descent usually stopped after the first generation born outside Canada.
- Bill C-3 took effect on 15 December 2025 and reaches further down the family line.
- For a child born abroad from 15 December 2025, a Canadian parent who was also born abroad must have spent at least 1,095 days in Canada before the birth.
Can you get Canadian citizenship by descent?
Yes, if a parent was a Canadian citizen at the time you were born, you are usually Canadian from birth, even if you were born in another country. This is citizenship by descent, and it does not need an application to be true. You apply only for proof of it.
The question most people have is how many generations the rule reaches. That is where the law changed in 2025. Canada's "Check if you may be a citizen" tool is the official place to work out your own case. We read the government pages on 3 November 2026.
What was the first-generation limit?
For years, citizenship by descent reached only the first generation born outside Canada. A person born abroad to a Canadian counted as the first generation. Their own child, also born abroad, was the second generation and did not get citizenship this way.
In December 2023 the Ontario Superior Court of Justice found that limit unconstitutional for many people. The government then ran an interim measure for those affected while it wrote new law.
What did Bill C-3 change?
Bill C-3 took effect on 15 December 2025 and reaches past the first generation. How it works depends on when the child was born.
| When the child was born abroad | Second generation or later |
|---|---|
| Before 15 December 2025 | Generally a Canadian citizen automatically, if born to a Canadian parent. |
| On or after 15 December 2025 | Canadian if the Canadian parent was also born abroad and spent at least 1,095 days in Canada before the birth. |
The 1,095-day rule is a substantial connection test. The IRCC page on the 2025 changes says the parent must have "spent at least 1,095 days in Canada before the birth". Anyone who was already a citizen before the law passed keeps that status.
How do you prove you are a Canadian citizen?
You apply to IRCC for a citizenship certificate, also called proof of citizenship. It is a document that confirms the status you already hold, not a grant of new citizenship. The proof of citizenship page lists who can apply, and the IRCC fee list shows the current cost. Check both on the day you apply, as fees change.
Our Canada citizenship by descent page walks through the family line, and the Canadian passport page shows where a Canadian passport lets you travel.
Does Canada allow dual citizenship?
Yes. Canada has allowed dual citizenship since 1977, so claiming a Canadian passport does not, by itself, cost you another one. Your other country may have its own rules, so check those too. If you hold a US passport, start with dual citizenship for Americans.
What if you have no claim by descent?
Then descent is not your route, and you move through a visa instead. Express Entry, a study permit and Quebec's investor programme are the main ones for Americans. We cover them in how to move to Canada from the US.
Your case turns on your own family history, so use the official tool above or ask IRCC before you rely on it.