NOTE: As of February 1st 2012, the plastic wallet-sized citizenship card was replaced with the citizenship certificate. Citizenship cards will no longer be given out.
The Canadian government stopped issuing the laminated citizenship card and have since replaced it with an A4-sized paper document called a citizenship certificate.
The certificate contains the certificate number, your full name, your date of birth, your gender, effective date of citizenship, and added security features such as a scannable barcode.
All Canadian citizens needing to prove their citizenship status will now be issued a citizenship certificate. There are other documents you can also use to prove your citizenship status, and a valid Canadian citizenship card is still one of them.
Accepted forms of proof of citizenship
- Citizenship cards
- Birth certificates
- Citizenship certificates
- Naturalization certificates
- Certificates of Retention
- Registration of Birth Abroad certificates
Documents that are NOT accepted
- Re-laminated citizenship card
- Exceptions for birth certificates
- DND 419 Birth certificates
- Citizenship record letter
- Commemorative certificates
To update or replace your citizenship card, you will not be able to re-apply for one. Instead, you will need to apply for a citizenship certificate