Canadian citizenship fees: the 2026 IRCC fee table

What are the current Canadian citizenship fees?

As of 5 October 2026, IRCC charges $653 for an adult citizenship application, $100 for a minor, $75 for a citizenship certificate and $100 to renounce citizenship, all as listed on IRCC's fee list updated 21 September 2026.

The table lists each citizenship fee with the page it comes from and the day we read it.

When did the Canadian citizenship fee go up?

The right of citizenship fee rose from $119.75 to $123 on 31 March 2026, after rising from $100 to $119.75 on 31 March 2025, which took the adult total to $653 (IRCC fee changes page, updated 21 September 2026, checked 5 October 2026).

Only the right of citizenship fee changed, so a minor's $100 processing fee stayed the same. If you budgeted from an older article, the adult figure is now $3.25 higher than after the March 2025 increase. Our wider list of Canada immigration changes in 2026 shows how the other fee increases fit the same year.

How much does citizenship cost for a family?

Each adult pays $653 and each child under 18 pays $100, so a couple pays $1,306 and a family of two adults and two children pays $1,506 in IRCC fees (IRCC fee list, checked 5 October 2026).

IRCC treats you as an adult if you are at least 18 when you sign your application, so the date on which an older child signs decides which fee applies. A parent or legal guardian applies for a child under 18, and an online account can hold up to 20 minors (canada.ca, checked 5 October 2026). Before you pay, confirm that each person meets the citizenship requirements, because a fee paid for an ineligible applicant is partly lost.

How do you pay the citizenship fee?

You pay online by credit, prepaid or debit card, through IRCC's fee payment account or the payment section of your online citizenship account, and you include the receipt with your application (IRCC, checked 5 October 2026).

1. 01

   Get a card ready

   IRCC accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, JCB and UnionPay credit and prepaid cards, and only Debit MasterCard or Visa Debit. The card does not have to be in your name.

2. 02

   Select the fees

   Choose Citizenship, pick the adult or minor fee and enter how many of each you are paying. IRCC's online account gives its own instructions in the payment section.

3. 03

   Pay and keep the receipt

   IRCC emails you a copy of your receipt after you pay. Upload it to your online application, or include a printed copy with a paper application.

4. 04

   Pay as a group if you apply as one

   In an online group application, one person can pay and upload one receipt for everyone, or each person can pay separately and upload their own receipt.

5. 05

   Pay the full amount

   If you pay nothing or only part of the fee, IRCC returns the application and processes it only after you pay in full and include the receipt.

6. 06

   Keep a prepaid card

   If you pay with a prepaid card, IRCC says to keep the card for at least 18 months, because it makes a refund easier.

For a paper application you mail, the fee that applies is the one in force on the date you sign the application, even if the package takes time to arrive (IRCC fee changes page, checked 5 October 2026).

Is the Canadian citizenship fee refundable?

IRCC refunds the full amount you paid if you withdraw before it starts processing, but after the acknowledgement of receipt an adult gets back only the $123 right of citizenship fee, and a minor's application gets no refund (IRCC how-to-apply page, checked 5 October 2026).

IRCC will also close an application, with a refund of the amounts above, if you do not send documents it asks for or miss a required test, interview, hearing or ceremony. It says it will contact you first. To ask for a refund, use IRCC's refund request page, which says a request can take up to 8 weeks to review and issue (checked 5 October 2026).

What other costs come with a citizenship application?

Costs paid outside IRCC include language proof, translations, photos and police certificates, which are set by the test centre, translator, photographer or foreign police service rather than by IRCC (canada.ca, checked 5 October 2026).

• Language proof (ages 18 to 54): IRCC accepts a school diploma, transcript or certificate showing study in English or French, or a third-party test result, so a diploma can save you the cost of a test. Test fees are set by the test provider.
• Police certificates: an adult needs one from each country outside Canada where they spent 183 days or more in a row in the past 4 years; see our police certificate guide.
• Translations: a document not in English or French needs a translation, certified or with an affidavit from the translator, paid to the translator.
• Photos: a paper application asks for 2 printed colour citizenship photos that follow IRCC's specifications; an online application lists the documents to upload in your account.
• After you become a citizen: a passport is a separate application with its own fees, which IRCC lists on its passport fee payment page.

Those documents are listed in IRCC's adult documents guide, and our citizenship application guide covers the full checklist.

Does using a representative change the citizenship fee?

No, the IRCC fee is the same with or without a representative, and IRCC says using one does not draw special attention to your application or guarantee its approval (IRCC how-to-apply page, checked 5 October 2026).

IRCC sets one rule for online applications: if a representative helps, you create your own account, fill out the application yourself and sign and submit it, and the representative can help you answer questions and communicate with IRCC after you submit. If you want a representative to complete and submit the application for you, IRCC says to apply on paper. A paid representative's own fee is separate from the government fee; ours is set out in our fees guide.

How long does the citizenship application take once you pay?

IRCC shows a current processing time of about 12 months for Canadian citizenship (canada.ca urgent processing page, checked 5 October 2026), and our citizenship processing time guide breaks that into stages from application to oath.

Urgent processing exists only for exceptional cases, such as needing citizenship to apply for a job, to avoid losing a job, or to travel because of a death or serious illness in the family when you cannot get a passport in your current nationality. IRCC checks each request and may not be able to process it urgently (canada.ca, checked 5 October 2026).

When is it worth talking to a licensed RCIC about your citizenship application?

Talk to a licensed RCIC if you are unsure you meet the requirements before paying, your travel history is complicated, someone in your family has an unusual status, or an application was returned; a straightforward file is a job many applicants do themselves.

• Eligibility doubts: paying a fee for an ineligible applicant loses part of it, so counting days and checking tax filing first is worth the time.
• Family applications: adults, minors and guardians each have separate forms, and the online group rules limit who can see and sign what.
• Special situations: stateless applicants, lost Canadians, resumption and citizenship by descent have their own routes and fees.
• A returned application: an unpaid or partly paid fee, or a missing receipt, sends the file back and costs you time.

Working under a licensed RCIC (CICC #R706497), our team represents clients entirely online, by video call and secure document sharing, and never guarantees an immigration outcome. Prefer to file yourself? Our lower-cost File Review has an RCIC check your application before you submit.