Dual citizenship Canada: how it works

Dual citizenship Canada: the rule since 1977

Canada has recognised dual and multiple citizenship since the Citizenship Act came into force on 15 February 1977, so becoming a Canadian citizen does not require you to renounce any other nationality, and a Canadian who acquires a second nationality keeps Canadian status. That Act removed the older rule under which a Canadian automatically lost citizenship by naturalising elsewhere, and it placed no renunciation condition on new Canadians.

When you take the citizenship oath you swear allegiance to the King of Canada and to Canadian law. You are not asked to give up any other allegiance, and IRCC does not notify your other country that you have naturalised.

That is worth stating plainly because the paperwork can suggest otherwise. Nothing on the adult grant application asks you to surrender a passport, and the citizenship certificate issued after the ceremony makes no reference to your other nationality. IRCC records the citizenships you declare and moves on. If you are weighing permanent residence against the full grant, our comparison of PR and citizenship sets out what actually changes, and the hub page on how to become a Canadian citizen covers the route end to end.

People who became Canadian before 1977 and lost another citizenship as a result, or who lost Canadian citizenship by naturalising elsewhere before that date, fall under the “lost Canadians” provisions that have been amended several times, most recently by Bill C-3, in force since 15 December 2025. Our guide to Canadian citizenship by descent covers those situations, including the first-generation limit and the substantial-connection test.

How do you get dual citizenship in Canada?

You get dual citizenship in Canada by acquiring Canadian citizenship while keeping the one you already hold, and there is no separate application because dual citizenship is not a status IRCC grants. Three routes produce it.

• Naturalisation: you become a dual citizen by meeting the Canadian citizenship requirements, filing the citizenship application, passing the test and taking the oath, while your first country lets you keep its citizenship.
• Birth in Canada: a child born in Canada to foreign parents is a Canadian citizen by birth and usually inherits the parents' citizenship as well, often after the parents register the birth at their consulate.
• Birth abroad to a Canadian parent: a child born outside Canada to a Canadian parent may be Canadian by descent, subject to the first-generation rules as amended by Bill C-3, while also holding the citizenship of the country of birth. A Canadian citizenship certificate is the document that proves the Canadian half.

Only the first route has a queue attached. It runs through permanent residence, whether that came from Express Entry, a provincial nominee program or family sponsorship, then 1,095 days of physical presence in the five years before you apply, then tax filing for three of those years, the knowledge test for applicants aged 18 to 54, and the oath. Nothing in that sequence touches your first nationality.

Which countries allow dual citizenship with Canada?

The United Kingdom, the United States, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, the Philippines, Nigeria, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia and Pakistan all permit their citizens to hold Canadian citizenship at the same time, while India, China, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates generally do not. Canada's own position is identical for every country: the restriction, where one exists, comes from the other side.

The table below sets out the general position for the countries our clients most often come from. Every one of these has exceptions and the rules change, so confirm with the relevant consulate before you take the oath, not after.

Dual citizenship Canada country by country: the four cases we see most

British citizens. The simplest case in the table. The United Kingdom places no restriction on holding another nationality, requires no notification to the Home Office, and your British passport stays valid alongside the Canadian one. The only change is the travel rule: from the day you become Canadian you board flights to Canada on the Canadian passport. Our guide to moving to Canada from the UK covers the permanent-residence routes that get you to the citizenship stage in the first place.

Americans. Also straightforward on the immigration side and the most complicated on the tax side. The United States does not remove citizenship from someone who naturalises in Canada without an intention to relinquish, so Canadian-Americans are common. What continues is the US filing obligation on worldwide income, plus foreign account reporting, regardless of where you live. Canadian-Americans are also the one group exempt from the Canadian passport boarding rule. See whether a US citizen can move to Canada for the routes north.

Indian citizens. The hardest conversation we have. Indian law does not permit dual citizenship: Indian citizenship ends automatically when you acquire another, and the Indian passport must be surrendered. The Overseas Citizen of India card restores most practical rights, including lifelong visa-free entry and the ability to own most property, but it is a residency document, not citizenship, and it does not carry voting rights or agricultural land rights. Weigh that against the benefits of Canadian citizenship before you file, and read our guide to moving to Canada from India for the wider picture. Some clients stay permanent residents for years for exactly this reason, which is a valid choice as long as the residency obligation on the permanent resident card is met.

Australians, Irish and Filipinos. All three permit dual nationality, and the Irish and Filipino cases often run the other way: a Canadian discovers an Irish grandparent or a Filipino parent and acquires the second citizenship years after the Canadian one. That direction is equally safe. Since 1977, acquiring a foreign nationality has no effect on Canadian status, so a Canadian who registers as an Irish citizen by descent simply becomes a dual citizen.

The passport rule that catches dual citizens

Since November 2016, every Canadian citizen boarding a flight to Canada must present a valid Canadian passport. The Canada eTA that visa-exempt travellers use cannot be issued to a Canadian citizen, so a dual citizen who tries to fly on a British or Australian passport is refused boarding. The one exception is a Canadian-American dual citizen, who may travel on a valid US passport. At a land border the rule is different: a Canadian can enter with other acceptable proof of citizenship, though a passport is still the document that avoids questions.

The practical sequence matters. You receive your citizenship certificate at the Canadian citizenship ceremony, and that certificate is what a passport application needs. Apply for the Canadian passport straight away and before booking any travel, because a new citizen who leaves the country on a foreign passport can find the return flight closed to them. If travel is urgent, Canadian passport offices operate urgent and express services for a higher fee; check current options and fees on canada.ca rather than assuming a same-day counter exists near you.

Taxes, military service and other practical points

Holding two citizenships changes six practical things for you: how you are taxed, whether another country can call you up for national service, how much consular help Canada can give you inside that country, what your children inherit, how you vote, and how you sponsor family.

• Tax: Canada taxes on residence, so a dual citizen living in Canada files Canadian returns on worldwide income while one living abroad generally does not, unless they keep Canadian residential ties. The United States is the exception that taxes its citizens wherever they live, so Canadian-Americans file in both countries, with foreign tax credits and the tax treaty preventing double taxation in most cases. This is accountancy rather than immigration, so get cross-border advice.
• Military and national service: Canada has no conscription, but some countries impose service obligations on their citizens regardless of where those citizens live. Travel on the passport of the country you are entering where its law requires it.
• Consular help: Canada may be unable to assist you inside the other country of your citizenship if that country treats you solely as its own national. Global Affairs Canada says as much in its own travel advice, and it is the single most underrated cost of holding two passports.
• Children: a child born in Canada is Canadian and usually inherits the parents' citizenship too, so register the child with the other country if its law requires it. A child born abroad to a Canadian parent is subject to the descent rules described below.
• Voting and public office: dual citizens vote and can run for office in Canada on the same terms as any other citizen. Some countries restrict voting or office for their own citizens who hold another nationality.
• Sponsoring family: a dual citizen sponsors a spouse, partner or child exactly as any Canadian citizen does, and unlike a permanent resident may sponsor from outside Canada if they intend to return. Our spousal sponsorship Canada guide sets out the income, undertaking and relationship-evidence requirements.

Dual citizenship, children born abroad and the first-generation limit

A child born outside Canada to a Canadian parent is generally a Canadian citizen at birth and, in almost every case, a citizen of the country of birth as well, which is dual citizenship arriving automatically with no application. Descent is the one place where Canadian law puts a boundary on inherited citizenship, and that boundary moved recently.

The old first-generation limit stopped the chain at the first generation born abroad. Bill C-3, in force from 15 December 2025, changed it: children born abroad before that date are in most cases now citizens with no test to meet, while for births and adoptions on or after it, the Canadian parent must show 1,095 days of physical presence in Canada before the birth, the substantial-connection test.

For families this is the difference between a child who is a dual citizen from birth and a child who needs a sponsored permanent-residence application later. Where the claim exists, the document that proves it is the citizenship certificate, and IRCC publishes a processing time of about 33 months for it against about 12 months for a citizenship grant (IRCC processing times feed, 3 September 2026), so apply early rather than in the month before a passport is needed.

Can you lose Canadian citizenship?

You can lose Canadian citizenship in only two ways: you renounce it voluntarily by application to IRCC, or, if you were naturalised, IRCC revokes it because the application that granted it involved fraud or misrepresentation. Acquiring another citizenship, living abroad for decades, or holding a foreign passport does not affect Canadian status.

People renounce when a country they want to move to forbids dual citizenship, or for tax reasons. Renunciation is a formal decision with its own form and fee, and it is final in practice, though resumption is possible in limited circumstances. Revocation reaches misrepresentation such as hiding a criminal record, using a false identity, or overstating physical presence in the application that granted citizenship.

That is a genuine advantage over permanent residence, which does expire in effect: a permanent resident must meet the 730-day residency obligation in every rolling five-year period and can lose status for serious criminality. Citizenship carries neither condition, which is why so many clients who never intend to leave Canada still apply.

Dual citizenship and the route to becoming Canadian

For most readers, the question behind dual citizenship Canada rules is simply whether they will have to choose. If your country is in the allowed group, you will not, and the only work left is the citizenship application itself: 1,095 days of physical presence in the five years before you apply, tax filing for three of those years, the Canadian citizenship test for ages 18 to 54, and a complete file. Our guide to the citizenship application covers the forms and the fee, and the citizenship processing time page sets out the 12-month timeline IRCC currently publishes. For what actually changes once you take the oath, our overview of the benefits of Canadian citizenship lays out the practical differences from permanent residence.

Compliance note. Wild Mountain Immigration is a licensed RCIC practice (CICC R706497) that answers dual citizenship Canada questions under Canadian immigration and citizenship law only. Whether another country permits dual citizenship, and the tax consequences of holding two, are questions for that country's authorities and a qualified accountant respectively. We do not act before the Immigration and Refugee Board or the Federal Court, and we never guarantee an outcome.