Add keywords: citizenship certificate correction
Amending your citizenship certificate is nothing more than changing the information on your certificate, or in other words, updating your certificate to reflect new information about you.
How to amend your citizenship certificate?
The process in all of these is as follows:
- What do you want to change? Is it a mistake made my IRCC officials when they first issued your citizenship certificate? Did you, instead, incorrectly fill out your application for your certificate? Or is it a name change? Or is it other information you want to change?
- If the problem is a mistake made by immigration officers, and you spot it within 90 days of receiving your certificate, you can get a replacement certificate without having to pay the fee. Go here to our page to see how to do it.
- Gather your documents to support the change you want.
- Apply for a replacement certificate and indicate this on form cit0001 – the main form you use to apply for citizenship certificates. Include your supporting documents in the package and use the document check list – form cit014 – to make sure you have included everything.
- Mail the package to the appropriate address or send it to the nearest embassy, consulate, or high commission (contact them to make sure they offer citizenship services) if you are not living in Canada nor the USA. Go here for more information about where to send your application.
What is possible to amend on by citizenship certificate?
The 3 main things you normally change on a citizenship certificate are:
- Your name – go here to our page on how to change your name.
- Your date of birth: to change your date of birth you must ensure you have a birth certificate with the correct birth date on it.
- The birth date on your citizenship certificate is normally obtained from your birth certificate or from your foreign passport.
- You will need supporting documents that show your correct birth date. If you have changed the information on your Record of Landing, you’ll need a copy of an approved Request to Amend a Record of Landing (IMM 1000) or Confirmation of Permanent Residence (IMM 5292 or IMM 5688).
- If you have legally changed your date of birth, you’ll need a provincial/territorial court order changing your date of birth, AND you must complete the questionnaire Request to Correct a Date of Birth for Citizenship (form CIT 0464).
- If you live outside Canada, you fill out the same questionnaire (CIT 0464) and obtain the foreign court order that legally changed your name.
- If you’re a former permanent resident of Canada (in other words, you are now a naturalized citizen of Canada) and you were not able to change your date of birth on your Record of Landing you must provide a copy of the refused Request to Amend a Record of Landing (IMM 1000) or Confirmation of Permanent Residence (IMM 5292 or IMM 5688), as well as fill out form CIT 0464.
- Your gender: If your gender has changed, submit a Request form: Change of Sex or Gender Identifier (IRM 0002).
What is not possible to amend on my document?
Your citizenship certificate shows:
- Your name, date of birth, and gender – all of which can be changed, AND
- Your effective date of citizenship – which is decided by immigration authorities and can’t be amended.
- Your Certificate Number – which can’t be amended.
- Your Unique Client Identifier – which can’t be amended.
What documents do I need to amend my citizenship certificate?
Go here to our name change page and go here to our page on how to fix mistakes to see what documents you’ll need.
Tip: Need to contact IRCC, click here to learn how.
FAQs
What if IRCC will not amend my citizenship certificate (card)?
This is usually because your supporting documents are not sufficient to convince immigration officials. So, in that case, you have to try and obtain better supporting documentation.
What if I can’t get the document proving the amendment?
You’ll need to find an alternative document. Without documentation, it’s going to be very difficult, if not impossible, to convince immigration officials to change your citizenship certificate.
What if I made a mistake on my Canadian citizenship application?
If you’re living in Canada or the US, you can update your application using IRCC’s webform found here. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the blue Tell us more button to give the correct information.
If you live outside Canada and the US, contact your nearest embassy, consulate, or high commission to provide the new, correct information.
How much does it cost to amend my citizenship certificate?
Unless it’s to correct a mistake made by immigration officials and done within 90 days (in which case it’s free), the fee for a replacement citizenship certificate is $75. Do I have to send original document to immigration Canada?
Riley Haas has been a leading expert since 2011 on immigration matters, with hundreds of publications online. Published author of three books about political philosophy, the Beatles and the Toronto Maple Leafs, respectively. BA from Bishop’s University, MA from McMaster University. You follow Riley on Substack https://rileyhaas.substack.com.
