Renouncing Canadian Citizenship

What does it mean to be a Canadian Citizen?

A Canadian citizen is someone who has been granted certain rights and privileges by Canada, and who is expected to uphold certain obligations to Canada in return. People are granted citizenship by being born in the country, by being born to Canadian parents (in certain instances), by serving in the Canadian military or by immigrating to Canada as a Permanent Resident and then fulfilling the obligations needed to become a Canadian citizen.

Canadian citizens carry a Canadian passport, can vote in Canadian elections, can run for political office and are guaranteed to be able to enter, live, work or study anywhere in Canada.

Why would someone renounce their Canadian Citizenship?

Indeed, it is possible that someone just doesn’t want to be Canadian anymore. Decisions to renounce Canadian Citizenship may be made on the basis of political beliefs, ideological differences or most commonly, because the individual wants to become a Citizen of a different nation and that nation prohibits dual citizenship. In order to acquire the nationality of a country that you desire to belong to, it may be necessary to give up Canadian citizenship.

In other situations, an individual may wish to run for political office in another country and are forbidden from doing so if they are a dual citizen. Canada does not presently have compulsory military service, so there is no need to renounce Citizenship to avoid military service.

Changes to Canada’s citizenship regulations in 2009 and 2015 mean that some people became Canadian on that date who were not previously Canadian Citizens. This can be problematic for some, especially those who have had no ties to Canada during their lifetime and who may be a Citizen of a country that prohibits dual citizenship.

Canada does not tax it’s citizens unless they are living inside Canada, so renouncing Canadian Citizenship to avoid paying income tax is not as common as it might be for citizens of another foreign government (like United States Citizenship), who have different tax obligations.

Who is eligible to renounce Canadian Citizenship?

In order to be eligible to voluntarily renounce your Canadian Citizenship, you must meet the following criteria:

• you have a different foreign nationality, so that you are not rendered stateless when you renounce Canadian Citizenship. You might be a dual citizen, or you might be able to acquire citizenship of a foreign country when you renounce Canadian Citizenship
• you are living outside of Canada
• you are at least 18 years old
• you have the ability to understand the significance of renouncing Citizenship
• you are not in trouble, like undergoing revocation proceedings, or considered a criminal or a threat to Canada’s security

How do I renounce my Canadian Citizenship?

There are two different application processes for those who want to renounce Canadian Citizenship. One process is for those who automatically became Canadian citizens due to changes in the Citizenship Act in 2009 or 2015. The other process is for everyone else.

There are two main factors to prove in the application to renounce citizenship – that you are currently a Canadian Citizen, and that you are, or will become, a citizen of a country other than Canada.

The application package consists of a government form to complete along with copies of required documents that must be included as evidence. The exact documents you need to include will vary with each specific situation but generally include some combination of a passport size photo, your birth certificate, your parent’s birth certificate, copies of your ID documents like a driver’s license, documents to show a name change, as well as a foreign passport to show you have an alternate Citizenship. If you have an original Canadian Citizenship certificate, you will also need to return that with the application package.

The form itself is quite confusing, as it is designed to deal with a wide variety of potential situations. You will need to carefully ensure that you have completed all of the sections that apply in your situation, while avoiding those sections that do not apply to you.

How much does it cost to renounce Canadian Citizenship?

The Canadian government will charge you $100 per person as a renunciation fee when you submit your application. If you choose to hire counsel to take care of your application, there will be additional costs to use their services.

How long does it take to renounce Canadian Citizenship?

The standard processing time for applications to Renounce Canadian Citizenship is about 14 months. Urgent processing can be requested in certain situations, but there is no guarantee that Canada will make a decision in any specific timeframe.

What do you lose when you renounce Canadian Citizenship?

Renouncing Canadian Citizenship means that you lose all legal ties to Canada, including the use of a Canadian passport for travel, assurance that you are always going to be allowed to enter Canada, Consular services provided to Canadian Citizens overseas in case of emergency, the ability to work or study in Canada, and the ability to remain inside Canada for as long as you wish. You will also no longer be able vote in Canadian elections, or run for political office. Your children born after your decision to voluntarily renounce will not be entitled to Canadian citizenship.

This means that if you renounce citizenship when you are outside Canada, and then wish to travel to Canada, you will need to apply for an eTA or a temporary resident visa, depending on which passport you retain after you lose your Canadian citizenship.

If my request to renounce is approved, can I still remain in Canada?

Once you are no longer a Canadian Citizen, then you are subject to the usual immigration rules for foreign nationals. That means if you wish to remain inside Canada after you renounce your Canadian Citizenship, you will need to submit a completed application form for a visitor record. You also cannot work or study inside Canada without holding the proper permit.

Can you get Canadian citizenship back after renouncing?

Renouncing Canadian Citizenship is a formal process that results in you severing your legal status with Canada. The only way to undo that process is to start over again with Canada’s immigration process, applying for Permanent Residence, achieving Permanent Resident status and then maintaining enough time inside Canada to qualify for Canadian Citizenship again. If you become a Permanent Resident of Canada, and were previously a Canadian Citizen, then you can make an application to resume your Canadian Citizenship after being physically present in the country as a Permanent Resident for 1 year, and after filing at least 1 income tax return.

It’s important to note that is not easy to qualify for Permanent Residence, and the eligibility rules change frequently; therefore anyone considering renouncing Canadian Citizenship should be content with the idea that the loss of status is likely permanent.



Note that individuals whose Citizenship was revoked cannot apply to resume Citizenship in this way.

What is the difference between renounce and revoke Canadian Citizenship?

Renouncing Canadian Citizenship means that the individual is deciding they no longer want to be a Canadian Citizen and have voluntarily asked the Canadian government to remove their status. Revoking Canadian Citizenship means that the Canadian government has decided they no longer want the individual to be a Canadian Citizen, and they are forcibly taking the status away, regardless of the wishes of the individual.