Do I need to renounce my citizenship if I become a Canadian citizen?
Canada allows and recognizes dual citizenship, so if you’re naturalized as a Canadian citizen, you might be able to retain your other citizenship(s).
Whether you can retain your other citizenship(s) after having been naturalized will depend on the laws of the other country or countries of which you are a citizen.
Schedule a Free Canadian Citizenship Consultation with the Cohen Immigration
Law Firm
Some countries allow their citizens to become citizens of another country. Others do not. Certain countries recognize dual citizenship but impose certain conditions.
In this article, we review the top 10 source countries for naturalized Canadian citizens, and whether or not citizens of those countries can hold dual citizenship.
In the below table, we show whether each source country allows dual citizenship, and if so, whether certain conditions are required to hold dual citizenship:
| Country | Dual citizenship allowed? | Conditions for dual citizenship |
|---|---|---|
| India | No | N/A |
| Philippines | Yes | Yes |
| China | No | N/A |
| Nigeria | Yes | Yes |
| Pakistan | Yes | Yes |
| Iran | No | N/A |
| United States of America | Yes | No |
| Brazil | Yes | No |
| France | Yes | No |
| Syria | Yes | No |
If your home country prohibits dual citizenship, you’ll either lose your original citizenship automatically when you become a citizen of Canada, or will have to renounce your original citizenship upon being naturalized as a Canadian citizen.
If you hold dual citizenship, you will have the rights and privileges of a citizen of both countries.
India
India does not allow dual citizenship, so obtaining Canadian citizenship would require Indian nationals to renounce their Indian citizenship and surrender their Indian passport at the closest Indian High Commission/Consulate/Embassy as soon as possible.
Under the Indian Passport Act, 1967, it is a punishable offence to apply for, hold, renew, or travel on an Indian passport after having obtained foreign citizenship.
As an Indian national, you may be able to obtain an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) designation, which is essentially a life-long visa with certain privileges attached.
Philippines
Dual citizenship is recognized in the Philippines under certain conditions.
Individuals who are married to a Filipino, children who were born abroad and have at least one Filipino parent, and individuals born in the Philippines who have acquired a foreign citizenship are permitted to have dual citizenship.
If you do not fall under one of these conditions, you cannot retain your Filipino citizenship if you obtain Canadian citizenship.
China
The People’s Republic of China does not recognize dual nationality for any Chinese national.
Chinese nationals who have been naturalized as citizens of a foreign nation or obtain by their own free will a foreign nationality will automatically lose their Chinese citizenship.
The government of Canada currently advises exercising a high degree of caution when traveling to China, urging Chinese-Canadians to travel using their Canadian passport. Entering China with your Chinese passport/identity card may result in the refusal to grant access to Canadian consular services, as the Chinese government may consider you to be a Chinese citizen.
Nigeria
Under Nigerian law, you are permitted to hold dual citizenship and be recognized as a citizen of two countries if you gained your Nigerian citizenship at birth or through descent. If you fall under this category you can obtain Canadian citizenship while remaining a citizen of Nigeria.
However, if you became a Nigerian national through naturalization, you are required to renounce your Nigerian citizenship if you wish to become a Canadian citizen.
Pakistan
Pakistani citizens are permitted to retain their original citizenship if they obtain Canadian citizenship.
Pakistan has recently formalized citizenship agreements with 22 designated countries under the Pakistan Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2024.
This means that if you acquire nationality in one of these countries (one of which is Canada), you will not be required to renounce your Pakistani citizenship.
Iran
Iran does not recognize dual citizenship and considers dual citizens to be Iranian citizens.
The country does not permit Iranian nationals to abandon their nationality unless they meet certain conditions.
The government informs Canadian-Iranian citizens that they must enter and exit Iran using your Iranian passport. Iran may deny Canadian-Iranians access to Canadian consular services.
If the Iranian government finds you to have dual citizenship, you may not be permitted to leave Iran unless you meet certain conditions, and you are at risk of being questioned, arrested, detained, and/or having your passport confiscated.
United States of America
As a US citizen, you are permitted to obtain Canadian citizenship. This is because the US recognizes dual citizenship.
The US government does, however, require dual nationals to enter and leave the US using their US passport; they are not permitted to use foreign passports to do so.
Brazil
There is no need to renounce your Brazilian citizenship if you obtain Canadian citizenship, as Brazil wholly recognizes dual citizenship.
The government of Canada warns, however, that if you hold Brazilian and Canadian citizenship, access to consular services may be limited while you’re in Brazil.
France
French nationals are not required to give up their French citizenship if they obtain citizenship of a foreign country, including Canada.
There are no special conditions or limitations to France’s allowance of dual citizenship.
Syria
Officially the Syrian Arab Republic, Syria allows its citizens to maintain dual citizenship.
Accordingly, if you wish to obtain Canadian citizenship, you are not required to renounce your Syrian citizenship.
It is worth noting that while Syria does recognize dual citizenship, Syrian law states that a Syrian with dual citizenship is a Syrian citizen first. This means Syria will prioritize your Syrian citizenship over any other nationality when dealing with legal, administrative, or diplomatic matters.
How to become a Canadian citizen through naturalization
Those that did not acquire Canadian citizenship at birth or have it passed down through citizenship-by-descent can become Canadian citizens through naturalization if they fulfill a set of specific criteria outlined by the Canadian Citizenship Act.
To obtain Canadian citizenship through naturalization, you must:
- Be a permanent resident;
- Meet Canada’s minimum physical presence requirements, requiring you to have resided in the country for at least 1,095 days within the past five years before applying;
- Have filed your taxes (if required by law) within that five-year period;
- Take and pass a Canadian citizenship test (if you are between the ages of 18 and 54); and
- Demonstrate that your language proficiency is at a CLB 4 or higher.
Minors (individuals 18 and below) are not required to meet the physical presence requirement.
You can take the take the Canadian citizenship test—which consists of 20 multiple choice/true-or-false questions—in either English or French.
If eligible, you will be granted Canadian citizenship in a virtual or in-person ceremony, where you will be required to take the oath of citizenship. Individuals under the age of 14 are not expected to take part.
At the time of writing, Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) current processing time for Canadian citizenship applications is 10 months.
If you want to see whether you qualify for Canadian citizenship, you can use CanadaVisa’s free citizenship eligibility calculator.
Schedule a Free Canadian Citizenship Consultation with the Cohen Immigration
Law Firm
- Do you need Canadian immigration assistance? Contact the Contact Cohen Immigration Law firm by completing our form
- Send us your feedback or your non-legal assistance questions by emailing us at media@canadavisa.com
