A translation sworn affidavit for IRCC for your permanent residence can fall short at the citizenship stage. Express Entry recognizes certified translators from associations "in Canada or abroad." The citizenship pages recognize only members of a provincial or territorial organization in Canada, and ask every other translator for an affidavit.
The good news: a citizenship application needs far fewer translations than PR did. Your PR card, physical presence calculation, Canadian IDs and language test results are already in English or French. What remains is a short list, and each item on it has its own rule.
This guide covers which documents need translating, what the translation must show, police certificates, language proof from schools abroad, names and dates of birth, minors, and the mistakes that get applications returned.
Which documents need translating for a Canadian citizenship application?
Only documents you submit that are not in English or French, and for most adults that is a handful. Adults file one application each (form Cit 0002 on paper, or the online application), and children apply on their own forms.
| Document | When IRCC asks for it | Translation notes |
|---|---|---|
| Police certificates | Each country outside Canada where you spent 183+ days in a row in the past 4 years, since age 18 | The whole certificate |
| Diploma, transcript or report card | Language proof from studies in English or French abroad (ages 18 to 54) | Plus a school letter on the language of instruction |
| Marriage certificate, divorce decree, court order or foreign name-change document | Your name differs from your immigration record | Both names exactly as written |
| Foreign government ID | Only if you use one as one of your two IDs | Both sides |
| Passport extension pages | You extended a passport during the eligibility period | The extension stamp |
| Birth certificate or adoption order | Minor applicants | The parents' names |
| Guardianship documents | An adult applicant has a legal guardian | The full document |
No translation is needed for the PR card, the physical presence calculation, approved language test results, LINC or CLIC certificates, Canadian IDs or photos. Passport identity pages are usually printed in English or French alongside the national language.
What does IRCC accept as a translation for citizenship?
The citizenship pages set two routes. First: "If any document is not in English or French, provide a translation along with the document in the original language." Then:
- A certified translator, "a member in good standing of a provincial or territorial organization" of translators in Canada, whose seal or stamp shows a membership number IRCC can verify.
- An uncertified translator, who "must be fluent in both languages (the original language of the document and English or French)," plus an affidavit that "confirms the translator's language skills and the accuracy of the translation."
The affidavit must be sworn "in the presence of an authorized person." In Canada that is a notary public, a commissioner of oaths or a commissioner for taking affidavits, and IRCC adds that "these options may vary by province or territory." Abroad, "a notary public may be able to authorize the affidavit, depending on the country."
You may not translate your own documents, and neither may a parent, guardian, sibling, spouse, common-law or conjugal partner, grandparent, child, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew or first cousin. Our IRCC translation requirements guide covers the general rule.
What the translation must show
IRCC's citizenship pages spell out three things a translation must do, and officers can check each one against the original:
- Follow the original's order: "translate the content in the same order as on the original document."
- Leave nothing out: "include all text on the original document, such as the letterhead, fine print and stamps."
- Carry a date: "include the date when the translation was done."
Can I reuse the translations from my PR application?
Often, yes, if each one meets the citizenship standard. Check four things before you upload an old translation:
- Who certified it. A translator certified only by an association abroad, with no affidavit, met the Express Entry rule but not the citizenship one.
- The date. An undated translation does not meet the instruction above.
- Completeness. Stamps, fine print and reverse sides must all be there.
- The document itself. A marriage certificate does not go stale; a police certificate counts only if issued after your last stay in that country or within 6 months of signing.
The documents most likely to be new at citizenship are police certificates for stays abroad since you landed, school letters for language proof and name-change records. See Express Entry documents translation for how the PR rule differs.
Which police certificates do citizenship applicants need?
One from each country outside Canada where you were "in the past 4 years," "for 183 days or more in a row" and "since the age of 18." The window is four years, not the five-year eligibility period used for physical presence.
There is one exception. You do not need a certificate if "you were in your country of origin immediately before becoming a permanent resident and landing in Canada," within those four years. To be valid, a certificate must be issued "after the last time you were in that country, or within 6 months of signing your application form."
A certificate in another language goes in with its translation. IRCC can request police certificates at any time, so a long posting abroad during the eligibility period is worth documenting early. See police certificate translation.
How do you prove language skills with education from abroad?
With the diploma, transcript, certificate or report card from secondary or post-secondary studies completed in English or French, if you are between 18 and 54 when you sign. If that document is not in English or French, IRCC asks you to "include also a certified translation of the document," "a letter from the school showing that the language of instruction was in English or French" and "the address and phone number of the school."
A test is often simpler: results from approved tests such as CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training, TEF or TCF need no translation. See English and French language proof.
How do name changes and dates of birth affect the application?
Your certificate follows your immigration record unless you prove a legal change. For a change in Canada, IRCC asks for one marriage certificate, divorce decree or civil union document, or a legal change-of-name document, court order or adoption order. For a change made abroad, the document must have been "issued by a foreign authority" and must link "your previous name to your new name," alongside an updated passport or national ID.
The translation has to make that link visible: both names exactly as written, with every registration number and stamp. Where the original uses another script, the translator should follow the Latin spelling in your passport, so the old and new names match your other documents.
Dates of birth are stricter. "The certificate will show the same date of birth as the one on your immigration document," and "you can't change your date of birth after you submit your application." A translated birth certificate with a different date does not change the certificate on its own. See name change and foreign documents.
What do minors need translated?
It depends on the child's route. A minor with a Canadian parent, or a parent applying at the same time, applies under subsection 5(2) on form Cit 0003, with a birth certificate or adoption order showing the child's name, date and place of birth and "the names of their parents or adoptive parents." A minor with no Canadian parent and no parent applying at the same time applies under 5(1) on form Cit 0403, proving the applicant's relationship through a birth certificate, adoption order, provincial or territorial court custody document, or permanent guardianship order.
A child's two IDs may be a school record, health card or immunization record, and foreign ones need translating. The translator "can't be the applicant (the minor) or related to the minor."
If you were born abroad to a Canadian parent, you may already be a citizen and need proof of citizenship rather than a grant. The Citizenship Act's rules on citizenship by descent were amended with effect from December 15, 2025; see children, dependants and proof of citizenship.
Why citizenship applications get returned or delayed
Under section 13 of the Citizenship Act, an application is accepted for processing only if it is in the required form and "accompanied by any supporting evidence and fees required." On paper, IRCC returns incomplete applications, and if it cannot read your forms or documents, "we may return your application." Translation causes to avoid:
- A required document with no translation, or a translation sent without the original-language document.
- A translator certified abroad, with no affidavit.
- An undated or partial translation, missing stamps, fine print or the reverse side.
- A relative's translation, however fluent.
- Foreign school records without the school's letter on the language of instruction.
- Name-change documents that do not link both names.
Checklist: citizenship translations
Questions people ask
Do I need to translate my passport for a citizenship application?
Usually not. IRCC asks for colour copies of the identity pages, which are normally printed in English or French as well as the national language. If you extended a passport during the eligibility period, include the extension pages and translate any stamp that is not in English or French.
Can I reuse the translations from my PR application?
Yes, if they meet the citizenship standard: by a member of a Canadian provincial or territorial translators' organization or backed by the translator's affidavit, dated, and complete. A translation certified only by an association abroad, with no affidavit, should be redone with an affidavit.
Does a translator certified in my home country need to add an affidavit?
For citizenship, yes. The citizenship pages define a certified translator as a member of a provincial or territorial organization in Canada, so any other translator must swear an affidavit confirming their language skills and the accuracy of the translation.
Do police certificates for citizenship need to be translated?
Yes, if they are not in English or French. You need one for each country outside Canada where you spent 183 days or more in a row in the past 4 years since turning 18, unless it was your country of origin immediately before you landed.
Can my spouse or a relative translate my documents?
No. IRCC bars the applicant and a long list of relatives, from parents and siblings to spouses, partners, cousins, nieces and nephews. An uncertified translator must be independent, fluent in both languages, and swear an affidavit.
My birth certificate shows a different date of birth from my PR documents. What happens?
The citizenship certificate shows the date of birth on your immigration document. To change it you must provide supporting documents, such as a corrected verification of status or a court order, and you cannot change the date after you submit your application.
How much does a citizenship translation cost, and how long does it take?
Official Translations charges CA$39.95 per page of up to 300 words, with a signed Certificate of Accuracy, plus CA$24.95 per document for the translator's sworn affidavit. Most one-page documents arrive as a signed PDF within 24 hours, and longer documents take 1 to 3 business days.
