In this article
The last step
The citizenship ceremony is where you take the Oath of Citizenship. For anyone fourteen or older, taking that oath is a legal condition of becoming a citizen. Your certificate will show the date you became a citizen, and that date is the day you take the oath.
Everyone eighteen and over must take it. Minors aged fourteen to seventeen must take it. Children under fourteen do not, though they may attend, and if they do, the parent or guardian who applied for them must be there too.
The current wording
The oath was amended in June 2021 to recognise the Aboriginal and treaty rights of First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples. This is the wording used today.
I swear (or affirm) that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles the Third, King of Canada, His Heirs and Successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada including the Constitution which recognizes and affirms the Aboriginal and treaty rights of First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples, and fulfill my duties as a Canadian citizen.
A note worth making, because it confuses people who go looking: the Schedule to the Citizenship Act still contains the older text naming Queen Elizabeth the Second. Parliament has not textually amended the Schedule, and the Sovereign's name is read forward by operation of law rather than by rewriting the statute. The wording actually recited at ceremonies, and published by IRCC, is the King Charles the Third version above.
Swearing or affirming
Both are permitted, and neither is better.
You swear if you wish to make a religious reference, and you may bring a holy book to swear on.
You affirm if you do not.
You choose. Nobody asks you to justify it.
The two formats
There are exactly two: in person, and virtual by video conference. IRCC assigns you a format. You can request a reschedule if you need to change it.
There is no self administered online oath. If someone tells you there is, they are describing something that does not appear anywhere on IRCC's current ceremony pages.
Both formats take a few hours and include registration, speeches, the oath itself, the national anthem, and photos.
What actually happens
At an in person ceremony, you register at a desk, where officials verify your identity and ask you the questions about situations that would prevent citizenship. They collect your permanent resident card. You take the oath, standing if you are able. You sign the Oath or Affirmation of Citizenship form. And if you chose a paper certificate, you receive it there and then.
At a virtual ceremony, you join by link and use your seat number as your screen name. During private registration you will be asked to cut up your own permanent resident card with scissors, on camera. You remain seated throughout, including for the oath. Afterwards, you must sign and date the Oath or Affirmation of Citizenship form on the same day you take the oath, not the day before and not the day after, and email it back.
Bring scissors to a virtual ceremony. That sentence sounds absurd and it is nonetheless the rule.
What to bring
Your ceremony invitation.
Your permanent resident card, even if it has expired, or your Confirmation of Permanent Residence. Bring the PR card for every person including minors, even a minor who is not attending.
Two pieces of identification if you are an adult, at least one showing both a photo and a signature. If your PR card is one of them, the second must be government issued. A parent or guardian who applied on behalf of a minor brings one piece of identification. Minors bring two, and photo and signature are not required.
Your Record of Landing, form IMM 1000, if you became a permanent resident before 28 June 2002 and still have it. Keep it afterwards. You may need it years later for benefits such as Old Age Security.
For a virtual ceremony, your seat number and a pair of scissors.
For an in person ceremony, the signed permission release and consent form.
A holy book, if you wish to swear on one.
Your certificate
You choose electronic or paper when you apply, and confirm at the ceremony.
An electronic certificate appears in the IRCC Portal within five business days of IRCC receiving your signed and dated oath form.
A paper certificate at an in person ceremony is handed to you at the ceremony.
A paper certificate after a virtual ceremony is mailed to your Canadian address two to four weeks after IRCC receives your signed oath form.
Do not laminate it. Lamination can damage the certificate and break the barcode that a passport office needs to verify.
The mistake that strands people abroad
Read this part carefully, because it is the practical trap of the whole process.
Your permanent resident card is collected or destroyed at the ceremony. You no longer have it.
Your citizenship certificate is proof of citizenship. It is not a travel document. You cannot enter Canada with it.
And you can only apply for a Canadian passport after you have your citizenship certificate in hand.
So there is a window, potentially weeks long, in which you have no permanent resident card, no Canadian passport, and no way to re enter Canada if you leave. IRCC says this plainly: wait for your Canadian passport before you leave the country.
Do not book a trip for the week after your ceremony. People do, every year, and some of them cannot get home.
Not sure which pathway is right for you? Our RCIC-licensed consultants can advise you on the best strategy based on your immigration goals.
Prepared by Fernando Amaro, KGraph Immigration. Last updated July 2026. General information, not legal advice.
Not sure which pathway is right for you? Our RCIC-licensed consultants can advise you on the best strategy based on your immigration goals.
Check Your EligibilityPrepared by Fernando Amaro, KGraph Immigration Consultants. Last updated July 2026. This guide is for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal or immigration advice.