The four steps to Canadian citizenship: apply, prepare, take the test, and take the Oath at your ceremony. What the test checks, how it works today, and what the Oath means.
Studying for the citizenship test.
Key points
Key Points to Remember
The path: Apply, prepare, take the test, then take the Oath at your ceremony.
The guide: Discover Canada is the only official study guide. It is free.
The test: In most cases, for applicants aged 18 to 54. 20 questions, 15 to pass, 45 minutes, in English or French.
Not on the test: Your English or French. It is checked separately.
3 chances: You have 3 chances in total within your 30-day test period. If you do not pass after 3 chances, you have a hearing with a citizenship official.
The ceremony: Take the Oath and sign the oath form. If you are 14 or older, you become a citizen when you take the Oath. Then you get your citizenship certificate (paper or electronic).
The Oath: Loyalty to the King, observe (obey and respect) Canada's laws, fulfil your duties as a citizen.
Swear or affirm: You choose. The promises are the same.
Keep IRCC informed: Report any change to your address, email or phone number.
Slide-Based Overview
/ 07
keys
The four steps
Slide 1 of 7
What officials check: When you apply, officials check three things. First, your status (for example, that you are a permanent resident). Second, that you are allowed to apply (the guide says "not prohibited from applying"). Third, that you meet all the requirements.
How long the process takes: Your application may take several months. IRCC's website shows current processing times.
Prove your English or French: If you are 18 to 54, send proof with your application. You need Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) level 4 or higher in speaking and listening.
Keep your contact details up to date: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is the department that handles your application. While your application is being processed, make sure IRCC always has your correct address, email and phone number. Tell IRCC right away if they change. That way, you receive every notification and invitation, including your invitations to the test and to the ceremony.
Who can apply: This lesson does not cover who is eligible to apply (for example, how long you have lived in Canada, or taxes). IRCC's eligibility page lists the rules.
One official guide: The only official study guide is Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship. It is free, and everything you need for the test is in it. You can read it online, download it as a PDF or eBook, listen to it as audio, or order a paper copy. It is in English and French.
What you learn: Canada's history, geography, economy, government, laws and symbols, how voting works, and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
IRCC in the guide: Discover Canada calls the department Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Today it is IRCC.
Four ways to prepare, from the guide
Study the guide: Study Discover Canada. It is your main resource.
Practise with someone: Ask a friend or family member to help you practise answering questions about Canada.
Find a citizenship class: Ask for information on citizenship classes. You can call a local school or school board, a college, a community centre, or a local organization that provides services to immigrants.
Improve your English or French: Take English or French language classes, which the Government of Canada offers free of charge.
Three terms you will see often
Constitutional monarchy: Canada's head of state is the Sovereign. Today, the Sovereign is the King, His Majesty King Charles the Third. The Sovereign's role is set by the Constitution. The Prime Minister leads the government.
Parliamentary democracy: Citizens elect representatives to the House of Commons in Ottawa and to the provincial and territorial legislatures. These representatives pass laws.
Federal state: Canada has a federal government and provincial and territorial governments. Each has its own responsibilities.
Why they matter: Together, the three terms describe how Canada is governed. Canadians share a commitment to the rule of law (everyone, including the government, must follow the law) and to parliamentary government. Later lessons explain each term.
About practice sites
Practice sites: Use them to practise, not as your source. The guide says anyone who uses other material does so at their own risk. CitizenPro is an independent practice site. Always check facts in the guide.
Who takes it: In most cases, everyone who is 18 to 54 years old on the day they sign their application.
Who is exempt (does not take it): Applicants under 18, and applicants 55 or older. In some special cases, IRCC can also excuse a person from the test.
What it checks: Your knowledge of Canada and of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
What it does not check: Your English or French. That is checked separately, mainly from the proof you send with your application.
Where the questions come from: The guide says all test questions are based on the subject areas noted in the Citizenship Regulations (rules made under Canada's citizenship law). All the information you need is in the guide.
The test today
Questions: 20, multiple choice or true or false.
To pass: At least 15 correct answers.
Time: 45 minutes.
Language: English or French.
Format: Most people take it online. If you need an accommodation (a special arrangement, for example because of a disability), IRCC may give you the test in person. In person, the test can be on paper or out loud. IRCC may also give the test out loud in a video call on Microsoft Teams.
If you do not pass
What the guide says: If you do not pass the test, you receive a notification that tells you the next steps.
Your test period: Your test invitation gives you 30 days to take the test, with a start date and an end date. This is your test period.
3 chances in total: Within your test period, you have 3 chances in total to pass. Your first test is one of them.
After 3 chances: If you do not pass after 3 chances, you are invited to a hearing: a meeting where a citizenship official asks you questions. The official may ask about Canada, about where you have lived, and about your English or French.
If you fail the hearing: IRCC refuses your application. You need to apply again and pay the fees again.
What the guide says, and what is true today
Written or interview: Discover Canada (2012) says the citizenship test is usually a written test, but it could be an interview. Today, most people take the test online.
Two basic requirements: The guide says you are tested on two basic requirements. The first is knowledge of Canada and of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. The second is adequate (good enough) knowledge of English or French. Today, the test checks only the first. Your English or French is checked separately.
If you pass: If you pass the test and meet all the other requirements, you are invited to take the Oath of Citizenship at a citizenship ceremony. Depending on your case, IRCC may also invite you to an interview with a citizenship official before the ceremony.
Your invitation: It tells you the date, time and place of your ceremony: whether it is in person or online, the place or the video link, and the language of the ceremony. The guide calls it a Notice to Appear to Take the Oath of Citizenship.
What to bring: Bring 3 things. 1) Your ceremony invitation. 2) Your permanent resident card (PR card), even if it has expired, or your Confirmation of Permanent Residence. 3) 2 pieces of ID. For adults, at least 1 piece of ID must show your photo and signature. Some people need other documents too. IRCC's "What to bring" page lists them. These ID rules come from IRCC, not from the guide.
At the ceremony: You take the Oath of Citizenship, sign the oath form, and receive your citizenship certificate. At an in-person ceremony, you receive your paper certificate if you chose one. If you chose an electronic certificate, IRCC tells you when it is available. The ceremony also includes the national anthem, O Canada.
How you take the Oath: You repeat the Oath after the presiding official, the person who leads the ceremony. IRCC encourages you to say it in both English and French if you can.
When you become a citizen: If you are 14 or older, you become a citizen when you take the Oath, not when you pass the test.
Who takes the Oath: In most cases, every new citizen who is 14 or older. Children under 14 do not have to take the Oath. They are welcome at the ceremony with a parent or guardian.
Family and friends: The guide encourages you to bring your family and friends to celebrate this occasion.
The Oath: three promises, and your choice of words
Loyalty: To be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles the Third, King of Canada, his heirs and successors. To bear true allegiance means to be truly loyal. His heirs and successors are the people who will be King or Queen after him.
The law: To faithfully observe the laws of Canada, including the Constitution, which recognizes and affirms the Aboriginal and treaty rights of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. To observe the laws means to obey and respect them. Aboriginal rights come from Indigenous peoples' long history on this land, before Europeans arrived. Treaty rights are set out in treaties (agreements between Indigenous peoples and the Crown). Later lessons explain them.
Your duties: To fulfil (carry out) your duties as a Canadian citizen.
Swear or affirm: You choose. Swear if you want to refer to your religious belief; you may bring your holy book. Affirm (make a serious promise without religion) if you do not. Only the words "swear" and "affirm" are different. The promises are the same.
Why a promise to a person
Loyalty to the Sovereign: In Canada, new citizens promise loyalty to a person, the Sovereign. Today, the Sovereign is the King. They do not promise loyalty to a flag, a document or a country. The Sovereign represents all Canadians. The guide says Canada is personified by the Sovereign, just as the Sovereign is personified by Canada: the Sovereign is a person who stands for Canada as a whole.
Rights come with responsibilities: Citizens enjoy many rights, and they must obey Canada's laws and respect the rights and freedoms of others. The next lesson covers both.
Key points
Key Points to Remember
The path: Apply, prepare, take the test, then take the Oath at your ceremony.
The guide: Discover Canada is the only official study guide. It is free.
The test: In most cases, for applicants aged 18 to 54. 20 questions, 15 to pass, 45 minutes, in English or French.
Not on the test: Your English or French. It is checked separately.
3 chances: You have 3 chances in total within your 30-day test period. If you do not pass after 3 chances, you have a hearing with a citizenship official.
The ceremony: Take the Oath and sign the oath form. If you are 14 or older, you become a citizen when you take the Oath. Then you get your citizenship certificate (paper or electronic).
The Oath: Loyalty to the King, observe (obey and respect) Canada's laws, fulfil your duties as a citizen.
Swear or affirm: You choose. The promises are the same.
Keep IRCC informed: Report any change to your address, email or phone number.
Gallery
FAQs
The citizenship test
In most cases, everyone who is 18 to 54 years old on the day they sign their application. If you are under 18, or 55 or older, you do not take the test.
No. The test checks your knowledge of Canada and of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. Your English or French is checked separately, mainly from the proof you send with your application.
No. The test is in English or French. You choose which one.
At least 15 of the 20 questions. You have 45 minutes.
You have 3 chances in total within your 30-day test period. If you do not pass after 3 chances, you are invited to a hearing with a citizenship official.
No. Discover Canada is the only official study guide, and it is free. CitizenPro is an independent site for practice.
The ceremony and the Oath
You take the Oath of Citizenship, sign the oath form, and receive your citizenship certificate (paper or electronic). If you are 14 or older, you become a Canadian citizen when you take the Oath. Step 4 above has the details.
Your ceremony invitation, your PR card or Confirmation of Permanent Residence, and 2 pieces of ID. Step 4 above has the ID rules, and IRCC's "What to bring" page lists any other documents you need.
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 Métis peoples, and fulfil my duties as a Canadian citizen.
Canada is a constitutional monarchy. New citizens promise loyalty to a person, the Sovereign. Today, the Sovereign is the King, who represents all Canadians and stands for Canada as a whole.
You choose. Swearing refers to your religious belief. Affirming is a serious promise without religion. The promises are the same.
Practice
Feel ready?
Try the full practice test or explore your next lesson to keep building your confidence.
Up next
Rights & Responsibilities
High-yield civic rights, freedoms, and responsibilities that appear often.
🇨🇦 This lesson is inspired by official content from the Discover Canada guide by the Government of Canada.
