Determine your eligibility – Renouncing citizenship

To be eligible to apply to renounce your Canadian citizenship, you must:

• be a citizen of a country other than Canada or become a citizen of a country other than Canada if your application to renounce is approved
• not live in Canada
• be at least 18 years old
• not be a threat to Canada’s security or part of a pattern of criminal activity
• not be prevented from understanding the significance of renouncing your Canadian citizenship by reason of having a mental disability and
• not be subject to revocation of citizenship proceedings.

If you renounce your Canadian citizenship, you lose all the rights and privileges of being a Canadian citizen and will have no status in Canada. This means that if you wish to return to Canada permanently, you will have to apply for a permanent resident visa. If you wish to return to Canada temporarily (to visit, work or study), you will have to apply for a temporary resident visa, if applicable.