What You Need To Know About Long-Form Birth Certificates?

Many people who discover they may qualify for Canadian citizenship by descent begin gathering the documents needed for their application. One of the first steps is collecting birth certificates for themselves and their family members.

During this process, applicants are often asked to choose between a long-form & a short-form birth certificate. While both are official documents, they do not contain the same information. Choosing the correct version is important because submitting the wrong document could lead to delays or problems with a proof of Canadian citizenship application.

What Is A Long-Form Birth Certificate?

A long-form birth certificate is the detailed version of a birth certificate. It includes more information than the short-form version.

In most cases, a long-form birth certificate shows the person’s full name, date of birth, place of birth, sex, the names of both parents, and details about the birth registration.

A short-form birth certificate contains only basic information. It usually includes the person’s name, date of birth, place of birth, and sex. In many cases, it does not include the names of the person’s parents.

For proof of Canadian citizenship applications, showing the parent-child relationship is often very important. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) may require a birth certificate issued by the original provincial, territorial, or foreign authority that created or keeps the birth record. The document must clearly show the relationship between the child and the parent.

When IRCC requires this information, applicants should request a long-form birth certificate.

When Is A Long-Form Birth Certificate Required?

IRCC’s Proof of Canadian Citizenship Document Checklist (CIT 0014), updated in June 2026, does not ask for a long-form birth certificate in every application.

The type of birth certificate needed depends on the applicant’s situation and whether proof of the parent-child relationship is required.

For example, applicants who already have a Canadian citizenship certificate, or those who were born in Canada but have never received one, are not always asked to provide a long-form birth certificate.

However, applicants born outside Canada to a Canadian parent should pay close attention to the document requirements. This is one of the most common situations for people applying for Canadian citizenship by descent.

In these cases, IRCC asks for a birth certificate issued by the government authority in the country where the applicant was born. The certificate must show the name of the Canadian parent or parents.

Although the checklist does not specifically use the words ‘long-form birth certificate,’ a short-form certificate often does not include parental information. If the Canadian parent’s name does not appear on the birth certificate, the document may not meet IRCC’s requirements.

IRCC may also ask applicants to provide proof of parentage and Canadian citizenship for every parent, grandparent, or earlier ancestor connected to the citizenship claim. This helps establish the complete family relationship across each generation.

There are also certain historical situations where IRCC specifically requires a long-form birth certificate.

This applies to applicants who were British subjects living in Canada before January 1, 1947, or in Newfoundland and Labrador before April 1, 1949, and who have never received a Canadian citizenship certificate.

It also applies to certain women who married a man born or naturalized as a British subject in Canada or Newfoundland and Labrador before those dates. 

Note: The CIT 0014 checklist does not make a separate long-form or short-form requirement for marriage certificates or death certificates.

How To Request The Correct Birth Certificate?

The initial step is to contact the vital statistics office in the province/ territory where the birth was registered.

Each Canadian province and territory has its own office that issues official birth certificates and birth registration documents.

For older birth records, applicants may be directed to a provincial or territorial archive. The age at which records move to an archive is different across Canada.

It is also important to remember that different provinces use different names for similar documents.

For example, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, and New Brunswick use the term ‘long-form birth certificate.’ Ontario uses the name ‘birth certificate with parental information’ for a similar document.

Applicants who need to prove a family relationship should not simply request a birth certificate. Instead, they should ask for the official birth document that includes the names of the person’s parents.

The office issuing the document can also confirm which version is appropriate for the application.

In most provinces and territories, applicants usually need to provide some or all of the following information:

• the person’s full name
• the person’s date and place of birth
• information about the person’s parents
• proof of identity
• proof of eligibility to request the record
• payment

Application fees, document delivery times, and ordering methods may change from time to time. The table below lists the vital statistics office and archives for every province and territory.

Where To Request Birth Documents By Province And Territory?

Applicants looking for more detailed guidance on requesting long-form birth certificates and other supporting records from provinces such as Ontario, Quebec, or Nova Scotia can find additional information through dedicated Canadian citizenship by descent resources. Careful document preparation before applying can help reduce delays and ensure the application includes the records IRCC requires.

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