Enter Canada with a non-Canadian passport & a Canadian citizenship certificate?

[good2011]

I will have a trip in the summer and may be invited to a citizenship ceremony recently. For I don't know when will be the ceremony, I need to reserve the ticket with my current passport. However, once I attend the oath ceremony, they will take my PR card away from me, and I am not sure at that time if I still have time to apply for a Canadian Passport before I leave for my trip.

So my question is: Is it possible that I return to Canada with my citizenship certificate and a non-Canadian passport, which is still valid and allowed to enter and stay for 6 months in Canada without any visa? Has anyone ever entered Canada with a non-Canadian passport and a citizenship certificate instead of a PR Card?

 

[kaladdin]

Citizenship certificate is not a travel document. You need to apply for the Canadian passport. Here is the quote from CIC

A citizenship certificate is a document that proves someone is a Canadian citizen. It is not a travel document. You need to get a Canadian passport to travel outside Canada.

 

[sjakub]

Citizenship certificate is not a travel document. You need to apply for the Canadian passport. Here is the quote from CIC

A citizenship certificate is a document that proves someone is a Canadian citizen. It is not a travel document. You need to get a Canadian passport to travel outside Canada.

The certificate is not a travel document, but his old passport definitely is. So he does have a "travel document".

 

[good2011]

Citizenship certificate is not a travel document. You need to apply for the Canadian passport. Here is the quote from CIC

A citizenship certificate is a document that proves someone is a Canadian citizen. It is not a travel document. You need to get a Canadian passport to travel outside Canada.

Thank for your suggestion. Actually I will travel outside Canada with my current passport instead of the citizenship certificate. I used to return to Canada with my current passport and my PR card, and just worried that if there will be a problem that a Canadian citizen enter Canada with a valid non-Canadian passport and a Canadian citizenship certificate.

 

[jrjayl]

Here is the fact:

As per the Charter of Rights and Freedom, all Canadian citizens have the right to enter, leave and stay in Canada.

And here is my guess:

If you can reach the Canadian boarder and CBSA can verify your Canadian citizenship, then as a citizen, you have the right to enter Canada. Just that it takes them significantly longer time to verify it without a Canadian passport.

The certificate of citizenship is indeed the evidence of the Canadian citizenship of the holder, unless you really do not have time to get a passport (urgent service takes only a day), I wouldn't travel with it, reasons being:

1. it is very easy to get it damaged/lost, it's only a piece of paper
2. very long time and complicated to get it replaced
3. you absolutely need it to apply for your passport, so getting it damaged/lost means that no passport until replaced

 

[hkalltheway]

I also believe that once you are a citizen, you can apply for a Canadian passport at any Canadian Embassy overseas.

 

[good2011]

Here is the fact:

As per the Charter of Rights and Freedom, all Canadian citizens have the right to enter, leave and stay in Canada.

And here is my guess:

If you can reach the Canadian boarder and CBSA can verify your Canadian citizenship, then as a citizen, you have the right to enter Canada. Just that it takes them significantly longer time to verify it without a Canadian passport.

The certificate of citizenship is indeed the evidence of the Canadian citizenship of the holder, unless you really do not have time to get a passport (urgent service takes only a day), I wouldn't travel with it, reasons being:

1. it is very easy to get it damaged/lost, it's only a piece of paper
2. very long time and complicated to get it replaced
3. you absolutely need it to apply for your passport, so getting it damaged/lost means that no passport until replaced

I agree that it is risky to bring the citizenship certificate to travel. But the first thing is I am not sure if I will have enough time to get a passport before leaving, and the second thing is that I just moved from another city, all my friends in my living city will have known me for two years until the end of August. That means it's difficult for me before the end of August to get a guarantee and two references who have known me for at least two year to satisfy the requirements of application for a passport ???

I know United States government asks their citizens to enter their country with their American passports. Does Canadian government do so?

 

[thecoolguysam]

You can't use your canadian citizenship certificate to come back to Canada by air. The airlines won't let you board the plane.

 

[manianz47]

I agree that it is risky to bring the citizenship certificate to travel. But the first thing is I am not sure if I will have enough time to get a passport before leaving, and the second thing is that I just moved from another city, all my friends in my living city will have known me for two years until the end of August. That means it's difficult for me before the end of August to get a guarantee and two references who have known me for at least two year to satisfy the requirements of application for a passport ???

I know United States government asks their citizens to enter their country with their American passports. Does Canadian government do so?

Hi
I do not think it is mandatory that the Guarantor/Reference live in the same City as you are currently in. You can provide your friend's name from your previous city

 

[jrjayl]

You can't use your canadian citizenship certificate to come back to Canada by air. The airlines won't let you board the plane.

Not if the person is holds a passport that does not need a visa to enter Canada, e.g. USA.

I agree that it is risky to bring the citizenship certificate to travel. But the first thing is I am not sure if I will have enough time to get a passport before leaving, and the second thing is that I just moved from another city, all my friends in my living city will have known me for two years until the end of August. That means it's difficult for me before the end of August to get a guarantee and two references who have known me for at least two year to satisfy the requirements of application for a passport ???

I know United States government asks their citizens to enter their country with their American passports. Does Canadian government do so?

Again, urgent service takes only one business day. If you really cannot wait for that day, and have a passport that does not need a visa to enter Canada, then the odds CBSA let you in is pretty high.

 

[sjakub]

You can't use your canadian citizenship certificate to come back to Canada by air. The airlines won't let you board the plane.

Not necessarily. If he has a passport from one of visa-exempt countries, then he doesn't need anything else to board the plane.

 

[canopywing]

He needs a return ticket. Otherwise the airline won't let him onboard.

 

[sjakub]

He needs a return ticket. Otherwise the airline won't let him onboard.

Well, usually to board a plane you need a ticket...

 

[good2011]

He needs a return ticket. Otherwise the airline won't let him onboard.

Last time I returned to Canada with a one-way ticket, the airline let me onboard with my visa-exempt passport, but they asked to see my PR card. I think it will still work for the airline with a visa-exempt passport and a citizenship certificate, but I'm not sure if it works for the custom....

So just wondering if anyone has ever entered Canada by this way....

 

[itguy78]

Last time I returned to Canada with a one-way ticket, the airline let me onboard with my visa-exempt passport, but they asked to see my PR card. I think it will still work for the airline with a visa-exempt passport and a citizenship certificate, but I'm not sure if it works for the custom....

So just wondering if anyone has ever entered Canada by this way....

By air I doubt the airline will let you board. By car I'm sure it would be ok (even if they put you thru second inspection) -- when you drive from the US to Canada you only speak with CBSA officers directly, while a passport/PR/Nexus is preferred, having any gov issued ID and the Citizenship should be enough proof... see here: http://can-am.gc.ca/consular_services_consulaires/border-frontiere.aspx?lang=eng