Trying to claim citizenship by descent, but parent is deceased and Québecois

[EGendron]

Hi everyone—

I’m an American citizen born in the US, and my father (now deceased) was a Canadian citizen born in Quebec. I recently found out that I am able to claim citizenship through descent and I would like to apply for a Canadian citizenship certificate. However, the only documentation I have proving my father’s Canadian citizenship is his baptismal certificate from Quebec issued in 1927, well before the legal 1994 cutoff date. (My father never applied for a new Canadian birth certificate after the 1994 law went into effect, as he lived his last few decades in the USA and then died there in 2000.)

Since renewing a dead person’s birth certificate is obviously not a possibility, will I be able to get away with submitting his original baptismal certificate as his proof of birth, or am I out of options?

Many thanks for any help or insight!

 

[21Goose]

The guide states:

Quebec government documents
We do not accept birth certificates and marriage certificates issued by the province of Quebec before January 1, 1994 in support of an application for a citizenship certificate.

If you need to replace your Quebec birth or marriage certificate because it was issued before 1994, contact the office of the Directeur de l’état civil du Québec.


Guide - https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/application-forms-guides/guide-0001-application-citizenship-certificate-adults-minors-proof-citizenship-section-3.html#step1

Try contacting that office and see what they have to say.

Is there nothing else that proves that he was Canadian? Old school documents, pictures, letters, bank statements.. anything at all? Gather anything you have before you contact the office.

 

[hawk39]

Hi everyone—

I’m an American citizen born in the US, and my father (now deceased) was a Canadian citizen born in Quebec. I recently found out that I am able to claim citizenship through descent and I would like to apply for a Canadian citizenship certificate. However, the only documentation I have proving my father’s Canadian citizenship is his baptismal certificate from Quebec issued in 1927, well before the legal 1994 cutoff date. (My father never applied for a new Canadian birth certificate after the 1994 law went into effect, as he lived his last few decades in the USA and then died there in 2000.)

Since renewing a dead person’s birth certificate is obviously not a possibility, will I be able to get away with submitting his original baptismal certificate as his proof of birth, or am I out of options?

Many thanks for any help or insight!

The baptismal certificate will not be accepted. You will need to apply for your father's birth certificate from the Quebec government:
http://www.etatcivil.gouv.qc.ca/publications/DCCA-Birth 2019-2020.pdf

Be sure to pay close attention to the last page of the instructions concerning boxes 10, 11 and 18 of the application.

 

[EGendron]

Thank you for your help!