Canada permits dual citizenship. What the statute actually says, the notification duties that go with it, and what it means if you are considering a second passport.
Whether you can keep your Canadian passport while holding another one is decided by Canada, not by the country issuing the second document. This page sets out the current position, the statute behind it, and what it means in practice for someone considering a second citizenship.
Short answer: Canada permits dual citizenship. The detail below matters more than the headline, because the consequences of getting it wrong fall on the individual — usually years later, at a passport renewal or a border.
Yes. Canada has permitted dual — and multiple — citizenship since 15 February 1977, and imposes no limit on how many nationalities a Canadian may hold.
The rule to establish first is always the one that applies to you at home. A second country can only grant its own status; it cannot preserve a nationality that your own law terminates. The wider picture is in how holding two passports works in practice, with the country-by-country table.
| Question | Position in Canada |
|---|---|
| Dual citizenship | Permitted |
| Governing law | Citizenship Act (dual permitted since 1977) |
| Must the authorities be notified? | No |
| Renunciation of the other nationality | No |
| Basis of taxation | Residence |
| Military service obligation | No |
The Citizenship Act removed the earlier prohibition in 1977. Canadians who lost their citizenship under the pre-1977 rules were in many cases restored by later amendments. There is no requirement to declare a second nationality to Canadian authorities.
The authoritative source is Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Rules in this area change by amendment and by notification, so the position should be confirmed at the time you act, not from any article.
The mistakes below account for most of the cases where people discover a problem years after the event, typically when renewing a passport or crossing a border. The first one is the common one: this page describes the rule at one end of the arrangement only.
For Canadians, adding a Vanuatu passport is legally straightforward: nothing in Canadian law restricts it. The practical questions are about travel planning and tax residency rather than about permission.
If the route does make sense for you, the practical detail is in the application process, the cost breakdown and the visa-free list.
The same question, answered for comparable jurisdictions:
Before applying anywhere, get the rule for your own citizenship confirmed in writing. We do that check first and tell you if the answer is no.