Canadian Citizenship Biometrics — Do You Need Them?

# Canadian Citizenship Biometrics — Do You Need Them?

Biometrics — fingerprints and a photo — are the standard identity verification at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. For citizenship applications in 2026, the rule is simple: most applicants do not need new biometrics, because their PR-stage biometrics are still valid. This guide covers when you do need them and what to do.

IRCC keeps biometrics on file for 10 years from the date of collection. Within that 10-year window, the same biometrics are reused across applications — PR, study permit, work permit, citizenship, citizenship certificate.

So:

• Became a PR in 2018 — biometrics valid until 2028 — no new collection for a 2025 citizenship application
• Came to Canada on a study permit in 2014, became a PR in 2019 — biometrics from 2019 valid until 2029 — no new collection for citizenship
• Pre-2018 PR with no biometrics on file — IRCC will likely send a Biometrics Instruction Letter for citizenship

After your application is acknowledged, IRCC reviews your file and decides whether biometrics are needed. If yes, you receive a Biometrics Instruction Letter (BIL) in your IRCC online account messages. The BIL tells you:

• That biometrics are required
• How to book an appointment (phone number, online portal)
• The deadline (usually 30 days)
• The fee (CA$85)

If you do not receive a BIL within the first 3–4 months of your application, you do not need new biometrics. Do not call IRCC to ask — silence on biometrics means none are required.

If a BIL was issued:

Inside Canada

• Book at a Service Canada biometrics collection point
• Most large Service Canada offices offer the service; small offices do not
• Find your nearest collection point on the Service Canada website
• Book by phone using the number in the BIL — there is no online booking for citizenship biometrics in some regions

Outside Canada

• Book at a Visa Application Centre (VAC) in your country of residence
• The VFS Global website lists locations and booking links

Documents to bring

• The BIL (printed or on phone)
• A passport or PR card matching the file
• The CA$85 fee (paid online before the appointment, or in person at some sites)

The visit takes about 15 minutes:

1. Check-in with the BIL
2. Photograph (no glasses, no head covering except for religious reasons)
3. Fingerprints (10 fingers on a digital scanner)
4. Receipt with the date and confirmation number

The collection point sends the data to IRCC the same day. Your file's tracker will not update immediately — biometrics integration usually takes 1–4 weeks to reflect on the tracker.

• Under 14: exempt — no biometrics required at any age
• 14 to 17: required if not on file already, with a parent or guardian present at the appointment
• Adopted children abroad: biometrics may be collected at the foreign VAC as part of the adoption stream

In rare cases, fingerprints cannot be captured (scarred fingertips, certain skin conditions). In that case the collection officer notes the failure and IRCC processes the file without fingerprints, relying on other identity documents. There is no penalty for genuine failure — but trying to refuse biometrics deliberately leads to a return of the file.

IRCC stores biometrics for 15 years from the date of collection (longer than the 10-year reuse window). The data is shared with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and partner countries under the Five Eyes information-sharing agreement, in accordance with the Privacy Act.

After 15 years, the data is deleted unless an active investigation requires retention.

For broader context on what happens after biometrics are collected, see [IRCC Tracker Status Meanings Explained](/blog/ircc-tracker-status-meanings-explained).