Canada Publishes the Oath Foreigners Must Take before Officially Becoming Canadian Citizens in 2026

• The Canadian government has published the exact words of the oath that immigrants must recite before they are granted citizenship
• Candidates are expected to swear allegiance to King Charles III and pledge to observe Canadian laws, including the Constitution
• The citizenship ceremony also requires new citizens to sing O Canada, with a bilingual version performed at every event

Canada's federal government has published the exact oath that immigrants must take before they are formally recognised as Canadian citizens, confirming what every new citizen is required to say at their official citizenship ceremony in 2026.

According to the Canadian government's official guidance, the oath is recited at a ceremony alongside the national anthem, O Canada.

Candidates are encouraged to practise both before the event and to repeat the oath after the presiding official in both English and French, as a mark of respect for Canada's two official languages.

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Full text of Canadian citizenship oath

The English version of the oath reads:

"I swear (or affirm) that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles the Third, King of Canada, His Heirs and Successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada, including the Constitution, which recognizes and affirms the Aboriginal and treaty rights of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, and fulfill my duties as a Canadian citizen."

The oath commits new citizens to loyalty to the Canadian Crown, obedience to Canadian law, and respect for the constitutional rights of Indigenous peoples.

Canadian national anthem at the ceremony

Following the oath, all those present sing a bilingual version of the national anthem. Each candidate may choose to sing in English, French, or both. The English portions of O Canada, as used at the ceremony, are:

"O Canada! Our home and native land! True patriot love in all of us command. God keep our land glorious and free! O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. O Canada, we stand on guard for thee."

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The government noted that many people typically take the oath together at the same ceremony, making it a collective moment of commitment to Canadian values and identity.

In a related story, Legit.ng reported that Canada had mentioned two categories of foreigners exempted from taking the citizenship test.

Canada citizenship test pass mark

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Canada had announced the minimum score foreigners must get to pass the citizenship test.

According to the government, the citizenship test contains 20 questions in either multiple-choice or true-or-false format.

Applicants must answer at least 15 of those 20 questions correctly to pass, which works out to a score of 75%.

Source: Legit.ng