Saskatchewan documents for Citizenship by Descent: What to collect and where
If your line of descent runs through a Saskatchewan-born ancestor, this page explains which Saskatchewan office holds the required documents, and how to request them.
To prove Canadian citizenship by descent, you must show an unbroken line of descent from a Canadian ancestor. That means gathering official documents, usually birth, marriage and death records, for each generation.
In Saskatchewan most of the important documents you need are issued by one agency, the vital statistics office.
The Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan do not hold birth, death and marriage records.
Table of contents
- Overview
- Searching for a record through eHealth Saskatchewan
- Who can order a record
- Information required to request a record
- The provincial archives of Saskatchewan
- Special cases: name changes, adoption, and missing records
- Contact Cohen Immigration Law for Canadian Citizenship Assistance
Overview
eHealth Saskatchewan maintains Saskatchewan records for births, deaths, and marriages. It issues current certificates, copies of original registrations, and genealogical copies of historical records.
There are two access routes:
- Historical records: The genealogy index is free to search and open to anyone. A genealogical copy can be ordered for $55.
- Recent or restricted records: you can order a certificate or a registration copy, subject to document-specific eligibility rules.
Unlike Ontario and Quebec, Saskatchewan doesn’t transfer older records to its provincial archives. That said, the Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan still holds records that could be useful as secondary documents in a proof of citizenship application, such as homestead files and school records.
Searching for a record through eHealth Saskatchewan
The Genealogy Index is free and open. Anyone can search it for births registered more than 100 years ago, deaths more than 70, and marriages more than 75.
How to order a record
- If the event meets the age threshold, search the free Genealogy Index first.
- Choose the document that actually contains the fact you need.
- Check if you are eligible to apply for the document, and gather any authorization, estate documents, or other proof.
- Assemble the exact event details, readable identification where required, and payment in Canadian funds.
- Apply online, or mail the current signed form to eHealth Saskatchewan (address given below).
- Keep the order confirmation, courier record, correspondence and any no-record result for the IRCC file.
You can order records from abroad by mail or courier.
Cost of ordering a record
The cost, depends on the type of record you need for your application.
- Short form birth certificate: $35. Full name, birth date, place of birth, sex, registration number, and date. No information about parents. Rarely enough on its own.
- Long form birth certificate: $40. Everything above, plus the parents’ full names and the parents’ places of birth. This is the certificate that documents the parent-child link.
- Copy of registration of live birth: $55. A copy of the original legal birth registration, containing the information recorded when the birth was registered. eHealth says it is commonly used for international purposes, and that it can’t be used as personal identification.
- Genealogical copy: $55. A copy of the original birth registration issued for family history research, available only once the birth is past the 100-year threshold.
| Documents available at eHealth Saskatchewan, Vital Statistics | Record coverage | Contact information |
|---|---|---|
| Short-form and long-form birth certificates; copies of birth, marriage and death registrations; standard marriage and death certificates; marriage search letters; genealogical copies; name changes | All Saskatchewan births, deaths, marriages and stillbirths. Records do not transfer to the Provincial Archives |
|
Who can order a record
In order to apply for a document, you need to meet certain requirements. This depends on the type of document you are ordering:
Birth certificate or copy of birth registration:
Eligible applicants are:
- the person named, if 15 or older
- a parent listed on the original birth registration, if the child is under 18
- a legal custodian, personal guardian or property guardian
- a personal representative of an eligible person’s estate
- a person applying to prove Métis or Treaty status
- someone acting in the place of a parent, including the Public Guardian and Trustee, Social Services, or First Nations Child and Family Service Agencies
- a person named in a Saskatchewan court order or subpoena
- a person authorized in writing by an eligible person
Marriage certificate or copy of marriage registration:
Eligible applicants are:
- Either party to the marriage
- an adult child of both people in the marriage
- a legal custodian, personal guardian or property guardian of an eligible person
- a person applying to prove Métis or Treaty status
- a person named in a Saskatchewan court order or subpoena
- or a person authorized in writing by an eligible person
Death certificate or copy of death registration:
Eligible applicants are:
- the spouse of the person who died, if legally married or common-law at the time of death
- a parent listed on the original registration of birth
- an adult child, 18 or older
- a legal custodian, personal guardian or property guardian of an eligible person’s estate
- a person applying to prove Métis or Treaty status
- a person named in a Saskatchewan court order or subpoena; a joint tenant
- the Public Guardian and Trustee
- a person responsible for transporting the body
- a person authorized in writing by an eligible person
Information required to request a record
- For a birth certificate: your name, mailing address and phone number; the name, birth date and place of birth of the person named; details about that person’s parents; and one piece of government-issued ID, or two other pieces bearing your signature.
- For a marriage certificate: the names of both spouses and the marriage details, plus the same ID requirement.
- For a death certificate: the last name and given names of the person who died; the date and place of death; their marital status; the names of the person’s mother and father; plus the same ID requirement.
IRCC requires high-quality colour copies for paper applications and high-resolution colour scans for online applications. Keep this in mind when submitting documents with your proof of citizenship application
The Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan
While the Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan does not hold birth, marriage or death records, it is a source for documents that can be used as secondary information in proof of Canadian citizenship applications.
Records and files held in the archives:
- Homestead files for land within the province: can establish residence, occupation and settlement, and are among the Archives’ most useful genealogical holdings.
- Land records: township, grant and settlement material.
- Court records: affidavits, declarations, depositions and judgments, though preservation is inconsistent and adoption and young-offender files are restricted.
- Education and school records: attendance registers can include pupils’ ages, dates of birth and sometimes parents or guardians. Surviving registers are incomplete, and access can be restricted.
- Other: Pioneer questionnaires, a complete run of Saskatchewan telephone directories from 1908, biographical files, and published family genealogies donated by researchers.
| Office | Address | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| The Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan | P.O. Box 1665, Regina, SK S4P 3C6. Reading room at 2440 Broad Street. | Phone: 306-787-4068 or 1-833-382-4068 |
Special cases: name changes, adoption, and missing record
Name changes. If your ancestor legally changed their name, eHealth can issue copies of the change of name certificate, but you'll need to order a certificate in the new name separately, since the two are different documents. If your ancestor was born in another Canadian province or territory and changed their name in Saskatchewan, eHealth notifies the birth jurisdiction, so you can then request a new birth certificate from that province or territory. Where a court order legally connects two names or corrects a fact, request a court-certified copy from the responsible courthouse or registry. When searching for a record, include the birth surname, married surname, spelling variants, initials, and any transliterated forms.
Adoption. Saskatchewan adoption records go through the Post-Adoption Registry, not eHealth. Eligibility depends on your role and where the adoption was finalized: an adult adoptee, an adoptive parent of a minor, a birth parent, the adult child of a deceased adult adoptee, the adult child of a deceased birth parent whose child was placed for adoption, or an extended family member of an adult adoptee or birth parent may all qualify. You'll need a photocopy of ID (a birth certificate, driver's licence, health card, or passport), and, if applying as the adult child of someone deceased, proof of death as well.
A veto placed on an adoption finalized before January 1, 2017 blocks release of identifying birth registration information until the person who filed it removes it or dies. A contact preference, which can apply regardless of when the adoption occurred, limits how contact happens but doesn't block release — a person can file one or the other, not both. Contact Cohen Immigration Law Firm for advice before you apply if your line runs through an adoption.
Missing records. Where a required Saskatchewan record can't be obtained, IRCC may accept other evidence. Examples include hospital, physician, or midwife records; a baptismal certificate created soon after birth; census records; boat manifests; foreign birth records establishing the relationship; and applicable historical citizenship, naturalization, registration-of-birth-abroad, retention, British subject, or pre-1947 landed-status evidence.
Library and Archives Canada (LAC) holds federal census, passenger, border-entry, and immigration collections, and digitized naturalization lists. Post-1935 immigration files, and most underlying citizenship and naturalization case files, are held by IRCC rather than LAC — its lists are finding aids to those files, not the files themselves.
If you can't get an official document, IRCC requires a written explanation and proof of your attempts. Keep copies of every request, reply, receipt, and no-record letter.
Contact Cohen Immigration Law for Canadian Citizenship Assistance
Gathering records across several generations is the most time-consuming part of a proof of citizenship application. Saskatchewan registers vital events individually and does not link them into families. An applicant has to identify, order, and connect every record themselves, which means a descendant often can’t order the very record that would establish the link.
The Cohen Immigration Law Firm has over 50 years of experience in Canadian immigration and citizenship, with a dedicated team that helps applicants assemble and submit complete proof of citizenship applications.
You can also confirm your eligibility first using CanadaVisa's citizenship by descent eligibility checker, or read more about applying for proof of Canadian citizenship.
Get a Free Consultation on applying for Canadian Citizenship