Find out if you are entitled to be registered under the Indian Act
Entitlement is based on the degree of descent from ancestors who are registered or entitled to be registered.
To find out if you're entitled to be registered, ask yourself:
- Are either or both of my parents registered or entitled to be registered?
- Are any of my grandparents registered or entitled to be registered?
- Is anyone in my immediate or extended family registered or entitled to be registered?
You may be entitled to be registered if:
- at least one of your parents is registered or entitled to be registered under subsection 6(1) of the Indian Act
- both of your parents are registered or entitled to be registered under subsection 6(1) or 6(2) of the Indian Act
Changes to the Indian Act and court decisions may mean you are entitled to be registered
The Government of Canada has amended the Indian Act to address sex-based inequities and comply with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Some court decisions have also affected entitlement.
You may now be entitled to be registered if:
- your mother, grandmother or great-grandmother lost her entitlement through marriage to a non-entitled man before April 17, 1985
- your mother, grandmother or great-grandmother was born outside of marriage to an entitled father and a non-entitled mother between September 4, 1951, and April 16, 1985
- your parent, grandparent or great-grandparent lost their entitlement because of their mother's marriage to a non-entitled man before April 17, 1985
- your parent's, grandparent's or great-grandparent's name was omitted or deleted from the Register or from a First Nation membership list because of their non-entitled father
- your mother or grandmother were unmarried and enfranchised by application as an adult between September 4, 1951, and April 17, 1985
Find out more:
Visit
- Final report to Parliament on the review of Bill S-3
- Bill S-3: Eliminating known-sex based inequities in registration
- Removal of the 1951 cut-off
- Addressing enfranchisement of unmarried women in registration
Call
If you applied for registration before the Indian Act was amended
If you applied for registration before the act was amended and your application is waiting to be processed, we will process it based on the amended act. You don't need to reapply.
If you applied for registration before the act was amended and your application was denied, you need to reapply.
If you have questions about your registration application, contact Public enquiries.