Application Form and Required Documents

Due to a significant increase in the demand, it now takes from 6 to 12 months to assess new applications. If yours is accepted, note that the grant process itself can then take 3 years to complete on average. Please check our price list and formats to understand costs and options.

Scroll down or click here to find the information for organizations.

Individuals

Please fill out the online application form. The form is also accessible in a PDF version, which can be filled out manually and returned to armorial@gg.ca.

To complete your application, please send the documents listed below at armorial@gg.ca within the next 5 business days. After this deadline, incomplete applications will be deleted. We will contact you only once we have received all the required documents.

1. Proof of Canadian citizenship or permanent residence

A copy of at least one of the following documents:

  • Canadian birth certificate (issued by a provincial or territorial government)
  • Certificate of Indian Status or Secure Certificate of Indian Status (both sides)
  • Canadian passport identification page
  • Canadian citizenship certificate or card (both sides)
  • Valid Canadian permanent resident card (both sides)

Note: Please ensure that the document bears the name that you wish to see used in the grant or registration of your emblems.

2. Résumé/CV

A summary of your education and work experience. For each activity, please include the dates, location and full name of the organization. Use simple terms and avoid specialized professional terminology or acronyms. The document should be geared to a general reader.

3. Community contribution

A text or thematic résumé outlining your contribution to the community. It can include volunteer or professional activities. For each activity, include the dates, location and full name of the organization, as well as a brief description of your responsibilities or achievements.

As a grant of heraldic emblems is an honour from the Crown, you need to demonstrate that you have contributed to the well-being of your community. Details about your contribution are an important part of the application, and failing to include specifics regarding it will render your file incomplete and could result in the deletion of your application.

4. If applicable, documents for your descendants

For each descendant for whom you are requesting a cadet shield, a copy of:

  • A completed application form for heirs (only available as a PDF)
  • Their government-issued birth certificate (long form, indicating the names of their parents)

Note: If they use a name that is different from the name shown on their birth certificate, please provide documentation indicating the change.

5. For a registration, the emblem-related documents

If you are applying to register arms that have already been granted, please also include:

  • In the case of emblems not granted by the chief herald of Canada, a high-resolution, full-colour image of the original official document by which they were granted or assigned. The emblems, the full text of the document and the signatures must be clearly visible.
  • In cases of inheritance of arms, a full family tree linking you to the ancestor who received the original grant of arms. Note that every generation, including all children, must be detailed with birth and death dates.

Organizations

Fill out the online application form.

To complete your application, please send us at armorial@gg.ca the documents listed below within 5 business days following your submission of the form. After this deadline, incomplete applications will be deleted. We will contact you only once we have all the required documents.

1. For all applications

A copy of the following three documents:

  • The document by which the organization was incorporated (or otherwise legally established) in Canada, including the date and, if applicable, the organization’s name in English and French
  • A summary of the organization’s history and an outline of its current activities
  • A recent financial report

2. For a grant application

Also include a copy of the resolution of the organization’s governing body approving the request for a grant of emblems.

3. For a registration application

Also include a high-resolution, full-colour image of the original official document by which the emblems were granted or assigned. The emblems, the full text of the document and the signatures must be clearly visible.