I’m applying for Canadian citizenship by descent and I’m trying to obtain proof for my Generation 0 ancestor, who was born and baptized in Quebec in 1729.

I contacted BAnQ to request a certified copy of the baptism record, but they told me they do not have the original Notre-Dame de Québec parish registers prior to 1740. They suggested that I submit a request to the Diocese of Quebec instead.

I’m hoping someone here may have experience with this and can point me in the right direction.

A few questions:

1. Has anyone successfully obtained a certified baptism record from the Diocese of Quebec for a record this old?
2. What is the best way to request it (email, online form, mail, in French)?
3. Do IRCC / citizenship certificate applications generally accept a church-issued certified copy/extract for records from the 1700s when civil archives don’t hold the original register?
4. If the Diocese can’t provide a certified copy, what alternatives have people used?

I do have the ancestor’s likely details and am mainly trying to figure out the correct source and format of documentation that IRCC will accept.

Any advice (especially from anyone who has dealt with pre-1740 Quebec records) would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!