Portal for Australian Citizenship

This only applies to Citizenship (by Conferral) Applications.

The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) will consider the amount of time the Applicant has lived in Australia in the last 4 years. In certain cases, the DHA may exempt the Applicant from this requirement.

At the time of the lodgement, the Applicant must have been:

• Living in Australia on a valid Visa for the past 4 years; and
• A Permanent Resident or eligible New Zealand citizen for the past 12 months; and
• Away from Australia for no more than 12 months in total in the past 4 years; and
• Away from Australia for no more than 90 days in total in the past 12 months.

For Children 16 or 17 years old, if meeting this requirement would cause significant hardship or disadvantage, they will need to provide proof.

Children under 16 do not need to meet the general residence requirement but must be Permanent Residents.

This only applies to Citizenship (by Conferral) Applications.

Applicants must understand what it means to be an Australian Citizen. To assess this, most Applicants will sit the Citizenship Test.

At the time Applicants are invited to a DHA Office for an Interview, they must show that they have:

• A basic knowledge of the English language; and
• An understanding of what it means to become an Australian Citizen; and
• An adequate knowledge of Australia and the responsibilities and privileges of Citizenship; and
• An understanding and commitment to Australian values based on freedom, respect and equality.

If they score 75% or more on the Citizenship Test and answer all 5 questions on Australian values correctly, then they meet the DHA's knowledge Requirement.

This only applies to Citizenship (by Conferral) Applications.

Successful Applicants need a basic knowledge of the English language to become an Australian Citizen. 

If they score 75% or more on the Citizenship Test and answer all 5 questions on Australian values correctly, then they meet the DHA's English Language requirement.

Some Applicants do not have to sit the test but must have an interview to show they:

• Understand what it means to become an Australian citizen; and
• Have an adequate knowledge of the responsibilities and privileges of Australian citizenship.

Applicants must be of good character to visit or live in Australia. This means you must pass the character test, and remain of good character.

You must always disclose all of your criminal history when applying for Australian Citizenship (by Conferral) and Australian Citizenship (by Descent) if you are 18 years old or older. 

If you fail to disclose anything that may be on your record, and your application is approved, the DHA may cancel this Citizenship when they find out.

No. Health Examinations are not required for Citizenship Applications.

Australia does not require new Australian Citizenship Applicants to renounce their current Citizenship.

Whether an Applicant loses their current Citizenship when they become an Australian Citizen does not depend upon Australian Citizenship law, but upon the Citizenship laws of the other country. 

A number of countries allow their citizens to keep their original Citizenship.

We recommend that all prospective Australian Citizenship Applicants contact their nearest Consulate or Embassy to get the latest information.

On 22 April 2023, the ​​Australian Government announced​ a direct pathway to Australian citizenship for New Zealand Citizens living in Australia.

​From 1 July 2023, New Zealand Citizens who have been living in Australia for four years or more will be eligible to apply directly for Australian Citizenship. They will no longer need to first apply for and be granted a Permanent Visa. 

These changes apply to New Zealand Citizens holding a Special Category (subclass 444) visa (SCV) who arrived in Australia after 26 February 2001. Protected SCV holders will continue to be eligible to apply directly for Australian Citizenship.

For New Zealand Citizens who are long-term residents in Australia, this will be achieved by backdating their period of permanent residence for Citizenship purposes. This will allow them to meet the 12-month permanent residence period under the General Residence Requirement. 

With effect from 1 July 2023:

• All New Zealand Citizens holding an SCV will be considered permanent residents for citizenship purposes.
• New Zealand Citizens granted an SCV before 1 July 2022 will have their period of permanent residence for citizenship purposes backdated to 1 July 2022.
• New Zealand Citizens granted an SCV for the first time on or after 1 July 2022 will be considered a permanent resident for citizenship purposes from the date of their SCV grant.

The above provisions will apply to New Zealand Citizens in Australia. It will also apply to New Zealand citizens who are overseas, but held an SCV immediately before last leaving Australia.

These provisions will not apply to Citizenship applications submitted before 1 July 2023. If you submit your Citizenship application before this date, and you do not meet the eligibility requirements, the DHA may refuse your application and you will not be entitled to a refund.

No. Australian Permanent Residents (including Resident Return Visa holders) cannot get an Australian Passport. 

They will need to apply and be approved for Australian Citizenship first (if they are eligible).

The 5 most common reasons for Citizenship application refusals are as follows:

• Failure to pass the Citizenship Test (by Conferral applications only).
• Failure to meet the General Residence Requirements (by Conferral applications only).
• Failure to respond to Requests for More Information (RFIs) from the Department of Home Affairs (DHA).
• Failure to meet the Character Requirements.
• Failure to prove the Identity Requirements.

You can find out more in our dedicated video explaining this in our Video Library.

According to the DHA, the most common nationals born overseas from the following countries received Australian Citizenship (by Conferral) between July 2021 and June 2022:

• India (30,000+)
• United Kingdom (19,000+)
• Philippines (11,000+)
• New Zealand (6,000+)
• Pakistan (6,000+)
• Vietnam (6,000+)
• China (5,000+)
• Iraq (5,000+)
• South Africa (4,000+)
• Afghanistan (4,000+)
• Other (67,000+)

In total, over 167,000 individuals (who were born overseas) received Australian Citizenship (by Conferral) between July 2021 and June 2022.

Becoming an Australian Citizen entitles you to several rights and privileges, including: 

• Applying for an Australian Passport.
• Once obtaining an Australian Passport; having the ability to enter 100+ countries without a Visa and another 50+ with a Visa on arrival.
• Having the freedom to enter and leave Australia without a Visa.
• Seeking assistance from Australian diplomatic representatives while overseas.
• Working in the Australian Public Service.
• Serving in the Australian Defence Force.
• Voting in Australian elections and referendums.

No, we usually do not.

The process of obtaining an Australian Passport is very simple, and in most cases wouldn't take you more than a few hours to get all the paperwork together.

The official Australian Passports website has a thorough 'Frequently Asked Questions' section and an easy-to-navigate site which you can visit via this link.

Alternatively, you can watch a Step-by-Step video that we have published on YouTube, which you can visit via this link.

If you still have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.