Australian Citizenship (for N.Z. Citizens)

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.

Yes, according to the New Zealand Government website.

You can be a Citizen of New Zealand and another country at the same time — unless the other country does not allow it. In this case, Australia allows it.

However, as overseas Citizenship laws may change frequently, we recommend that all New Zealand Citizens who are prospective Australian Citizenship Applicants contact their nearest New Zealand Consulate or Embassy to get the latest information on New Zealand's Dual Citizenship allowance.

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, at this time.

The 5 most common reasons for Citizenship (by Conferral) application refusals are as follows:

• Failure to pass the Citizenship Test.
• Failure to meet the General Residence Requirements.
• 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.

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.