Australian citizenship by conferral

For citizenship purposes a person is a permanent resident if they are in Australia holding a permanent visa, or are outside Australia still holding a permanent visa after holding such a visa when last leaving, or are covered by a Ministerial determination (for example the determination for New Zealand Special Category visa holders).

A serious prison sentence for citizenship purposes means a prison sentence of at least 12 months.

The law sets two pledge wordings, identical in content except that the first begins with the words "under God" and the second does not; the person chooses which to say.

The citizenship test assesses an applicant's English language skills and their knowledge of Australia and Australian citizenship.

Applicants aged 18 or over must be of good character, which Home Affairs describes as the enduring moral qualities of a person and assesses by whether the person is likely to uphold and obey Australian laws and meet the responsibilities of citizenship.

To qualify under the general conferral pathway an applicant must be at least 18 when applying and must hold permanent resident status both on the day of application and on the day the Minister decides the application.

The applicant must not have been in Australia as an unlawful non-citizen at any point during the 4-year residence period.

Time in prison, or in a psychiatric institution by court order for an offence, during the 4-year period means the applicant is taken not to meet the 4-year presence requirement unless the Minister decides it would be unreasonable to apply that rule.

The Minister may count a period as permanent residence if the applicant was in Australia but only lacked permanent resident status because of an administrative error.

If an applicant spent time in Australia on a temporary status, the Minister may treat it as permanent residence time when the applicant would otherwise suffer significant hardship or disadvantage.

For an applicant who is the spouse or de facto partner (or surviving partner) of an Australian citizen when applying, the Minister may count time spent overseas as a permanent resident toward the 12-month permanent resident period, if during that time the applicant was the citizen's spouse or de facto partner and a permanent resident and kept a close and continuing association with Australia.

Time spent outside Australia during the 4 years is treated as presence in Australia only if all absences added together total no more than 12 months.

For the last 12 months before applying, absences abroad count as time present as a permanent resident only if they total no more than 90 days and the person was a permanent resident throughout each absence.

Relevant defence service, which satisfies the residence requirement in place of the 4-year rule, includes at least 90 days of service in the Permanent Forces, whether continuous or not.

Under the special residence requirement for a specified activity that needs citizenship and benefits Australia, the applicant needs at least 180 days in Australia in the last 2 years and at least 90 days in the last 12 months, plus 2 years as a permanent resident and a written notice from the head (or a senior person) of the specified organisation that the applicant has a reasonable prospect of being engaged in the activity.

Under the special residence requirement for work needing regular travel abroad, the applicant needs at least 2 years in a specified kind of work within the last 4 years, at least 480 days in Australia in those 4 years including at least 120 days in the last 12 months, and 12 months as a permanent resident.

Under the general residence requirement the applicant must have been present in Australia throughout the 4 years immediately before the day of application, although absences abroad totalling no more than 12 months in that period are treated as presence.

Within those 4 years, the applicant must have been present in Australia as a permanent resident for the whole 12 months immediately before the application day.

A person who has ceased to be an Australian citizen cannot be approved to become a citizen again by application for 12 months from the day they last ceased to be a citizen (the statelessness pathway is exempt).

The Minister may delay a person's pledge, for no more than 12 months in total, when the person's visa may be cancelled or they may be charged with an offence.

The standard test is 45 minutes, and an Assisted Test gives 90 minutes instead.

If an approved applicant has not made the pledge within 12 months of receiving notice of approval, and has no prescribed excuse, the Minister may cancel the approval.

Home Affairs says the ceremony is usually held within 6 months of approval, and an approved applicant must attend within 12 months or the approval may be cancelled.

The application fee for citizenship by conferral under the general eligibility criteria in s 21(2), the usual route for adult permanent residents who sit the test, is A$595 for applications made on or after 1 July 2026; someone who already sat the test on an earlier application pays A$365 instead.

Sources disagree: Home Affairs page "Become an Australian citizen (by conferral)", Cost section (read 2026-10-22), still says A$285 for ages 18-59 and A$180 for 16-17; this is stale against Schedule 3 and Form 1298i (A$595 and A$365).

Home Affairs fee sheet 1298i lists the Form 1300t general eligibility application at A$595, with a A$85 concession fee, and nil for children under 16 on a parent's form.

The concession fee for a general-eligibility application is A$85 for a holder of an Australian Government Pensioner Concession Card, or a person under 18 listed as a dependant on one.

Section 21 applications that do not claim eligibility under the general criteria in s 21(2) cost A$365 unless a concession or exemption applies.

Sources disagree: Home Affairs web page for ages 16-17 and under 16 still shows A$180 (read 2026-10-22); Schedule 3 and Form 1298i show A$365.

No fee is charged for a child under 16 who applies on the same form as a responsible parent.

Applicants who apply under the statelessness provision, section 21(8), pay no application fee.

For the general pathway the English, understanding and knowledge criteria are treated as met if, and only if, the person has sat and successfully completed the approved citizenship test within the permitted time.

Meeting the eligibility criteria does not guarantee approval: except on the statelessness pathway (s 21(8)), the Minister keeps a discretion to refuse an applicant who is eligible.

Applicants must make a pledge of commitment to become citizens, except those under 16 at application, those with a permanent or enduring incapacity that leaves them unable to understand the application or to show basic English or adequate knowledge of Australia, and those under the s 21(6) to (8) pathways (born to a former citizen, born in Papua, or stateless).

A pledge made before the Minister has approved the application has no effect.

A person who must make the pledge becomes an Australian citizen on the day they make it, not on the day of approval.

The pledge must be made in public where reasonably practicable, with the presiding officer reading the preamble in Schedule 1 aloud to the person.

After release from a prison sentence of 12 months or more in Australia, citizenship cannot be approved for 2 years, or for 10 years for a serious repeat offender.

The Minister may revoke citizenship obtained by conferral if the holder was convicted of a false-information offence about the application, was convicted after applying of a serious offence (a sentence of death or at least 12 months) committed before becoming a citizen, or obtained approval through migration-related or third-party fraud, and revocation is in the public interest.

The permanent visa classes prescribed for the defence service requirement are four: Employer Nomination (EN), Labour Agreement (Migrant) (AU), Labour Agreement (Residence) (BV) and Regional Employer Nomination (RN).

The activities specified for the special residence requirement are NV2-or-higher security clearance jobs in Commonwealth departments and agencies, and Australian team participation in the Olympics, Paralympics, Davis Cup/Billie Jean King Cup, Commonwealth Games or international cricket.

The specified kinds of work include on-duty ship or aircraft crew, work on resources or sea installations, ASX 200 chief executives and executive managers, PhD-qualified university researchers, CSIRO and medical research institute scientists, and renowned medical specialists.

A March 2026 amendment added the work of a minister of religion in a senior leadership position as a kind of work that can qualify for the special residence requirement, for applications made on or after the amendment commenced.

The Regulation says the amendments made by Part 1 of Schedule 1 to the 2026 Measures No. 1 regulations apply to applications made on or after 1 July 2026, the same date the current citizenship fee schedule took effect.

Since 1 July 2023 all Special Category visa holders can apply directly for Australian citizenship by conferral without first obtaining a permanent visa, provided they meet the other citizenship eligibility requirements.