Citizenship Services
Australian Citizenship Eligibility
If you want to become an Australian citizen, depending on your situation, there is basic criteria that you need to fulfill such as residing in the country for certain periods of time. You should at first determine if you meet these requirements before beginning your application. Keep on reading and select the situation that best suits you.
1 – Permanent Resident of Australia / Migrant with Permanent Residency
2 – Spouse or partner of an Australian citizen
3 – Citizen of New Zealand living in Australia
If you are holding a permanent residence visa and satisfy the residential requirements, you may already be half way through the process to becoming an Australian citizen and gain valuable advantages.
1. Being a Permanent Resident of Australia
You need to hold a valid visa that allows you to reside in Australia indefinitely. This is generally called a Permanent Residence Visa. If you are unsure whether your current visa qualifies for citizenship, you can use the official Visa Wizard from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship or simply use our Australian Citizenship Visa Guide. All you need is your Visa Subclass number which you can find in your passport or online at the Entitlement Verification Online Services website.
and
2. Satisfying the residence requirement
The residence requirement is based on the time you have lived in Australia and the time you have spent outside Australia within the last 4 years.
To be eligible to apply, you must:
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have been living in Australia on a valid Australian visa for four years immediately before applying
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have been living in Australia for 12 months as a permanent resident
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not have been absent from Australia for more than 1 year in total
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not have been absent from Australia more than 90 days in the year before applying.
If you were granted a migrant visa offshore, your permanent residency is valid from the first date of arrival into Australia on this visa. If you were granted a permanent residence visa onshore your permanent residency is valid from the date that the visa was issued.
Are you eligible for Australian Citizenship? If yes, click here to learn how to apply.
As a husband, wife or partner of an Australian citizen you are still required to go through the same process to become an Australian citizen. This means that you need to have an up-to-date permanent residence visa and also satisfy the residential requirements. There is however an advantageous variation for spouses and partners in terms of the residential requirements. For example, some of the time spent living in another country may be considered as time spent in Australia.
1. Being a Permanent Resident of Australia
You need to hold a valid visa that allows you to reside in Australia indefinitely. This is generally called a Permanent Residence Visa. If you are unsure whether your current visa qualifies for citizenship, you can use the official Visa Wizard from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship or simply use our Australian Citizenship Visa Guide. All you need is your Visa Subclass number which you can find in your passport or online at the Entitlement Verification Online Services website.
and
2. Satisfying the residence requirement
The residence requirement is based on the time you have lived in Australia and the time you have spent outside Australia within the last 4 years.
Within this 4 year period you must:
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have been living in Australia on a valid Australian visa for four years immediately before applying
-
have been living in Australia for 12 months as a permanent resident
-
not have been absent from Australia for more than 1 year in total
-
not have been absent from Australia more than 90 days in the year before applying.
This being the standard residence requirement, as a spouse of an Australian Citizen, the time you spent overseas while a permanent resident may be counted as time spent in Australia, providing you can demonstrate a close connection to Australia. Contact your local Department of Immigration and Citizenship office to discuss these details.
If you were granted a migrant visa offshore, your permanent residency is valid from the first date of arrival into Australia on this visa. If you were granted a permanent residence visa onshore your permanent residency is valid from the date that the visa was issued.
Are you eligible for Australian Citizenship? If yes, click here to learn how to apply.
Citizen of New Zealand living in Australia
Being a New Zealand citizen and already living in Australia, your eligibility for the Australian Citizenship depends on whether you are a permanent resident or whether you arrived in Australia before 26/02/2001.
1. Being a Permanent Resident of Australia
You need to hold a valid visa that allows you to reside in Australia indefinitely. This is generally called a Permanent Residence Visa. If you are unsure whether your current visa qualifies for citizenship, you can use the official Visa Wizard from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship or simply use our Australian Citizenship Visa Guide. All you need is your Visa Subclass number which you can find in your passport or online at the Entitlement Verification Online Services website.
or
2. Holding a Special Category Visa (SCV) and arrived in Australia before 26/02/2001
Citizens of New Zealand are automatically granted a Special Category Visa (SCV) when entering Australia, which allows you to remain in Australia indefinitely. Depending on your arrival date in Australia you are fully eligble for citizenship if you:
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have been in Australia since 26 February 2001 on a SCV or
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have spent a period/periods totalling 12 months in Australia on an SCV in the two years immediately before 26 February 2001
or
3. Have a Centrelink certificate issued prior to 26/02/2004
If you have a Centre link certificate that was issued prior to 26 February 2004, stating that you were residing in Australia on a particular date, you are also fully eligible for the Australian Citizenship.
Are you eligible for Australian Citizenship? If yes, click here to learn how to apply.
The Australian Citizenship Test is part of the Citizenship Appointment and a crucial part in the process of becoming an Australian Citizen. It encourages you to find out more about Australia, as well as understand the responsibilities and advantages the Australian Citizenship brings with it.
You will receive an invitation with a test centre location and appointment details directly from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship after your Citizenship application has been reviewed.
The Citizenship test is not a difficult test to pass, the pass rate is well above 90%. Nevertheless it is encouraged to invest a good amount of time to prepare for it.
Objective – Why do I have to do the test?
Test Structure – What are the questions about?
Test Rules – What is prohibited?
Pass Rate – What score do I have to achieve to pass the test?
Passing the test – How do I know if I have passed the test?
Generally, every applicant who has lodged a valid application to become an Australian citizen will need to complete the Citizenship Test. However, in some special cases you are not required to sit the test:
Age Exemption
You are not required to sit the test if:
- you are aged under 18, or
- you are aged 60 and over