Australian Citizenship: Eligibility and How to Apply (2026 Guide)

Getting permanent residency isn’t the end of the road – for most people it’s the last step before Australian citizenship. Citizenship by conferral is the pathway almost every international student who becomes a PR eventually uses: an Australian passport, the right to vote, and no more visa conditions to track. This guide walks through exactly who’s eligible, what the residence requirement actually counts, how the citizenship test works, what it costs, and the full application sequence, sourced directly from the Department of Home Affairs.

If you haven’t already reached permanent residency, our overview of PR pathways for international students covers the visas that get you there first – citizenship by conferral requires permanent residency (or an eligible New Zealand Special Category visa) before you can even apply.

TL;DR

• You need to be a permanent resident (or NZ citizen holding an SCV) when you apply and when Home Affairs decides your application.
• The residence requirement: 4 years living in Australia on a valid visa immediately before applying, including the last 12 months as a permanent resident, with no more than 12 months total absence in those 4 years and no more than 90 days absence in the last 12 months.
• Most applicants aged 18 to 59 must pass the citizenship test – 20 multiple choice questions in 45 minutes, needing 15/20 (75%) overall and all 5 Australian values questions correct.
• The standard application fee is AUD595 (Form 1300t, general eligibility), with a concession fee of AUD85 for eligible Pensioner Concession Card holders and no fee for children 15 or younger applying with a parent.
• After approval, most applicants must attend a citizenship ceremony and make the pledge of commitment before receiving their citizenship certificate.

Who can apply for citizenship by conferral

When you apply, Home Affairs requires you to be either a permanent resident, or a New Zealand citizen holding a Special Category (subclass 444) visa (SCV) – and you must still hold that status when Home Affairs decides your application, not just when you submit it. On top of that, you must be in Australia when your application is decided in most cases, and you must intend to live in Australia or maintain a lasting link with Australia while overseas.

This particular process is for people aged 59 and under. If you’re 60 or older, aged 17 or under, or have a relevant incapacity or impairment, Home Affairs runs separate application processes with different requirements – check the other ways to become an Australian citizen page for those situations.

The residence requirement, explained properly

This is the requirement that trips people up most, because it isn’t just “have I had a PR visa for X years.” When you apply, Home Affairs requires you to:

• have been living in Australia on a valid visa for 4 years immediately before the day you apply
• hold a permanent visa or an SCV for the last 12 months immediately before the day you apply, and
• not have been absent from Australia for more than 12 months in total in the past 4 years, including no more than 90 days in total in the 12 months immediately before applying.

In practice this means the 4-year clock includes time spent on temporary visas – a student visa or a 485, for example – as long as it was continuous and valid, but the final 12 months of that 4-year window must specifically be on a permanent visa (or SCV). Children under 16 don’t need to meet the residence requirement themselves, but must still be a permanent resident.

Exemptions and special circumstances apply in some situations, and different rules apply to certain New Zealand citizens holding an SCV or a New Zealand stream Skilled Independent (subclass 189) visa, whose permanent residency commencement date is calculated differently. Check your specific situation using the residence calculator rather than assuming a fixed date.

Character requirement

If you’re 18 or over, you must be of “good character” – defined by Home Affairs as the “enduring moral qualities of a person.” When assessing this, Home Affairs considers whether you’re likely to uphold and obey Australian law and meet the commitments made through the citizenship pledge. Factors that may be taken into account include any recorded criminal convictions, obligations to a court in Australia or overseas, association with people of concern, incidents of reported domestic violence, and whether you’ve been honest in your dealings with the Australian community – including in any past visa or citizenship applications.

The citizenship test: knowledge and language requirements

Most applicants between 18 and 59 satisfy both the knowledge and language requirements by sitting the citizenship test. Checked directly on Home Affairs for this guide, the test:

• has 20 multiple choice questions, computer-based, in English only
• gives you 45 minutes to complete it
• requires an overall mark of at least 15/20 (75%) to pass
• requires 5 out of 5 of the specific Australian values questions answered correctly, regardless of your overall score
• costs nothing extra – the citizenship application fee you already paid covers it

The test draws on Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bond, the official study booklet Home Affairs publishes in 40 community languages to help you prepare, even though the test itself is only offered in English. Some applicants don’t need to sit the test at all and instead have an interview to confirm identity and understanding of their application – this generally applies to people outside the 18-59 age bracket or with a relevant incapacity or impairment, so check your specific situation rather than assuming the standard test applies.

Close and continuing link to Australia

Home Affairs must be satisfied that you’re likely to live, or continue to live, in Australia, or maintain a close and continuing link with Australia while overseas. Having family or social relationships here isn’t automatically enough on its own – Home Affairs also looks at your living arrangements and migration status, including whether you rent or own property here, high-value assets like a car or bank account, your income and employment situation, your travel history in and out of Australia and the reasons for it, participation in community groups or organisations, and whether you have close family who are also Australian permanent residents or citizens intending to stay.

When your application can't be approved

Home Affairs lists specific circumstances where it cannot approve a citizenship application regardless of how well you otherwise meet the criteria above: issues with confirming your identity, certain criminal offences, being assessed as a risk to national security, having previously renounced or lost Australian citizenship in certain circumstances, or not being in the right location at the time your application would otherwise be approved. These are separate, harder bars than the general character requirement – see the current detail on the Home Affairs eligibility page if any of these might apply to your situation, and consider getting advice from a migration agent or lawyer.

How much it costs

Checked directly against the current Home Affairs fee schedule for this guide:

The concession fee only applies if you hold a valid Pensioner Concession Card issued by Services Australia or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs – a Health Care Card, Student Card or Seniors Health Card doesn’t qualify. Citizenship application fees are set under the Australian Citizenship Regulation 2016 and are usually indexed on 1 July each year, so confirm the current figure on Home Affairs before you pay.

The application process, step by step

1. Check your eligibility against the requirements above before you apply.
2. Prepare your documents – original police certificates, scanned originals for an online application (or certified copies for a paper one), and every document you’ll need, since Home Affairs asks you to give as much supporting information as possible upfront.
3. Apply and pay online through ImmiAccount. You can apply from inside or outside Australia, and applying online with all required documents attached generally helps Home Affairs finalise your application faster than a paper application.
4. Attend a citizenship appointment. Most applicants aged 18 to 59 sit the citizenship test at this appointment; some instead have an interview. Home Affairs sends an appointment letter, and the wait from application to appointment date can run to several months.
5. Wait for a decision – respond promptly to any request for extra documents, and tell Home Affairs immediately if your circumstances change after you apply.
6. Receive the outcome in writing.
7. Attend a citizenship ceremony and make the pledge of commitment – this is required for most approved applicants before you receive your citizenship certificate. Home Affairs sends an invitation letter, generally about four weeks before the ceremony, and wait times for ceremonies vary by location.

Where to get real help

Citizenship eligibility criteria, fees and processing arrangements are reviewed and change – fees alone are typically indexed every 1 July. Before you apply, check the current position directly on immi.homeaffairs.gov.au, and if your situation involves character issues, absences from Australia, or anything else that isn’t straightforward, consider getting advice from a MARA-registered migration agent or migration lawyer. This article is general information only, not a substitute for that advice, and nothing here should be read as a promise or guarantee that any specific application will be approved.

Frequently Asked Questions