Australian Citizenship

Complete your migration journey

Who this pathway is for

• Permanent residents (or eligible New Zealand SCV holders) meeting the residence requirement.
• Applicants unsure whether travel history affects their eligibility.
• Citizenship by descent, adoption, or resumption enquiries.
• Applicants preparing for the citizenship test.
• Parents wanting to include a dependent child aged 15 or under in their application.

Important updates you should know

• The citizenship test pass mark is 75% or higher, and you must also answer all five Australian values questions correctly missing even one values question means you don't meet the knowledge requirement regardless of your overall score.
• Absences matter precisely: no more than 12 months total outside Australia across the full 4-year period, and no more than 90 days in the 12 months right before you apply even short trips can add up and affect eligibility.
• A parent can include a dependent child aged 15 or younger in their own application at no extra cost, but children aged 16 or 17 must apply separately in their own right.
• New Zealand citizens holding a Special Category (subclass 444) visa are treated as permanent residents for citizenship purposes, though special rules apply to when their "permanent residence" is considered to have started.
• Good character assessments look beyond criminal history the Department also considers court obligations, associations with people of concern, family violence history, and honesty in past dealings with immigration authorities.
• Citizenship application fees are reviewed and typically increase every 1 July, so it's worth checking the current fee schedule close to lodgement.