Who Can Apply
Australian citizenship by conferral is available to:
- Permanent residents of Australia
- Certain New Zealand citizens who meet the residence requirements
To apply for Australian citizenship, you must have been lawfully present in Australia for at least 4 years immediately before lodging your application — and at least 12 of those months must have been as a permanent resident (not on a temporary visa or bridging visa).
The Residence Requirement — The Detail That Trips People Up
The 4-year calculation for Australian citizenship has two specific absence limits:
- No more than 12 months total absence from Australia in the 4 years before applying
- No more than 90 days absence in the 12 months immediately before applying
Time spent on a bridging visa generally counts as lawful presence, but does not count toward the 12-month permanent residence requirement. If you spent time on a bridging visa before your permanent visa was granted, that period counts toward the 4 years but not the 12 months as a PR.
We calculate the exact figures before advising on timing. Lodging too early — even by a few weeks — can result in your Australian citizenship application being refused and the fees being lost.
Good Character Requirement
All applicants must be of good character. This covers criminal history in Australia and overseas — not just convictions in the criminal sense. Spent convictions in some states may still need to be disclosed. If you have anything in your history that could be relevant, we review it before you lodge so there are no surprises.
The Citizenship Test
Most adult applicants (18 and over) must pass the Australian citizenship test. It's a multiple choice test covering Australian values, history, symbols, government, and the responsibilities of citizenship. A practice test is available on the Department's website — most applicants pass on the first attempt with modest preparation.
The test is available in English only. Applicants who cannot sit the test due to a physical or cognitive incapacity may be exempt.
Processing Times
Citizenship applications currently take 12–18 months for most applicants, though complex cases with character issues or identity questions take longer. The Department does not prioritise applications — the best way to avoid delays is to make sure the application is correctly and completely prepared when lodged.
After Approval — The Ceremony
Once your application is approved, you'll receive an invitation to a citizenship ceremony. Ceremonies are typically arranged through your local council. You make the Australian citizenship pledge at the ceremony, and citizenship is conferred at that point.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you may still be eligible. Most permanent resident visas show a “visa expiry” date, but for PR this usually refers to your travel facility (the right to re-enter Australia after travelling), not your right to remain in Australia. In many cases, PR visas come with a 5-year travel facility. Once that travel facility ends, you can still live in Australia indefinitely as a permanent resident if you remain in Australia and do not depart. If you later want to travel and return as a permanent resident, you normally need a Resident Return Visa (subclass 155/157). So, if you have continuously stayed in Australia and met the residence requirements, you can still apply for citizenship, even if the travel facility date has passed.
If your child was born in Australia while neither parent was an Australian citizen or permanent resident, your child can still become an Australian citizen under the “10-year rule” — but only if they satisfy the legal test in s 12(1)(b) of the Australian Citizenship Act 2007: the child must be “ordinarily resident in Australia throughout the period of 10 years” from birth.
What “ordinarily resident” means (important if the child lived overseas)
The Act defines “ordinarily resident” broadly, including where a person’s home is, or where their permanent abode is “even if temporarily absent”.
So, being outside Australia does not automatically break the 10-year rule — the key question is whether the child’s real “home/permanent base” remained Australia during the 10 years, and whether the overseas period was truly temporary (based on evidence).
There is a case might help you understand more about 10 years rule
In Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs v Sidhu (by his litigation representative Kaur) [2023] FCAFC 133, the child spent a long time in India (about 5 years and 10 months), but the Full Federal Court still accepted the child was ordinarily resident in Australia across the 10 years.
A key line the Court used (quoting the primary judge’s conclusion) was that the child’s “home had been Australia… notwithstanding that he had been removed to India for a ‘temporary purpose’.”
What this means for your situation
- If your child lived overseas for years, they may still meet the 10-year rule if you can show Australia stayed their home/permanent base, and the overseas stay was temporary (with strong evidence).
- If the child’s life was genuinely relocated overseas (settled schooling/life there, weak ongoing ties to Australia, family base effectively moved), the Department may decide the child was not “ordinarily resident” in Australia for the whole 10 years.