Citizenship By Conferral

Overview of citizenship by conferral

Citizenship by conferral is available to permanent residents, including New Zealand citizens holding a Special Category (subclass 444) visa, who meet specific criteria. Applicants must be in Australia when their application is decided in most cases and intend to live in Australia or maintain a lasting link if living overseas.

Eligibility requirements

• You must be a permanent resident or a New Zealand SCV holder at the time of application and decision.
• You generally need to have lived in Australia for a specified period and meet character requirements.
• Applicants aged 59 years or under follow the standard process; different provisions apply for those aged 60 or over, or with certain impairments.
• New Zealand SCV holders are considered permanent residents for citizenship purposes.
• Changes to permanent residency commencement dates may affect eligibility for some New Zealand SCV holders or subclass 189 visa holders.

Application details

• A parent can include a dependent child aged 15 years or younger on their application at no extra cost, provided the child is a permanent resident.
• Children aged 16 or 17 must apply separately.
• There is no application fee for children 15 years or younger applying with a responsible parent.
• Fee concessions and exemptions may apply in certain circumstances.

After you apply

You can check processing times on the Department of Home Affairs website. The Department will assess your application, including residency, character, and other eligibility criteria.

Additional notes

• Some people may already be Australian citizens by birth or descent and may be eligible for an Evidence of Australian Citizenship instead of applying for conferral.
• Special pathways exist for people aged 60 or over, those with impairments, or other specific circumstances.

Fees

For detailed citizenship fees, refer to Form 1298i – Citizenship application fees.