Australian Citizenship (By Conferral) Person 60 Years Or Over

Residence requirement

We consider the length of time you have already lived in Australia. In certain cases, we may exempt you from this requirement.

Meet the general residence requirement

When you apply you must have been:

living in Australia on a valid visa for the past 4 years
a permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen for the past 12 months
away from Australia for no more than 12 months in total in the past 4 years, including no more than 90 days in total in the past 12 months

Calculate your permanent residence

Your residency starts on the date:

we granted the permanent visa when you were in Australia, or
you first entered Australia on a permanent visa

Use our Residence Calculator to see if you meet our requirement.

General exemptions

You do not need to meet our residence requirement if you:

were born to a former Australian citizen who lost their citizenship before 4 April 2002
were born in Papua before 16 September 1975 and one of your parents was born in Australia and was an Australian citizen when you were born

You will need to give us documents that support your claim when you apply.

Australian Defence Force exemption

You or your family may be exempt from the general residence requirement if you are a member of the Australian Defence Force.

Situations when family members may be exempt from the general residence requirement

We granted you one of the following visas on or after 1 July 2007:

Labour Agreement (Migrant) visa (class AU)
Labour Agreement (Residence) visa (class BV)
Employer Nomination (Permanent) visa (class EN)
Regional Employer Nomination (Permanent) visa (class RN)

AND

Your family members were granted the same type of visa on the basis that they were ‘members of the family unit’ included in your visa application.

AND

You meet one of the following:

were appointed, enlisted or transferred into any of the permanent forces or reserves of the Commonwealth of Australia and have served 90 days in the permanent forces
have served a total of 90 paid service days in the navy, army or air force reserve
were discharged from defence service as medically unfit for service as a result of that service

This also applies if the Australian Defence Force member died while undertaking that service.

If you are in this situation, then you and your family members may be exempt from our general residence requirement. You will need to give us proof of your exemption when you apply.

Situations when your family members may not be exempt from the residence requirement

We granted you one of the following visas on or after 1 July 2007, but members of your family unit subsequently came to Australia on a visa that is not listed:

Labour Agreement (Migrant) (class AU) visa
Labour Agreement (Residence) (class BV) visa
Employer Nomination (Permanent) (class EN) visa
Regional Employer Nomination (Permanent) (class RN) visa

You migrated to Australia for another purpose and subsequently decide to join the permanent forces or the reserves.

You acquired Australian citizenship automatically (for example, because you were born in Australia) or are an Australian citizen by registration (for example, you were born in Australia but would not be a citizen of another country).

If you are in any of these situations, then you and your family members will not be eligible for the Australian Defence Forces exemption. You will need to give us proof that you meet our general residence requirement.

Ministerial discretion

Our minister has the discretion to decide that certain elements of the residence requirements do not apply.

Some periods can be treated as being in Australia (lawful residence):

If you were in Australia unlawfully as the result of an administrative error.
If you were in Australia lawfully, but not as a permanent resident as the result of an administrative error.
If you were in Australia lawfully, but not as a permanent resident, and not treating it as a period of permanent residence would cause you to suffer significant hardship or disadvantage.
If you were in prison or a psychiatric institution, then that period may be counted towards the residence requirement (and not treating it as a period of permanent residence would be unreasonable, taking into account the circumstances that led to your confinement).

Some periods spent outside Australia may still be counted towards lawful residence:

If you have spent time outside Australia as a permanent resident with your Australian citizen spouse or partner.
If you are the surviving spouse or partner of an Australian citizen and have a close and continuing association with Australia.
If you spent time outside Australia and are a permanent resident in an interdependent relationship with an Australian citizen and you have had a close and continuing association with Australia.

Special residence requirement

The special residence requirement may be met if you:

want to engage in activities that are supported by particular organisations, such as the Australian Olympic and Paralympics committees, Tennis Australia, Cricket Australia or a federal government agency
have done particular types of work and can give us proof from an employer showing you have worked in that occupation for at least 2 years in total during the past 4 years, and that you were required to travel outside Australia for that work

Activities supported by particular organisations

If you want to engage in activities that are supported by particular organisations, then the special residence requirement may apply to you.

You must have been living in Australia on a valid visa that allows permanent residency for 2 years immediately before you apply. During those 2 years, you must have been lawfully present in Australia for at least 180 days, including at least 90 days during the past 12 months.

Work that requires overseas travel

The special residence requirement may apply to you:

if you have been engaged in particular kinds of work
your employer can show us that you have worked in that occupation for at least 2 years of the past 4 years, and
you were required to travel outside Australia for that work.

You must have held a valid Australian visa for 4 years immediately before applying, including 1 year as a permanent resident immediately before applying.

You must also have been living in Australia for a total of 16 months (480 days) during the 4 years before you apply, with at least 4 months (120 days) of that time in the year immediately before your application.

Age requirement

You must be aged 60 or older to apply without sitting a citizenship test. You need to understand the nature of your application.

Character requirement

We must be satisfied that you are of ‘good character‘ if you are 18 years or over.

Good character is the ‘enduring moral qualities of a person’.

When we assess good character, we consider whether you are likely to:

uphold and obey the laws of Australia
meet the other commitments made through the citizenship pledge

We may consider:

any recorded criminal convictions
obligations you may have to a court in Australia or overseas
your association with people of concern
incidents of reported domestic violence
whether you have been honest in your dealings with the Australian community, including providing false or misleading information in relation to a visa or citizenship application

Knowledge of Australia

You may have an interview to confirm your identity and show us that you understand the nature of the application you are making. You do not have to sit the citizenship test.

If you need an interpreter, you can bring a family member or friend. You can also book an interpreter for your appointment, but you will have to pay for the service.

See Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bond for important information about becoming a citizen.

Close and continuing link to Australia

We must be satisfied that you are likely to live or continue to live in Australia or maintain a close and continuing association with Australia while overseas.

Citizenship is a privilege that requires a long-term commitment to Australia.

When we decide if you have a close and lasting link to Australia, we may consider if you have:

a child who is an Australian citizen
a partner who is an Australian citizen and your time together
extended family in Australia
spent time in Australia
a bank account in Australia
a job in Australia
paid income tax in Australia
property in Australia

Provide us with any extra documents we ask for, and let us know if any of your circumstances change.

Additional documents

We may ask for additional documents or originals. We will contact you directly if needed.

Changing your name or other details after applying

You will need to tell us if you have changed your name since applying for citizenship.

If you applied online, log in to ImmiAccount and follow the instructions on how to update us.

If you posted us a paper application, complete Form 929 – Change of address and/or passport details form (172KB PDF).

Check the progress of your application

If you applied online, you can check how far your application has progressed by logging into ImmiAccount.

We will notify you in writing. You will receive a letter from us when we have made a decision on your application.

Approval

We will send you an approval letter if we have approved your application.

For most applicants, the next step is to wait for an invitation to a citizenship ceremony where you make the Australian Citizenship Pledge.

If you are not required to attend a ceremony to make the Pledge, you will become an Australian citizen on the day we approve your application. We will send your citizenship certificate to you by registered post together with your approval letter.

Refusal

If we refuse your application, we will send you a letter explaining the reasons for our decision. You can ask for a review of the decision by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

Your letter will advise you:

why we refused your application
where you can lodge a request for a review
time limits for requesting a review

Most applicants for citizenship by conferral must attend a citizenship ceremony to make the Australian Citizenship Pledge before they can become an Australian citizen.

If you are not required to attend a citizenship ceremony, your citizenship certificate will be sent to you at the same time as your approval letter.

Find out about the ceremony

Book an Appointment

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COST

COST

When you apply, you must be either:

A permanent resident

An eligible New Zealand citizen

You must also meet this criterion:

Residence requirement

Meet the general residence requirement

Calculate your permanent residence

General exemptions

Australian Defence Force exemption

Situations when family members may be exempt from the general residence requirement

Situations when your family members may not be exempt from the residence requirement

Ministerial discretion

Special residence requirement

Age requirement

Character requirement

Knowledge of Australia

Close and continuing link to Australia

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Identity documents

Evidence of date of birth and any changes of name

Photograph and signature

Evidence of residential address

Evidence of arrival in Australia

Evidence of identity in the community

Identity documents for a child 15 years or younger

Photographs

Good character documents

Penal clearance certificates

Australian National Police Check

Special Category visa (subclass 444) holders

Supporting documents

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Evidence of eligibility

Evidence of exemptions and ministerial discretions

Commonwealth Child Migration Scheme

Evidence to meet the special residence requirement

Evidence of permanent residence for New Zealand migrants

Evidence of residence for British migrants

Documents relating to a child in your application

Online applications

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Scan

Attach

Paper applications

Translate

Certify

Keep

Online application

Paper application

Additional documents

Changing your name or other details after applying

Check the progress of your application

Approval

Refusal

Start your migration journey today

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I Include My Partner/Spouse And Child(ren) As Dependents For This Application?

2. Do I Need To Sit For The Citizenship Test?

3. What Is The Final Step Of This Application?

Do You Have Any Further Questions?

We understand that you may have specific questions about your own unique situation, so if there is anything you need to know that is not addressed on this website, do not hesitate to contact us.

Why choose us?

At Carevisa Australia, we make sure that our clients are looked after. We will manage your visa case with the highest level of care, and guide you throughout every step of the process. We are here to help you in any way, and assist you with any Australian migration related queries you may have.