Who can apply
Born in Australia: when a child is a citizen by birth
Answer two questions to see whether you, or your child, became a citizen at birth or on the tenth birthday, then see what proof costs.
Independent, non-government site: tests, applications and appointments are handled only on the Home Affairs website.
Born in Australia: citizen at birth?
Your status
Citizen on your 10th birthday
| Rule (born on or after 20 August 1986) | citizen on the 10th birthday after living most of that time in Australia |
| Application needed | no; evidence of citizenship is optional |
| Evidence fee | $290 |
Being born in Australia does not make every child an Australian citizen. Home Affairs explains that the answer depends on the date of birth. Most children born in Australia before 20 August 1986 are citizens by birth, unless a parent had diplomatic privileges or was a consular officer of another country. A child born on or after that date is a citizen at birth only if at least one parent was an Australian citizen or a permanent resident on the day of the birth. A child born here to parents who were neither, for example two temporary visa holders, automatically becomes a citizen on the 10th birthday if they have lived most of their life in Australia. No application is needed in either case, but there is no certificate either: proof is the full birth certificate plus the parent’s status, or an evidence of citizenship certificate on form 119, which costs $290 on form 1298i and is decided in 15 days or less for nine applications in ten.
Evidence of citizenship: fee and wait
Fee
$290
| Per application | $290 |
| 90% decided within | 15 days |
| Postage in Australia | about 2 more weeks |
Questions, dates and fees by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How questions and dates are built
Three rules, set by the date of birth
| Born in Australia | Citizen? | When |
|---|---|---|
| before 20 August 1986 | yes, in most cases | at birth (not children of foreign diplomats or consular officers) |
| on or after 20 August 1986, a parent a citizen or permanent resident | yes | at birth |
| on or after 20 August 1986, neither parent a citizen or permanent resident | not at birth | on the 10th birthday, after living most of that time in Australia |
The Home Affairs explanation is short, and its key word is the date. A birth before 20 August 1986 falls under the old, broad rule; a birth on or after it falls under the parent rule and the ten-year rule. Everything else on this page follows from those two dates.
The parent rule
For a birth on or after 20 August 1986, one parent is enough, and the test is that parent’s status on the day of birth. A citizen by any route counts: born here, by descent, by conferral. A permanent resident counts too, so a baby born a week after a parent’s permanent visa was granted in Australia is a citizen, while a baby born a week before is not. A parent who becomes a permanent resident or citizen later does not change the child’s status at birth; the child then needs the ten-year rule, or an application of their own.
The ten-year rule
A child born in Australia to parents who were neither citizens nor permanent residents automatically becomes a citizen on the 10th birthday, provided they have lived most of their life in Australia. There is no form and no fee; the change happens by law. It matters for families who stayed on temporary or bridging visas for years, and for children whose parents never regularised their stay. To prove it later, the child applies for evidence of citizenship with records of their life in Australia, such as school enrolments.
Stateless children born here
A child born in Australia who has never been a citizen of any country and is not entitled to another nationality can apply for citizenship by conferral. Home Affairs lists such applicants among those who do not sit the citizenship test and are not required to attend a ceremony, and no fee is charged under the statelessness provision, section 21(8) as named on form 1298i.
Getting proof: evidence of citizenship
A citizen by birth was never granted anything, so has no certificate. Most people never need one: a full birth certificate with the parent’s status does the job. Others prefer a single document. The evidence of citizenship application on form 119 costs $290, nothing if a certificate was lost in a listed natural disaster within the last 18 months. On the current table, half of these applications are decided in 4 days and nine in ten in 15 days, plus about 2 weeks for printing and postage in Australia.
Evidence of citizenship: fee and wait
Fee
$290
| Per application | $290 |
| 90% decided within | 15 days |
| Postage in Australia | about 2 more weeks |
Born overseas instead?
A child born outside Australia to an Australian citizen parent is not a citizen automatically, but can apply by descent, usually soon after the birth. The descent page explains it. A child born overseas to permanent residents becomes a citizen by conferral, usually on a parent’s form before age 16: see the children page. Once citizenship is established, the after citizenship page covers the passport and enrolling to vote at 18.