Who can apply
Citizenship by conferral: what it means and how it works from start to pledge
Check the residence conditions first, then see which conferral form and fee apply to you and what happens after you lodge.
Independent, non-government site: tests, applications and appointments are handled only on the Home Affairs website.
Do I meet the main conditions today?
Residence conditions met
4 of 4
| 4 years on a visa | met |
| 12 months as a permanent resident | met |
| At most 365 days away | met |
| At most 90 in the last year | met |
Character, the test and a close link with Australia are checked too.
Citizenship by conferral is the way a permanent resident who was not born an Australian citizen becomes one: the Minister, through Home Affairs, grants it on application under the Australian Citizenship Act 2007. Most adults apply under general eligibility on form 1300t, which is for people aged 18 to 59 and costs $595 ($85 with a Pensioner Concession Card). Applicants aged 16 or 17, aged 60 or over, or with an incapacity or impairment use form 1290, "other situations", at $365. Children under 16 can be added to a parent’s form for nothing. General eligibility needs a permanent visa, 4 years living in Australia including 12 months as a permanent resident, good character, a pass in the citizenship test and a close link with Australia. Approval does not yet make you a citizen: you become one on the day you make the pledge of commitment, which must happen within 12 months.
Which conferral form and fee are mine?
Fee from form 1298i
$595
| Application | form 1300t, general eligibility |
| Citizenship test | yes |
| Lodging | online or paper |
Questions, dates and fees by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How questions and dates are built
Conferral in one sentence
Conferral means the Australian Government grants citizenship to a person who applies and meets the conditions of the Act, as opposed to the automatic citizenship of a child born to a citizen or permanent resident in Australia, or the citizenship by descent of a child born overseas to a citizen. It is the route of almost every migrant: on 30 September 2026, Home Affairs held 53,298 conferral applications, and it received 23,581 in September 2026 alone, both figures counting children included on a parent’s form.
The eligibility categories
The Australian Citizenship Act 2007 lists several ways to be eligible, each with its own conditions. The forms group them into two applications.
| Category | Form | Fee | Test |
|---|---|---|---|
| General eligibility, aged 18 to 59 | 1300t | $595 | yes |
| Same, Pensioner Concession Card | 1300t | $85 | yes |
| Aged 16 or 17, applying alone | 1290 | $365 | no |
| Aged 60 or over, or a hearing, speech or sight impairment | 1290 | $365 | no |
| Permanent or enduring physical or mental incapacity | 1290 | $365 | no |
| Child under 16 on a parent’s form | parent’s form | nil | no |
| Statelessness provision, section 21(8) | paper form | nil | no |
The general category is the one most people use. It is also the strictest: permanent visa, the residence rule, good character, the test, the close link with Australia, and presence in Australia on the day of decision. The other categories relax the test, and some relax the residence rule, but the character, identity and status conditions stay. People born in Papua before 16 September 1975 to an Australian-born citizen parent and children of a former citizen who lost citizenship before 4 April 2002 also have their own eligibility and do not attend a ceremony.
Which conferral form and fee are mine?
Fee from form 1298i
$595
| Application | form 1300t, general eligibility |
| Citizenship test | yes |
| Lodging | online or paper |
Step 1: meet the conditions on the day you lodge
Most refusals come from lodging too early. The residence rule is tested on the day of application: 4 years living in Australia on a valid visa, 12 months as a permanent resident, and absences within 365 days, 90 of them at most in the last year. The residence calculator gives the exact day, and the requirements checklist covers the rest.
Step 2: lodge and pay
Applicants aged 18 to 59 usually apply online in ImmiAccount and pay when they lodge. A paper form is needed for teenagers of 16 or 17, fee exemptions, the defence service exemption, stateless people, people with no passport or travel document, and people who have not travelled in or out of Australia since July 1990. You attach scans of identity documents, translations and evidence for any exemption or discretion. The application page lists the documents step by step.
Step 3: the appointment
Home Affairs checks your identity and eligibility, then writes with an appointment. Most applicants aged 18 to 59 sit the citizenship test there: 20 questions in 45 minutes, 75% overall and all 5 values questions right. Others have an interview to confirm identity and that they understand the application. Failing is not fatal: the department books another appointment at no cost, and may refuse only after 3 appointments without a pass. Train with the practice test.
Step 4: the decision
After the test, the department completes character and security checks, which can involve other agencies, and decides. On the current table, half of conferral decisions take 42 days or less and nine in ten 5 months or less, counted from the application. You must still be living in Australia and hold your permanent status on the day of decision, and on general eligibility you must be in Australia at that moment unless a special residence rule or the spouse discretion helped you qualify. A refusal letter gives reasons and explains review rights.
Step 5: the pledge, which makes you a citizen
Most approved applicants who were aged 16 or over when they applied must make the pledge of commitment at a ceremony, and Home Affairs is clear that you do not become a citizen until you have made it. Councils usually host the ceremonies; you cannot choose the place or date, and the invitation arrives about 4 weeks before. Half of approved applicants reach a ceremony within 4 months of approval, nine in ten within 6 months. The pledge must be made within 12 months of approval. Children under 16 on your form become citizens at the same moment as you, and the ceremony page describes the day.
What slows a conferral application
Home Affairs names the usual causes of delay: a form not filled in correctly, missing documents or a request for more information, time needed to verify what you supplied, and checks by other agencies for character and national security. Two more are in your hands after approval: putting off the ceremony and not collecting the certificate. The department also refuses to process an application paid at the wrong fee, and may return it. Keep your contact details current in ImmiAccount, answer requests quickly, and report changes such as a new address, a new name or a child born after you lodged, because a child must be a permanent resident under 16 on both dates to be included.
What conferral does not require
You are not asked to give up another nationality: since 4 April 2002 Australian law allows dual citizenship. There is no income test and no separate English exam; the test is the language check. Nobody needs to sponsor you, and the application goes straight to Home Affairs. For applicants aged 60 or over, the seniors page explains the form 1290 route without a test.