Ceremony and after
The Australian citizenship certificate and evidence of citizenship
Work out the fee and the usual wait above, then see when you receive a certificate automatically and when you apply for one.
Independent, non-government site: tests, applications and appointments are handled only on the Home Affairs website.
Evidence of citizenship: fee and wait
Fee
$290
| Per application | $290 |
| 90% decided within | 15 days |
| Postage in Australia | about 2 more weeks |
An Australian citizenship certificate is the official document showing that a person is an Australian citizen. New citizens by conferral normally receive it at their ceremony, just after making the pledge; if it is not ready, Home Affairs posts it. People who become citizens without a ceremony, such as by descent, adoption or resumption, receive it by registered post once their application is approved. Anyone else who needs proof, for example a person who became a citizen at birth in Australia or who has lost a certificate, applies for evidence of Australian citizenship on form 119. The fee on form 1298i of July 2026 is $290, with no fee when replacing a document lost in a listed natural disaster within 18 months. In the table updated on 16 October 2026, nine in ten evidence applications were decided within 15 days, plus about 2 weeks for printing and postage in Australia. The certificate is needed for an Australian passport.
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 |
Questions, dates and fees by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How questions and dates are built
How each new citizen receives a certificate
| How you became a citizen | Certificate |
|---|---|
| Conferral, with a ceremony | handed over after the pledge, or posted if not ready |
| Conferral, no ceremony (child under 16, incapacity) | posted by registered mail on approval |
| Descent or adoption | posted on approval |
| Resumption | posted on approval |
| Birth in Australia | none automatically; apply for evidence if you need proof |
The certificate is issued in the legal name you held when the application was approved. You become a citizen when you make the pledge, not when the certificate is printed; the document is evidence of a status you already have.
Applying for evidence of citizenship
Evidence of citizenship is applied for online in ImmiAccount. You can be any age; for a child under 16, a responsible parent applies. Each person needs a separate application: children cannot be included on a parent's. The fee is $290 per application on form 1298i. No fee is payable when the application replaces evidence lost, destroyed or damaged in a natural disaster on the department's list, made within 18 months of the date given for that disaster. Missing documents, unpaid fees or details that need checking slow the decision.
Waiting times
| Share of evidence applications | Decided within |
|---|---|
| 25% | 2 days |
| 50% | 4 days |
| 75% | 8 days |
| 90% | 15 days |
After approval, allow about 2 extra weeks for printing and postage in Australia. Outside Australia without an Australian postal address, printing and postage can take about 6 weeks, so Home Affairs suggests giving an Australian address if possible. On 30 September 2026 the department had 940 evidence applications on hand and had received 3,647 in September 2026.
Looking after it
The certificate is an important legal document. You will need it to apply for an Australian passport, and you may need it to apply for some jobs or to join the Australian Defence Force. Keep it flat and unmarked: altering it is an offence under section 39 of the Act, and laminated or damaged certificates may be refused. Tell Home Affairs if it is lost or stolen; a replacement is an application for evidence of citizenship, at the fee above.
Errors on a certificate
If your name or date of birth is printed wrongly, contact the department straight away. If the mistake was the department's and you report it within 6 weeks of receiving the certificate, you may not need to apply for a change. Later, or when the error came from the details you supplied, you apply to change your evidence. The fee is refunded only when the department made the error. The page on the first weeks as a citizen explains what to do with the certificate next.