Application, fees, times
Citizenship documents: identity, police certificates and translations
Enter your time abroad to see whether an overseas police certificate is likely, then work through the identity evidence Home Affairs expects.
Independent, non-government site: tests, applications and appointments are handled only on the Home Affairs website.
Which countries need a police certificate?
Overseas police certificate
Likely needed
| Trigger | 12 months or more outside Australia in total |
| And | 90 days or more in one country |
| Australian police check | aged 16 or over, requested by Home Affairs |
Citizenship documents fall into three groups. Identity comes first, assessed from birth: Home Affairs asks for 3 documents that together show your birth name, date of birth and sex, a photograph, a signature and your current residential address, with a full birth certificate as the preferred proof of birth details. Character comes second: if you are a permanent visa holder, you give an overseas police certificate (a penal clearance certificate) for each country where you spent 90 days or more, when your time outside Australia since turning 18 adds up to 12 months or more in the last 10 years or since your first permanent visa, whichever is more recent. New Zealand certificates are requested by the department itself, and an Australian police check is requested for everyone aged 16 or over. Supporting evidence comes third: proof for any exemption, discretion or concession, and documents linking you to children on the form. Anything not in English needs an English translation alongside the original, by a NAATI-accredited translator if done in Australia.
Do my identity documents cover everything?
Identity documents
1 missing
| Documents asked for | 3, together covering all four |
| Missing | residential address |
| Copies | online: scans; paper: certified copies |
Questions, dates and fees by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How questions and dates are built
Identity: three documents, four facts
Home Affairs must not approve a citizenship application if it is not satisfied of your identity, and it looks at identity from birth to the present. The 3 documents do not each need to prove everything; together they must cover four facts.
| Fact to prove | Typical documents |
|---|---|
| Birth name, date of birth, sex | full birth certificate; otherwise adoption order, ImmiCard, DFTTA, household registration, or pre-arrival documents together |
| Photograph | passport, Australian driver licence, national identity card, proof of age card, UNHCR document |
| Signature | passport, driver licence, Titre de Voyage, Certificate of Identity, military, aircrew or seafarer identity document |
| Current residential address | electricity, gas or water bill; rates notice; rental contract; bank statement |
Name changes need their own proof: an official marriage or divorce certificate (not a commemorative one), a change of name certificate from a registry of births, deaths and marriages or the overseas equivalent, or other official papers linking your names. A change of sex or gender is shown by a statement from a registered medical practitioner or psychologist, an Australian travel document showing your sex, or a registry certificate reflecting the change. The checker under the summary shows which of the four facts your documents leave uncovered.
Children aged 15 or younger
For a child on your application, give a full birth certificate or household registration document showing the parents, a passport or travel document, evidence linking birth name and current name if they differ, and one passport-sized photograph. Add parenting orders and adoption papers where they exist. You also show that you are the responsible parent, as the children page explains.
Overseas police certificates
A penal clearance certificate shows whether a person has a criminal record outside Australia, and it feeds the character assessment. For permanent visa holders, all four conditions must apply: you lived or travelled outside Australia after turning 18; this was within the last 10 years or since your first permanent visa, whichever is more recent; you spent 12 months or more outside Australia in total; and you spent 90 days or more in that country. For New Zealand citizens on a Special Category visa, the window is simply the last 10 years. Each certificate comes from the government or police authority of the country concerned; Home Affairs publishes country guidance under its offices outside Australia. It may also ask you for a certificate directly even where the rule does not require one.
In Australia, you do nothing: for applicants aged 16 or over, the department requests a check from the National Police Checking Service on your behalf. For citizenship by descent the threshold for the Australian check is 18, as the descent page states.
Supporting evidence for your situation
Claims beyond the general rule need proof. Examples Home Affairs gives include defence discharge papers with service dates, proof of an administrative error affecting your residence status, a statement on significant hardship, proof of a spouse's citizenship with evidence of the relationship, specialist medical evidence for an incapacity, proof of birth in Papua before 16 September 1975 to an Australian citizen parent, and both sides of a Pensioner Concession Card. British migrants without proof of entry who arrived before 1 January 1975 give employment, tax or school records instead.
A link with Australia
Home Affairs must be satisfied that you are likely to live in Australia or keep a close and continuing link while abroad. If you will be overseas for 6 months or more in the next few years, include a statement explaining why, with supporting papers such as employment contracts, property deeds or leases, school enrolment letters or return tickets.
Preparing the files
Online, scan every original in colour, keep each multi-page document in one file and attach each document once. On paper, every copy and translation must be certified by an Australian citizen in a designated occupation who is not related to you. The online or paper page compares the two, and the interview page covers the originals to bring on the day.