Application, fees, times
From eligibility to ceremony: the whole Australian citizenship timeline
Enter the date your permanent visa was granted: the timeline lays out every stage up to the pledge, with today marked.
Independent, non-government site: tests, applications and appointments are handled only on the Home Affairs website.
Your visa grant letter shows it.
Estimated endbetween 16 Oct 2026 and 1 June 2030
1. Done · milestone
Permanent visa granted
1 July 2025
The day you become a permanent resident.
2. In progress · 12–48 months
Meet the residence requirement
1 July 2026 – 1 July 2029
At least 12 months as a permanent resident, within 4 years of lawful residence: 12 months if you already had 3 years on other visas, 4 years if you arrived as a permanent resident. Absences can add time.
Home Affairs: residence requirement3. Coming up · milestone
Lodge the application
1 July 2026 – 1 July 2029
Online in ImmiAccount for most applicants, with the fee and identity documents.
4. Coming up · 5 weeks – 5 months
Test, interview and decision
6 Aug 2026 – 30 Nov 2029
From lodging to a decision: a quarter of applications within 36 days, nine in ten within 5 months. The test appointment falls inside this stage.
Home Affairs processing times, updated 16/10/20265. Coming up · 2–6 months
Wait for a ceremony
16 Oct 2026 – 1 June 2030
From approval to ceremony: a quarter within 71 days, nine in ten within 6 months. Your council sends the invitation about 4 weeks ahead.
Home Affairs processing times, updated 16/10/20266. Coming up · milestone
Ceremony and pledge
16 Oct 2026 – 1 June 2030
You become a citizen when you make the pledge, which must happen within 12 months of approval.
Home Affairs: citizenship ceremonies
Becoming an Australian citizen by conferral takes two periods of very different length. The first is the residence requirement: 4 years of lawful residence in Australia, of which the last 12 months as a permanent resident, with no more than 365 days away in the 4 years and 90 in the last year. Someone who lived 3 years on temporary visas before the permanent one can apply 12 months after the grant; someone who arrived as a permanent resident waits the full 4 years. The second period starts when you lodge. In the Home Affairs table updated on 16 October 2026, nine in ten conferral applications were decided within 5 months, the citizenship test being sat during that stage, and nine in ten approved applicants had the chance to attend a ceremony within 6 months of approval. From lodging to ceremony, half of applicants took 7 months or less and nine in ten 11 months. You become a citizen when you make the pledge.
Earliest month after my permanent visa
Not before
March 2027
| Months to wait after the visa | 12 |
| Rule that sets the date | 12 months as a permanent resident |
| Travel | can push the date back |
Questions, dates and fees by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How questions and dates are built
The four stages at a glance
| Stage | How long | Set by |
|---|---|---|
| Residence requirement | 12 months to 4 years after the permanent visa | the law, and your trips abroad |
| Application to decision | 36 days to 5 months | Home Affairs processing |
| Approval to ceremony | 71 days to 6 months | your local council |
| Pledge | within 12 months of approval | the law |
Stage 1: the residence window
The residence requirement is the longest stage for almost everyone, and the only one you control. It looks back from the day you apply, so the question is never how long you have been a permanent resident but whether the last 4 years, seen from a given day, meet all four limits.
Trips matter twice: once against the 365-day total and once against the 90-day limit in the last year. A long holiday in the final months is the most common reason for a later date. The residence calculator tests each day with your real trips, and the PR to citizenship page covers the special cases such as New Zealand citizens.
Stage 2: from lodging to decision
Once you lodge, Home Affairs checks your identity and character, then invites you to an appointment where you sit the citizenship test. In the table updated on 16 October 2026, a quarter of conferral applications were decided within 36 days, half within 42 days, three quarters within 78 days and nine in ten within 5 months. Failing the test does not end the application, but each new appointment adds time, and after 3 appointments without a pass the application may be refused. Preparing well before you lodge is the simplest way to keep this stage short.
Stage 3: waiting for a ceremony
Approval does not make you a citizen. Ceremonies are arranged mostly by local councils, so the wait depends on where you live; Home Affairs publishes wait times by council. Nationally, a quarter of approved applicants had a ceremony within 71 days, half within 4 months and nine in ten within 6 months. The invitation arrives about 4 weeks ahead. The ceremony page explains the day.
Stage 4: the pledge, and after
You become an Australian citizen at the moment you make the pledge, which must happen within 12 months of approval. You receive your certificate, can enrol to vote and, after waiting at least 10 days, apply for an Australian passport. Until then, keep travelling on your current passport with a visa that lets you return.