No – I do not wish to apply for a fee concession/exemption – General eligibility
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Important information
On 12 September 2007, the Australian Parliament passed the Australian Citizenship Amendment (Citizenship Testing)
Bill 2007. This means from Monday 1 October 2007, people satisfying the general eligibility criteria are required
to pass a test before they apply for Australian citizenship.
See:
Step 1: Am I eligible? - General eligibility
Citizenship Test
Saved online applications that have not been lodged will no longer be able to be accessed after midnight on 30 September 2007.
Apply online
You can apply online if you:
- are a permanent resident
- are in Australia
- are over 18 years of age
- are not part of the Australian Defence Forces
- have travelled in and out of Australia since July 1990
- are not applying for a concession or exemption
- are not applying for a residence discretion or exemption.
Otherwise you will need to apply by mail or in person.
Completing your online application
There are four steps to the online application process, detailed in the table below:
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Ensure you have passed a test and are eligible to apply for Australian citizenship. See: Step 1: Am I eligible? - General eligibility |
| 2 | Fill in an online application. You can include your children under 16 with your online application. |
| 3 | Pay the application fee. See: Form 1298i Citizenship Fees (58KB PDF file) |
| 4 | Print out and complete the statutory declaration and obtain a correctly endorsed photo. See: Form 1295 Online application for Australian Citizenship by conferral - Proof of identity and declaration (88KB PDF file) |
After you have applied
Once you have completed your online application and paid the fee, you will see a message on the screen advising you that the department will contact you about your application. If your application is approved, you will be contacted by the department or your local council about your citizenship ceremony. If your application is not approved, you will be advised of any review rights.
Access the online application form
To access the online citizenship application form.
See: Citizenship Application - General eligibility
Apply by mail or in person
If you do not meet any one of the above requirements for applying online, you will have to lodge your application by mail or in person.
See: Applying for Australian Citizenship by mail or in person - General eligibility
What should I do if I do not hear from the department?
If you are concerned because you have not been contacted by the Department you should contact the Citizenship Information Line during business hours.
Telephone: 131 880
Where do I go next?
After you have lodged your application the department will contact you. If your application is approved, you will need to attend a citizenship ceremony.
See: Step 3: Attend a citizenship ceremony - General eligibility
If your application is not approved, you will be advised of any review rights.