Proof of your citizenship

The following steps are a guide to the application process to obtain evidence of your Australian citizenship. You can apply if you ever had, or have been included in, a certificate that says you are an Australian citizen.

If you think you might be an Australian citizen, but you are unsure of your Australian citizenship status, you can also apply.

You cannot request evidence of the Australian citizenship of another person, unless you are requesting on behalf of your child.

If you are seeking information on the citizenship of another person, you should make an FOI request (175KB PDF file).

Click on Step 1 below to begin.

Step 1. Determine that you are eligible

You can apply for evidence of your Australian citizenship if you:

• were previously issued with an Australian citizenship certificate (this includes children who are on a parent's citizenship certificate)
• were born in Australia and acquired Australian citizenship
• born in Australian after 1986 and one parent was a permanent resident or Australian citizen
• born in Australia after 1986 and you spent the first 10 years of your life in Australia  
• were adopted in Australia and acquired Australian citizenship
• were born in the former Australian Territory of Papua before 16 September 1975 and acquired Australian citizenship
• were born outside Australia before 26 January 1949 and acquired Australian citizenship.

Children

Applications for children under 16 years of age must be made by a parent or legal guardian. The parent or legal guardian should include a current document with their photograph and signature such as passport or driver's license.

Step 2. Gather original documents

Use this checklist as a guide to the original documents usually required.

Step 3. Copy and certify your documents

You must copy your original documents and have them certified by an Australian citizen from the designated list of occupations.

Applicants outside Australia

If you are overseas when applying, you can have your original documents certified by a citizen of your country of residence who is employed in one of the designated list of occupations.

Step 4. Complete and lodge your application

Complete and lodge your application together with your certified documents, photograph and fee.

Once you have had your documents copied and certified you will need to complete all parts of the application form.

More information on how to complete and lodge your application form is available.

The time it takes to process applications for evidence of Australian citizenship varies.

For applications lodged in Australia, evidence of citizenship will usually be available within 90 days. While every attempt is made to process applications as soon as possible there may be delays during peak times, for example, in the weeks preceding Australia Day. You can contact us to check the expected processing time for your application.

Applications lodged overseas are processed in Australia. It can take between four to nine weeks after application before the evidence is available.

If you require evidence of your citizenship urgently, contact the Citizenship Information Line on 131 880.