Proof of 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 status of another person, unless you are requesting on behalf of your child.

You can request confirmation of the Australian citizenship status of a deceased parent or grandparent if it is for official purposes.
See: Requesting confirmation of Australian citizenship status of a deceased person

If you are seeking information on the Australian citizenship status 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 responsible 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 responsible parent. The responsible parent 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 and the identity declaration completed by a citizen of your country of residence who has known you for at least one year and is employed in one of the designated list of occupations.

Step 4. Complete and lodge your application

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

When completed, send your application together with your certified documents, photograph and fee to to your nearest departmental office.

If you are overseas when applying for proof of citizenship, send your application along with certified copies of all required documents by post or courier directly to the Overseas Citizenship Unit at the department's ACT and Regions Office in Australia. Do not post original documents with your application.

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

The time it takes to process applications for evidence of Australian citizenship varies. The Client Service Charter provides details on the service standard for processing an application for evidence of Australian citizenship. If you require evidence of your citizenship urgently or, do not receive notification within the time given in the charter, you should contact the Citizenship Information Line on 131 880 for applications lodged in Australia. For applications lodged outside Australia, you can contact your nearest Immigration Office Outside Australia.