To become an Australian citizen by conferral you must meet four core requirements: the residence requirement (4 years lawful residence including 12 months as a permanent resident, within set absence limits), good character if you are 18 or over, a basic knowledge of English, and an intention to live in Australia or keep a lasting link with it. You also have to prove your identity and pass the citizenship test, unless you are exempt. Most applications that fail do so on the residence and absence rules, so start there.
This page covers the requirements to apply for citizenship, which is a bigger set of rules than just passing the test. The most common route is citizenship by conferral, for permanent residents and eligible New Zealand citizens. If you are ready to act once you have checked you qualify, our guide on how to apply for Australian citizenship walks through the process. These rules are current as at June 2026.
1. The residence requirement
This is the rule that trips most people up, so check your dates carefully before you do anything else. To meet the general residence requirement, the day before you apply you must:
- have been living in Australia on a valid visa for 4 yearsimmediately before the day you apply
- have held a permanent visa, or a Special Category (subclass 444) visa, for the last 12 months of that period
- not have been absent from Australia for more than 12 months in total across the 4 years, including no more than 90 days in the 12 months immediately before you apply
The two absence limits apply at the same time, and absences add up across the whole period rather than per trip. Source: the Department's permanent resident eligibility page.
A worked example: counting your absences
Say you plan to apply on 1 July 2026. The Department looks at the 4 years back to 1 July 2022, and separately at the final year from 1 July 2025.
- A 3-week holiday in 2023, a 4-week family trip in 2024 and a 3-week trip in early 2025 add up to about 70 days. That is well under the 12-month total, so the 4-year limit is fine.
- But if you then spend 95 days overseas between 1 July 2025 and 1 July 2026, you breach the 90-day final-year limit, even though your 4-year total is still low.
The fix is usually to wait and apply a little later, once enough time has passed that your final 12 months falls back under 90 days. Run your real travel history through the official residence calculator before you lodge.
Some applicants meet a different test. Spouses and de facto partners of Australian citizens living overseas, and people in defined occupations, can sometimes count time outside Australia, at the Minister's discretion. If your situation is unusual, read the full eligibility page rather than assuming the general rule applies.
2. Good character
If you are 18 or over you must be of good character, which the Department describes as the enduring moral qualities of a person. In practice it assesses whether you are likely to uphold Australian laws and honour the commitments in the citizenship pledge.
The Department looks at your record in Australia and overseas. If you have lived in another country for 12 months or more since turning 18, you will usually need a penal clearance (police certificate) from that country, and Australian police checks may be run as well. A past offence does not automatically rule you out, but be upfront: undisclosed history causes far more problems than the history itself.
3. Basic knowledge of English
There is no separate English exam for citizenship. The requirement is a basic knowledge of the English language, and the Department treats it as satisfied when you sit and pass the citizenship test, because the test is conducted in English. So for most applicants, the English requirement and the test requirement are met by the same step.
People who are exempt from the test, such as applicants aged 60 or over, are not asked to prove English in that way. You do not need an IELTS score or any external language certificate to become a citizen.
4. Intention to reside or maintain ties
You must intend to live in Australia, or to maintain a close and continuing link with Australia while you are overseas. The Department weighs things like where you live, property, employment, family, your travel patterns and your ties to the community. For most applicants this is straightforward. If you spend long stretches abroad, be ready to show your connection to Australia is genuine and ongoing.
Proving your identity
Separate from the four pillars, the Department has to be satisfied of who you are, from birth to the present. You provide documents that establish your name, date of birth, photograph, signature and current address, typically a full birth certificate showing your parents, a current passport or travel document, and proof of any change of name. If the Department is not satisfied of your identity, it cannot approve the application, so gather these early.
The test and who is exempt
Most applicants aged 18 to 59 must pass the Australian citizenship test: 20 multiple-choice questions in 45 minutes, with a 75% pass mark and all 5 Australian values questions correct. You are generally exempt from the test if you are:
- aged 17 or younger at the time you apply
- aged 60 or over at the time you apply
- unable to sit it because of an incapacity or impairment (with evidence), plus a small number of other narrow categories
Being exempt from the test does not mean skipping the process. Exempt applicants still lodge an application, prove their identity and attend an interview. The full list of exemptions is on the Department's learn about the test page.
Meet the requirements? Get test-ready next
If you qualify and you are 18 to 59, the test is the part you can prepare for today. Start free practice questions in the real format.
Special situations, kept brief
A few groups have questions worth answering directly, though the core rules above still apply:
- New Zealand citizens on a Special Category (subclass 444) visa are treated as permanent residents for citizenship, so they apply by conferral. Check with the Department which date your permanent residence is counted from, as it can affect when you become eligible.
- Children can be included on a responsible parent's application, and there is no fee for a child aged 15 or younger on a parent's form. Applicants 17 or younger are exempt from the test.
- Partners of Australian citizens get no special, easier category. You apply by conferral on the same rules. The only allowance is the discretionary counting of overseas time as a spouse or de facto partner described above.
- Applicants 60 and over do not sit the test, but still apply, prove identity, attend an interview and meet the residence requirement.
Once you meet the requirements
Checking eligibility is step one. From there you gather documents, lodge in ImmiAccount and pay the fee, sit the test if it applies to you, and attend a ceremony once you are approved. Two pages take it from here:
- how to apply for Australian citizenship walks through the process step by step
- the Australian citizenship fee breaks down the $575 application cost and the concession and exemption rules
Citizenship requirements: FAQs
What are the requirements for Australian citizenship?
To apply for citizenship by conferral you must meet the residence requirement (4 years lawful residence including 12 months as a permanent resident, within firm absence limits), be of good character if you are 18 or over, have a basic knowledge of English, intend to live in Australia or keep a lasting link with it, prove your identity, and pass the citizenship test unless you are exempt. Children and people aged 60 or over have lighter test and character rules but still apply.
What is the residence requirement for Australian citizenship?
You must have lived in Australia on a valid visa for the 4 years immediately before you apply, and held a permanent visa or a Special Category (subclass 444) visa for the last 12 months of that period. Across the 4 years you cannot have been absent from Australia for more than 12 months in total, and no more than 90 days in the 12 months immediately before you apply. These limits are firm and absences add up across the whole period, not per trip.
How much time can I spend outside Australia and still be eligible?
Over the 4 years before you apply, your total time outside Australia must be 12 months or less, and within the final 12 months before applying it must be 90 days or less. Both limits apply at once. If you have taken several overseas trips, add up all the days outside Australia, not the longest single trip. People fail eligibility on absences more than on anything else, so check your travel history against the official residence calculator before lodging.
Do I need to pass an English test for Australian citizenship?
There is no separate English exam. The requirement is a basic knowledge of the English language, and the Department treats it as met if you sit and pass the citizenship test, because the test is conducted in English. People who are exempt from the test, such as applicants aged 60 or over, are not required to prove English separately in that way. So for most applicants, passing the test is what satisfies the English requirement.
What is the good character requirement?
If you are 18 or over you must be of good character, which the Department describes as the enduring moral qualities of a person. It looks at your conduct in Australia and overseas. If you have lived in another country for 12 months or more since turning 18, you generally need a penal clearance (police certificate) from that country, and the Department may run Australian police checks. A criminal record does not automatically disqualify you, but it is assessed carefully.
Do New Zealand citizens have to meet different requirements?
New Zealand citizens living in Australia on a Special Category (subclass 444) visa are treated as permanent residents for citizenship purposes, so they can apply by conferral. The residence and other requirements still apply, and the date their permanent residence is counted from can depend on when they arrived and which pathway applies. It is worth confirming your permanent residence start date with the Department before you apply.
Are partners of Australian citizens eligible automatically?
No. Being married to or in a relationship with an Australian citizen does not create a separate, easier citizenship category. You still apply by conferral and meet the same requirements. The one allowance is that, in defined circumstances, time spent overseas as the spouse or de facto partner of an Australian citizen, with a close and continuing link to Australia, may be counted toward the residence requirement at the discretion of the Minister.
Do people aged 60 and over have to sit the test?
No. Applicants who are 60 or over at the time they apply are exempt from the citizenship test. They still lodge a citizenship application, prove their identity and attend an interview, and they still need to meet the residence requirement. The exemption is from the test itself, not from applying. Applicants aged 17 or younger at the time of application are also exempt from the test.