Citizenship
Australian citizenship grants you many benefits and privileges and is the next step after you have obtained your permanent residency.
Citizenship criteria
If you are an Australian permanent resident, eligible New Zealand citizen or a child of an Australian citizen, you may be eligible for Australian citizenship if you meet the relevant criteria.
You may be eligible to become an Australian Citizen in the following circumstances:
- you are a permanent resident of Australia, or
- you are an eligible New Zealand citizen that came to Australia at a certain date, or
- you are a child of an Australian citizen or born overseas and at least one of your parents is an Australian citizen, or
- you were adopted by an Australian citizen and the adoption is through the relevant program.
In addition to the above, you will also need to meet other relevant criteria including:
- residency requirements, and
- character requirements, and
- an adequate knowledge of the responsibilities and privileges of Australian citizenship
In some circumstances, eligibility for Australian citizenship may not be straightforward, and your case may be more complex due to a number of factors. Playfair has a team of experienced professionals who can assist you with your application for citizenship, and provide you with advice tailored to your specific circumstances.
Citizenship benefits
Once you become at Australian citizen, you will have the following benefits and privileges:
- eligibility to apply for an Australian passport, and
- voting rights during the Australian elections, and
- eligibility to apply for work in an Australian government position/public sector, and
- ability to seek assistance from the Australian Embassy/Consulate General overseas, and
- ability to pass on citizenship to your children, whether born in Australia or overseas.
FAQs
If you have applied for citizenship and leave Australia during processing, you will be required to notify the Department of your travel dates and intended return. In most cases, you must be in Australia at the time your application is decided.
Your application will go into the queue for processing at the Department. You will then be advised of the date and time for your citizenship interview and test. After the test, you will be notified of the outcome. If successful, you will attend a citizenship ceremony to obtain your citizenship certificate. Once this has been completed, you can commence the application to apply for your Australian passport.
Yes, you are permitted to hold dual citizenship in Australia. However, not all countries allow for dual citizenship. In some cases, your citizenship from another country may be lost once you become an Australian citizen. It is best to check the rules of the relevant country before applying for Australian citizenship if you do not want to lose your citizenship from that country.
Not necessarily. Some laws in relevant countries stipulate that you automatically lose your citizenship once you become a citizen of another country. As such, in some circumstances you will not be advised or even aware you have lost your citizenship. It is best to understand the laws surrounding citizenship from the country before applying for Australian citizenship.