Service
Citizenship Eligibility Check
Find out whether you qualify for Australian citizenship through a fast and simple online assessment — before you spend time and money on an application.
What we check
Every pathway to Australian citizenship has its own rules. Our questionnaire looks at your situation and tells you which pathway fits, what is still missing and which documents you will need.
- Residence requirement — whether your time in Australia, and your time as a permanent resident, is enough on the date you plan to apply.
- Absences from Australia — how trips overseas affect the residence calculation.
- Visa history — whether all your periods in Australia count as lawful residence.
- Character — whether anything in your history needs to be explained or documented.
- Test or interview — whether you will need to sit the citizenship test, based on your age and circumstances.
Main citizenship pathways
| Pathway | Who it is for | Key points |
|---|---|---|
| Conferral (general eligibility) | Permanent residents living in Australia | Residence requirement, good character, citizenship test (most applicants aged 18–59), ceremony and pledge. |
| Descent | People born outside Australia to a parent who was an Australian citizen at the time of birth | No residence requirement, no test and no ceremony. Proof of the parent’s citizenship is essential. |
| Other situations | Children, people with a permanent physical or mental incapacity, some partners of citizens, people born in Papua before 1975, and others | Specific forms and rules apply. We help you identify the right one. |
| Resumption | Former Australian citizens who renounced or lost their citizenship | Depends on how and why citizenship ended. |
How the check works
- Answer a short online questionnaire (about 5–10 minutes).
- A specialist reviews your answers and flags anything that could cause problems.
- You receive a clear result: the pathway that applies, the earliest date you could apply and your personalised document checklist.
Our eligibility check is guidance based on the information you provide. Only the Department of Home Affairs can decide whether you are eligible. You can also check the official criteria yourself on the Home Affairs website.