To apply for an Australian citizenship certificate, you lodge an evidence of citizenship application online through the Department of Home Affairs’ ImmiAccount portal, upload scanned identity documents and a completed Form 1195 identity declaration, and pay a $280 fee. Most applications are decided within days rather than weeks, provided everything is in order when you submit.
Check That You’re Eligible
The certificate is formal proof that you hold Australian citizenship, so before applying you need to be a citizen under the Australian Citizenship Act 2007. The main pathways are birth, descent, conferral, and adoption.
If you were born in Australia on or after 20 August 1986, you’re a citizen at birth as long as at least one parent was an Australian citizen or permanent resident when you were born.1Federal Register of Legislation. Australian Citizenship Act 2007 – Section 12
If you were born outside Australia to an Australian parent, you may be eligible for citizenship by descent. One catch to know about: if the parent through whom you claim citizenship acquired it by descent themselves, that parent must have lived in Australia lawfully for at least two years before you can apply.2Department of Home Affairs. Your Parent Was an Australian Citizen When You Were Born Overseas
If you became a citizen at a conferral ceremony, you can apply for a certificate at any time, whether it’s your first copy or a replacement. People who acquired citizenship through an overseas adoption finalised under the Hague Adoption Convention or a bilateral arrangement are also eligible, but adopted children use Form 1272 rather than the standard evidence of citizenship application.3Department of Home Affairs. Child Adopted Outside Australia by an Australian Citizen
Living overseas for years doesn’t disqualify you, so long as you haven’t formally renounced your citizenship or had it revoked. The Department will check its records before issuing anything.
Gather Your Documents
You need at least three documents that between them establish your birth name, date of birth, gender, photograph, signature, and current residential address.4Department of Home Affairs. Evidence of Citizenship and Certificates – Step by Step
Photograph and Signature
At least one document must show both your photo and your signature. An Australian driver licence is the easy choice. A valid passport (photo page with personal details, issue date, and expiry date), a national identity card, or a military identity document all work as well.
Current Address
To show where you live, the Department accepts an electricity, gas, or water bill, a rates notice, a rental contract, or a bank statement.
Form 1195 Identity Declaration
Every application needs a completed Form 1195. You attach a passport-sized photograph to the form, and both the form and the photograph must be signed by an approved witness who is not related to you. Approved witnesses include dentists, pharmacists, medical practitioners, legal practitioners, police officers, justices of the peace, nurses, teachers employed full-time at a school or university, and bank officers with at least five years of continuous service, among others.5Department of Home Affairs. Form 1195 – Identity Declaration The complete list of eligible occupations is printed on the form.
Translations for Non-English Documents
Any supporting document not in English has to be translated in full. Inside Australia, the translator must be accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI).6Australian Embassy in Beirut. Certifying and Translating Documents If you’re overseas, NAATI accreditation isn’t required, but the translator must endorse the translation with their full name, address, phone number, and details of their qualifications in the relevant language. Your nearest Australian embassy or consulate can point you to approved services locally.
Scans
For an online application, scan all your original documents in colour. Certified copies aren’t required for online submissions. The scans need to be legible, and this applies to both the English documents and any translated ones.
Submit Through ImmiAccount
Applications go through the Department of Home Affairs’ ImmiAccount portal. You create a secure account, upload your scanned documents and Form 1195, pay the fee, and submit. The system issues a receipt immediately and lets you log back in to track progress.
The process is the same if you’re outside Australia. Australian embassies and consulates don’t process these applications on your behalf; you still lodge online with the Department of Home Affairs directly, wherever you are.7Australia in the USA. Australian Citizenship
Paper applications may still be available if you can’t use the online system, but processing takes longer. The Department has been directing applicants to ImmiAccount for several years and it’s the faster route.
Fee and Processing Time
The fee is $280.8Department of Home Affairs. Form 1298i – Citizenship Application Fees It’s waived if you’re replacing a certificate lost, destroyed, or damaged in a declared natural disaster listed by the Department, provided you apply within 18 months of the date specified for that disaster.9Department of Home Affairs. Replace Citizenship Evidence After a Natural Disaster Apply outside that window and the full fee applies.
Processing is quick when the application is complete. As of April 2026, the Department publishes these times from lodgement to decision:
- 25% of applications decided within 1 day
- 50% within 2 days
- 75% within 5 days
- 90% within 12 days
Actual times depend on how complete your application is, how quickly you respond to any request for further information, and whether checks by other agencies are needed.10Department of Home Affairs. Citizenship Processing Times The fastest way into the slow lane is to submit with a missing document, so gather everything before you hit submit.
Replacing or Updating a Certificate
If your certificate is lost, destroyed, or damaged, you apply through the same ImmiAccount process and pay the same $280 fee. If you still hold the old certificate in any condition, provide it with your application. You must surrender it unless other people are also named on the document, such as when you appear on a parent’s certificate.
For a disaster-related replacement, include a statutory declaration stating that your evidence of citizenship was lost, destroyed, or damaged because of the disaster. If it was damaged rather than destroyed, submit the damaged document too.
If your legal name has changed through marriage or a court order, provide updated evidence from the relevant Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages. Once the Department verifies the change, a revised certificate is issued in your current name and it replaces any earlier version.
If Your Application Is Refused
The Department can refuse to issue a certificate if it can’t confirm you hold Australian citizenship. You can apply to the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) for review; the ART has express jurisdiction over a refusal to provide a notice confirming a person is an Australian citizen.11Administrative Review Tribunal. Immigration and Citizenship
You generally have 28 days from being notified of the decision to lodge, but check your decision letter, since the deadline can differ in some circumstances. Late applicants can request an extension in writing with reasons, and the Tribunal decides whether to accept it. The review fee is $1,148 and is payable on lodgement; the ART won’t start work until it’s paid, and the application may be dismissed if payment isn’t received within six weeks. Applying online through the ART website is the simplest route.