An American becomes an Australian citizen through a process called citizenship by conferral: live in Australia as a permanent resident, meet the residency and character requirements, pass a citizenship test, apply through the Department of Home Affairs for $575 AUD, and take the pledge of commitment at a citizenship ceremony. Australia allows dual citizenship, so you keep your U.S. passport — and with it, your U.S. tax filing obligations. Most applicants wait roughly 10 to 14 months from lodging the application to the ceremony. Here is how to get Australian citizenship as an American, step by step.
Who Qualifies
The residency rule is the gate. You need to have lived in Australia on a valid visa for the four years immediately before you apply, with total absences during that period of no more than 12 months. Within that four-year window, you must have held permanent resident status for the final 12 months, and your absences during that last year can’t exceed 90 days.1Australian Government – Department of Home Affairs. Become an Australian Citizen Children under 16 are generally exempt from these residency rules but still need to be permanent residents.
Applicants 18 and older must also be of good character. The Department of Home Affairs looks at criminal history and overall conduct, and may ask for penal clearance certificates from any country where you’ve spent 90 days or more in the past 10 years.2Department of Home Affairs. Character Requirements for Australian Citizenship A criminal record doesn’t automatically disqualify you; each case is assessed individually. Being in prison or facing serious charges when you apply will likely result in refusal.
You also need to intend to live in Australia or maintain a close and continuing connection with the country after becoming a citizen.1Australian Government – Department of Home Affairs. Become an Australian Citizen
The Citizenship Test
If you’re between 18 and 59, you’ll sit a citizenship test. It runs entirely in English, which doubles as your English language assessment. You’ll answer 20 multiple-choice questions drawn from a resource booklet called Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bond, and you need at least 75% overall plus correct answers to all five questions on Australian values — freedom, respect, equality, and democratic beliefs.3Australian Government – Department of Home Affairs. Prepare for the Test
The booklet is free from the Department of Home Affairs website, along with a practice test built to mirror the real one. Applicants under 18, those 60 and over, and people with certain hearing, speech, or sight impairments are generally exempt.
Documents and Fees
Most of the preparation time goes into paperwork. At a minimum, you’ll need:
- Your current U.S. passport and birth certificate as proof of identity.
- Your Australian permanent resident visa grant notice.
- A residence history covering four years of travel in and out of Australia, with dates and destinations.
- An Australian Federal Police check, plus overseas penal clearances from any country where you spent 90 or more days in the past 10 years. For Americans, that usually means an FBI Identity History Summary.
- Any name change or marriage certificates if your name differs across documents.
Copies must be certified as true copies of the originals. In Australia, solicitors, medical practitioners, justices of the peace, police officers, and bank officers with at least five years of service can all certify documents. Notaries public can generally handle certification in the United States.
The application fee is $575 AUD, roughly $370 USD depending on the exchange rate. A reduced fee of $80 AUD applies for certain eligible applicants. Fees typically adjust each July 1. Budget separately for the FBI check ($18 USD), the Australian Federal Police check, and any translations by a NAATI-accredited translator if you have non-English documents.
How to Apply
Applications go through ImmiAccount, the Department of Home Affairs’ online portal.4Australian Government – Department of Home Affairs. Applying Online in ImmiAccount You create an account, fill in the form, upload supporting documents, and pay the fee electronically. After submission, you’ll get a confirmation with a reference number for tracking. Paper applications are available for those who can’t apply online — forms come from the Department of Home Affairs website and go in by mail with your documents and payment.
What Happens After You Apply
The department measures processing time from lodgement all the way through to the ceremony. Half of all applications finish within 11 months, and 90% within 14 months.5Australian Government – Department of Home Affairs. Citizenship Processing Times
During processing, the department may ask you to provide biometrics — a facial photograph and fingerprint scan — to verify your identity.6Department of Home Affairs. Biometrics Most applicants are invited to sit the citizenship test at this stage, and some also attend a short interview. You’ll be notified of the outcome in writing.
If You’re Refused
A refusal isn’t necessarily final. You can apply to the Administrative Review Tribunal for a review. Your refusal letter will tell you whether tribunal review is available in your case and the deadline for lodging.7Administrative Review Tribunal. Immigration and Citizenship
The Ceremony and the Pledge
You don’t actually become a citizen on approval. You become a citizen when you make the pledge of commitment at a ceremony.8Department of Home Affairs. Citizenship Ceremony About 90% of approved applicants are invited to a ceremony within six months of approval, though local government demand affects the wait.5Australian Government – Department of Home Affairs. Citizenship Processing Times Invitations arrive roughly four weeks ahead, and you can’t choose the date or location.9Australian Government – Department of Home Affairs. Ceremony Wait Times
At the ceremony you repeat the pledge aloud. You can choose the version that includes the words “under God” or the version that does not. Both versions read: “From this time forward, I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people, whose democratic beliefs I share, whose rights and liberties I respect, and whose laws I will uphold and obey.”10Department of Home Affairs. Australian Citizenship Pledge You receive your citizenship certificate at the ceremony.
Getting Your Australian Passport
Your citizenship certificate is the document you’ll use to apply for an Australian passport. The Department of Home Affairs recommends waiting at least 10 days after your ceremony before applying online with the Australian Passport Office so your records can update across government systems.8Department of Home Affairs. Citizenship Ceremony Keep the certificate safe. It’s a legal document you may need throughout the passport process and for other official purposes later.
Keeping Your U.S. Citizenship
Australia permits dual citizenship, so becoming Australian requires nothing from the American side.11Australian Government – Department of Home Affairs. Travelling as a Dual Citizen The U.S. lists voluntary naturalization abroad as a “potentially expatriating act,” but U.S. policy is that naturalizing in another country does not cause loss of American nationality unless you specifically intend to give it up.12U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Australia. Dual Nationality In practice, Americans who become Australian citizens hold both passports.
U.S. Taxes Follow You
The United States taxes its citizens on worldwide income wherever they live. The U.S.-Australia tax treaty explicitly preserves this right; Australia cannot override America’s ability to tax you based on citizenship.13Internal Revenue Service. Convention Between the United States and Australia for the Avoidance of Double Taxation You’ll keep filing a U.S. federal return every year. The foreign earned income exclusion for 2026 is $132,900, which reduces your U.S. tax bill on income you’ve already paid Australian tax on.14Internal Revenue Service. IRS Releases Tax Inflation Adjustments for Tax Year 2026 Foreign tax credits for Australian taxes paid often eliminate any U.S. tax owed.
If your Australian bank and financial accounts exceed $10,000 in combined value at any point during the year, you must file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) by April 15, with an automatic extension to October 15.15Internal Revenue Service. Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) Ordinary savings and superannuation count, so this catches almost every American in Australia. The penalties for missing it are severe.
Social Security Still Pays
The U.S.-Australia Social Security Agreement keeps your U.S. Social Security benefits payable while you live in Australia, overriding provisions that would otherwise restrict payments to people outside the United States.16Social Security Administration. U.S.-Australian Social Security Agreement The agreement also lets you combine work credits from both countries to qualify for benefits you might not otherwise reach.
Travelling With Two Passports
As a dual citizen, you must enter and leave the United States on your U.S. passport and enter and leave Australia on your Australian passport.12U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Australia. Dual Nationality You show the relevant passport at each border. Airlines may want to see both when checking you in for flights between the two countries.
What Australian Citizenship Requires of You
Australian citizenship carries obligations Americans don’t grow up with. The biggest is compulsory voting. Once you’re a citizen aged 18 or over, you must enroll and vote in every federal, state, and local election and referendum. Fail to vote without a valid reason and you’ll get a notice and a $20 administrative penalty.17Australian Electoral Commission. Non-voters The fine is small; ignoring the notice can lead to court proceedings.
Citizens are also eligible for jury duty, drawn at random from the electoral roll. On the rights side, citizenship gives you the vote, the ability to run for public office, access to government jobs restricted to citizens, Australian consular assistance worldwide, and the Australian passport itself. It also means you can leave and return to Australia freely without visa concerns, which is a meaningful step up from permanent residency, since PR status can lapse after extended absences.