Starting your application for Australian citizenship?
One of the requirements is having another person confirm you are who you say you are.
They do this by completing an identity declaration form and certifying a photo of you.
While that may sound simple, your citizenship plans could hit a snag if none of your friends are eligible to vouch for you.
Who can verify your identity for Australian citizenship?
Firstly, they need to be an Australian citizen.
They also can't be related to you by birth, marriage, or de facto relationship, and they must be easy to contact by phone during normal working hours.
On top of all that, they need to have known you for at least a year, and be currently working in one of these 39 professions:
- Australian consular or diplomatic officer
- Bailiff
- Bank officer
- Building society officer
- Chiropractor
- Clerk of court
- Commissioner for Affidavits
- Commissioner for Declarations
- Credit union officer
- Dentist
- Fellow of the National Tax and Accountants' Association
- Finance company officer
- Judge of a court
- Justice of the peace
- Legal practitioner
- Magistrate
- Marriage celebrant
- Master of a court
- Medical practitioner
- Member of Chartered Secretaries Australia
- Member of Engineers Australia (students excepted)
- Member of the Association of Taxation and Management Accountants
- Member of the Australian Defence Force
- Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, the Australian Society of Certified Practicing Accountants, or the Institute of Public Accountants
- Member of the federal, state or territory parliaments, or a local government authority
- Minister of religion
- Nurse
- Optometrist
- Permanent employee of a Commonwealth, state or local government authority
- Permanent employee of Australia Post
- Pharmacist
- Physiotherapist
- Police officer
- Psychologist
- Registered migration agent
- Registrar, or deputy registrar, of a court
- Sheriff
- Teacher at a school or tertiary education institution (must be full-time)
- Veterinary surgeon
Depending on their profession, they may also need to have worked in it for five or more consecutive years.
If you're applying for citizenship for a child under six years old, the person verifying their identity can have known them for less than 12 months.
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What if you're not living in Australia when you apply?
If you're applying for citizenship while outside Australia, and don't know any Australian citizens who aren't your relatives, never fear.
You can instead have a citizen of the country you're living in confirm your identity — as long as they've known you for more than a year.
They also can't be related to you by birth, marriage or de facto relationship, and must currently be working in one of the 39 previously listed professions.
How much does it cost to apply for Australian citizenship?
Depending on your circumstances, it can cost up to $560 to lodge an Australian citizenship application.
Those not applying for citizenship by descent or adoption are considered to be applying by conferral.
If you're aged between 18 and 59 when applying for citizenship by conferral, you'll likely need to pass a citizenship test.
Luckily you won't have to pay an extra fee to sit the test, though, as it's included in the cost of your application.
If you don't need to sit the citizenship test, you may need to have an interview with the Department of Home Affairs. They will contact you if that's the case.
How hard is the Australian citizenship test?
To pass the Australian citizenship test, you need to:
- answer 20 multiple-choice questions
- get all five of the questions about Australian values correct, and
- achieve an overall mark of at least 75 per cent.
But be warned, pass rates have declined in recent years.
While 87 per cent of people who took the test in 2019 passed, it had dropped to just 68 per cent by 2021.
There are resources to help you prepare, though, including the and a podcast series.
The test is currently only available in English.
But among the recommendations in the recent Multicultural Framework Review was for the government to consider providing the test in languages other than English, as well as in alternative and more accessible formats.
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How long do citizenship applications take to be processed?
It varies, depending on your circumstances.
Half of all applications for Australian citizenship by conferral are processed within six months, while 90 per cent are processed within 10 months.
For citizenship by descent, 50 per cent of applicants receive a decision within 79 days, and 90 per cent within five months.
