Australian Citizenship by Descent: Who Qualifies and How to Apply

Not everyone becomes an Australian citizen by living in Australia and applying as a permanent resident. People born overseas to an Australian citizen parent may already have a claim to citizenship through a separate pathway called citizenship by descent. It works quite differently from citizenship by conferral, and understanding which pathway applies to you matters.

This guide explains who citizenship by descent is for and how the application works.

What citizenship by descent is

Citizenship by descent is the pathway for a person who was born outside Australia and had at least one parent who was an Australian citizen at the time of their birth. The idea is that Australian citizenship can pass from parent to child even when the child is born in another country.

This is a very different route from conferral. There is no residence requirement to meet, no citizenship test to sit and no need to be living in Australia. The question is about your parentage at birth, not about time spent in the country.

Who qualifies

The core requirement is that you were born outside Australia and that a parent of yours was an Australian citizen at the moment you were born. There are additional conditions in some situations, particularly where the parent themselves became an Australian citizen by descent, which can affect whether the citizenship passes down a further generation. Identity and good character requirements also apply.

Because the rules around successive generations and around parents who were themselves citizens by descent can be detailed, this is an area where it is worth checking your specific family history carefully against the official guidance.

How to apply: Form 118

The application for citizenship by descent uses Form 118. You generally apply online through ImmiAccount, the Department of Home Affairs online portal, in a similar way to other citizenship applications. You provide evidence of your birth, evidence of your parent's Australian citizenship at the time of your birth, and identity documents.

Where several siblings are applying based on the same parent, they can often be included together, with an additional fee for each sibling rather than a full separate fee each.

The fee

The application fee for citizenship by descent is 370 Australian dollars, with an additional amount for each sibling included in a combined application. Like other citizenship fees, this is reviewed and indexed on 1 July each year, so confirm the current amount on homeaffairs.gov.au before you apply.

How it differs from conferral

It is worth being clear about the contrast, because people sometimes confuse the two pathways.

Conferral is for permanent residents who built their connection to Australia by living there. It involves the residence requirement, the citizenship test for those aged 18 to 59, an appointment and a ceremony.

Descent is for people who were born overseas with an Australian citizen parent. There is no residence requirement and no test. The outcome of a successful descent application is evidence that you are, and have been, an Australian citizen by descent.

If you are not sure which pathway applies

Some families have complicated histories, with parents who naturalised, who were themselves born overseas, or who acquired citizenship in different ways. If you are unsure whether you qualify by descent, or whether your own children would, do not guess based on a general article. Check your situation against the official information on homeaffairs.gov.au, or speak to a registered migration agent who can review your family's documents.

Because individual cases vary, treat this as a general map rather than personal advice, and rely on homeaffairs.gov.au or a registered migration agent for your own situation. If your pathway is conferral and you do need to sit the citizenship test, PassCitizen has the full question bank by section from Our Common Bond and free timed mock tests, with no account needed.

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