New Zealand applicants
Changes to citizenship eligibility apply for some New Zealand citizens holding a Special Category (subclass 444) visa (SCV) from 1 July 2023. Check your eligibility.

SCV holders continue to be considered permanent residents for citizenship purposes while outside Australia, provided you held an SCV immediately before your departure.

You no longer need to give us an overseas penal clearance certificate from New Zealand, even if you are prompted to provide one in your application. We will request this from the New Zealand Ministry of Justice for you.

IMPORTANT: If applying online, ensure you enter your New Zealand citizenship under the ‘Citizenship details’ section on the ‘Applicant details’ page of the form. This will ensure the correct requirements are applied to your application, allowing you to lodge online.

All Citizenship by Conferral applicants
We are receiving a higher than usual number of requests for international travel movement records. When entering your travel dates, dates of first arrival or visa grant dates, we will accept an estimated date. A processing officer will confirm exact dates within our systems as required after you lodge your application.