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Australian citizenship
Detailed information about becoming an Australian citizen is available from the Australian Department of Immigration & Citizenship (DIAC) website.
See: http://www.citizenship.gov.au
News
A new Citizenship Act came into effect on 1 July 2007. For information about the changes, see: http://www.citizenship.gov.au/law-and-policy/history/overview/index.htm
Citizenship by descent
A person born outside Australia who is the natural child of an Australian parent may acquire Australian citizenship by descent. A person becomes a citizen on the date he/she is registered as a citizen by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC).
Applications for citizenship by descent may be made at the Australian Embassy Vienna – see ‘How to apply’ below.
Resumption or renunciation of citizenship; citizenship certificates
Applications for resumption or renunciation of Australian citizenship, or for a certificate of evidence of Australian citizenship or resident status can be lodged at the Australian Embassy Vienna, but will be forwarded to Australia for processing.
How to apply for citizenship by descent
Please provide all the documents listed in the checklist below. Applications may be made by mail/courier or in person with a lodgement appointment. For our mailing and street address and information on how to make an appointment, see: Contact us
If the applicant is under 18, either parent may apply on the child’s behalf. If only one parent is an Australian citizen, either parent may apply, but the Australian parent must be a responsible parent. A responsible parent is a person that has ongoing parental responsibility for the child.
Please note you must provide original documents. Photocopies and notarised copies are not acceptable.
Documents provided in a language other than English must be accompanied by an English translation. It is important that you submit all documentation in support of your application at the time of application.
Document checklist
To make an application, please provide the following documents (original documents are required in all cases).
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Form 118, signed, with all questions answered.
See: http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/pdf/118.pdf -
Application fee
See: Fees -
Supporting documents as listed in Form 118, including passport photo of applicant.
Note: All applicants regardless of age need to provide the photo with endorsement (ie, endorsement on the back plus relevant part of Form 118 completed).
The person providing the endorsement should be an Australian citizen who has known the applicant for 12 months or more, however for children under 6 years this person may be a national of the country of residence and/or have known the child for less than 12 months.
Name in official records
The name that appears in your child’s official records will be the same name that appears on the child’s birth certificate.
If you wish the name of your child in the official records to be different from that which appears on the birth certificate, please provide a statutory declaration from both parents stating what name you would like to have in the official records and why you want it to differ from the name on the birth certificate.
Processing times
The Embassy aims to process fully documented Citizenship by Descent applications within 10 working days. It is important to note that processing times vary depending on workload and applicants should apply well in advance of any proposed travel.
Australian passports and travel to Australia
Once a person becomes an Australian citizen, he/she is eligible to apply for an Australian passport.
Australian citizens entering Australia should do so on an Australian passport. Please note that it is not possible for an Australian citizen to be granted an Australian visa even if that person is also a citizen of another country and wishes to travel on that country’s passport. For more information, see: http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/pdf/968i.pdf,
http://www.passports.gov.au/Web/Forms/EntryPoint.aspx