An applicant may be eligible for Australian citizenship by descent where born outside Australia and at least one parent was at the time of the birth an Australian citizen.

Persons born outside of Australia on or after 26 January 1949

An applicant may be eligible for Australian citizenship by descent where born outside Australia and at least one parent was at the time of the birth an Australian citizen. The parent will need to have spent at least 2 years lawfully in Australia before you apply where they became an Australian citizen:

• by descent, or
• by adoption outside Australia under the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption or through a bilateral arrangement.

Persons must be of good character where 18 years of age or over at the time of application.

Persons born outside of Australia before 26 January 1949

An applicant may be eligible where were born outside Australia prior to 26 January 1949 and one or both of parents at the time of the applicant’s birth became Australian citizen on 26 January 1949 through:

• birth in Australia;
• birth in New Guinea;
• naturalisation as a British subject in Australia.

Citizenship Law Services