The general residence requirement is one of the eligibility criteria you must meet to apply for Australian citizenship. The residence requirement is specified in the Australian Citizenship Act 2007.
It is based on the length of time:
- you have lawfully lived in Australia
- you have spent outside Australia
- you have been a permanent resident.
From 1 July 2010 all citizenship applicants will need to meet this residence requirement at the time they apply for Australian citizenship.
- You must have been living in Australia on a valid Australian visa for 4 years immediately before applying, including 1 year as a permanent resident, and
- You must not have been absent from Australia for more than 1 year during the 4 year period, including no more than 90 days in the year immediately before applying.
On 1 July 2010 the transitional arrangements will cease. On and after 1 July 2010 there will only be one general residence requirement which everyone aged 16 and over will be required to meet.
Between 1 July 2007 and 30 June 2010 there has been transitional arrangements in place.
- If you became a permanent resident before 1 July 2007, and apply on or before 30 June 2010, the residence requirement is:
- You must have been living in Australia for 2 years as a permanent resident in the 5 years immediately before applying, including 1 year in the 2 years immediately before applying.
- If you became a permanent resident on or after 1 July 2007 the residence requirement is:
- You must have been living in Australia on a valid Australian visa for 4 years immediately before applying, including 1 year as a permanent resident, and
- You must not have been absent from Australia for more than 1 year during the 4 year period, including no more than 90 days in the year immediately before applying.
If you are a long term resident the change in the length of time you must be lawfully living in Australia may not affect your eligibility to apply.
The change mainly affects people who are trying to balance the requirement of living in Australia as a permanent resident with allowable absences and overseas travel.
This means you must hold a permanent residence visa valid for entry to Australia or resident return visa for any time spent outside Australia, during the whole 12 months immediately before making an application.
You can use the residence calculator found in the citizenship website at to calculate your residence status, or you can call the Citizenship Information Line during business hours.
Telephone: 131 880
See: Residence requirements calculator
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