Form 1300t: Australian Citizenship by Conferral — General Eligibility

Who Form 1300t is for

Form 1300t is for citizenship by conferral applicants aged 18 to 59 at the time of application who are either a permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen holding a Special Category visa (subclass 444). It's the general-eligibility pathway — the one most people use. If you're 60 or over, are 16 or 17 and applying independently, or have a permanent or enduring incapacity that affects your ability to sit the citizenship test, a different form (1290) applies instead — see our separate guide on that form. If your case involves citizenship by descent or evidence of existing citizenship rather than applying for it fresh, that's a different process again and doesn't use this form.

Apply online first — paper is the fallback

Home Affairs strongly recommends applying through ImmiAccount, and in practice the great majority of conferral applications are lodged this way. ImmiAccount lets you complete the form, upload supporting documents, and pay the application charge in one place, and it's generally faster to process than paper.

A paper Form 1300t still exists for people who genuinely can't apply online, but the process isn't a simple mail-in — you first pre-pay the application charge through ImmiAccount, then post the completed paper form and certified documents. If you're capable of using ImmiAccount, there's little practical reason to choose the paper route; it adds a step rather than removing one.

Eligibility snapshot

Beyond age and residency status, Form 1300t applicants need to meet the residence requirement (broadly, four years lawfully present in Australia immediately before applying, including at least 12 months as a permanent resident — our dedicated residence-requirement guide breaks down how absences are counted), be of good character, have a basic knowledge of English, understand the responsibilities and privileges of Australian citizenship, and be likely to reside in Australia or maintain a close and continuing association with it.

The residence calculation is where most avoidable refusals happen — it's worth working through carefully, ideally with the Department's own online residence calculator, before you submit.

Do you need to attach an identity declaration (Form 1195)?

This trips up a lot of applicants relying on older guides. Since September 2024, adult applicants for citizenship by conferral generally no longer need to complete and attach Form 1195 (Identity Declaration) for themselves — identity is confirmed through ImmiAccount and biometrics instead. Form 1195 remains required for a different category of application (citizenship by descent and evidence of citizenship — see our guide to that form), and it may still come up as an overflow attachment if you're including more children on your application than the main form's built-in space allows. If you're unsure whether it applies to your specific situation, ImmiAccount's own application checklist for your form type is the authority — follow what it asks for at lodgement, not what an older blog post says.

Fee — as at 2026

The Form 1300t application charge is indexed annually on 1 July. Multiple independent 2026 sources confirm it rose from $575 to $595 from 1 July 2026, in line with CPI. An $80 concession fee applies if you're the primary holder of a valid Australian Government Pensioner Concession Card (Health Care Cards, Student Cards and Seniors Health Cards don't qualify). There's no separate fee for a child aged 15 or under included on a parent's application. The fee covers the whole process — application, test, and ceremony — and applications received before 1 July 2026 are assessed at the fee in force when they were lodged, not the current one. Confirm the exact current charge on Home Affairs' fee page before you pay, since indexation happens every year.

The citizenship test

Applicants aged 18 to 59 using Form 1300t need to sit and pass the citizenship test before a decision is made on their application — this is the age band the test applies to; the 60-and-over exemption sits on the other form. The test covers Australian values, government and law, and the country's history and people, drawn from the official 'Our Common Bond' resource, and is typically taken after lodgement rather than before it. There's no fixed limit on the number of resits within a set period under current arrangements, but repeated failed attempts are best avoided through genuine preparation rather than treated as a formality. Our test-prep hub covers what's actually tested, the pass mark and retake rules, and what to expect on the day — including what to bring and how the test is booked once your application is in the system.

Processing and what happens after you lodge

Processing times vary by individual circumstances and case complexity and move around from year to year, so we won't quote a figure here that could be stale by the time you read it — see our dedicated processing-time analysis for the current picture and the methodology behind it. Broadly, after lodgement you'll be asked to sit the citizenship test (if you haven't already), the Department assesses your residence and character, and — if approved — you're invited to a citizenship ceremony, where you become a citizen only after making the pledge of commitment in person. You can track your application's progress through ImmiAccount, and Home Affairs will contact you there if it needs further documents or clarification rather than by phone, so it's worth checking the account regularly once your application is submitted.

Common mistakes on Form 1300t

The most frequent issues: miscalculating the residence requirement (undercounting absences or misjudging when permanent residency actually started); applying before you've genuinely met the residence requirement, which risks refusal without a fee refund; using an outdated version of the form or checklist instead of the current ImmiAccount process; assuming Form 1195 is needed when it generally isn't for this pathway; and leaving the citizenship test until the last minute rather than booking it once your application is in. Most of these are avoidable with careful preparation — a MARA-registered migration agent can review a borderline residence calculation or a more complex character history before you lodge. On Migratio you describe your situation once and compare consultation fees from MARA-registered agents (comparing is free; consults are typically $150–$300 and you pay only if you book).

What is Form 1300t used for?

Form 1300t is the standard Australian citizenship application for permanent residents (or eligible New Zealand citizens on a Special Category visa) aged 18 to 59 who meet the residence requirement. It's the general-eligibility conferral pathway — the one most applicants use.

Can I apply on paper instead of ImmiAccount?

A paper Form 1300t exists, but Home Affairs recommends applying online and the paper route still requires pre-paying the application charge through ImmiAccount before you post the form and documents. Most applicants find ImmiAccount simpler.

Do I need to attach Form 1195 to my 1300t application?

Generally no, as at 2026. Since September 2024, adult citizenship-by-conferral applicants no longer need to complete Form 1195 for themselves — identity is confirmed through ImmiAccount and biometrics. Form 1195 is still used for citizenship by descent and evidence-of-citizenship applications, and possibly as an overflow attachment for extra children. Check your ImmiAccount checklist for your exact situation.

How much does Form 1300t cost in 2026?

$595 from 1 July 2026, following CPI indexation from the prior $575. An $80 concession applies for primary Pensioner Concession Card holders. Confirm the current figure on Home Affairs' fee page before paying, since it's re-indexed every 1 July.

Do I have to pass the citizenship test to use Form 1300t?

Yes. Form 1300t applicants aged 18 to 59 need to sit and pass the citizenship test before a decision is made. Applicants who are 60 or over, or who fall into specific incapacity categories, use Form 1290 instead and are generally exempt from the test.

I'm 60 or older — do I use Form 1300t?

No. Applicants aged 60 or over on the day their application is received use Form 1290 (Other situations), not Form 1300t, and are generally exempt from the citizenship test. See our Form 1290 guide.