Australian Citizenship After a Partner Visa

Permanent residence itself comes at the second stage of the partner visa, which is assessed 2 years after the date you lodged the subclass 820 or subclass 309, not 2 years after it was granted. The dates below were worked against the Australian Citizenship Act 2007 (Cth) and the Home Affairs citizenship pages as at 23 September 2026, and they are illustrations, not a prediction.

Does marrying an Australian make you a citizen, or only eligible for a partner visa?

Only eligible for a partner visa. Marriage to an Australian citizen establishes the relationship on which a partner visa can be granted, and citizenship then follows residence, under the conferral rules that apply to every permanent resident.

How long does it take to get permanent residence after a partner visa?

The formula is: lodgement date + 2 years = eligibility date, and eligibility date + the processing time = permanent grant. The Department states that the processing time for the permanent visa "starts from the date of eligibility", and it publishes that time only through the global visa processing times tool. This page does not restate a figure, so check the tool for the subclass 801 or 100 on the day you read this.

Worked example: an onshore subclass 820 to subclass 801

Priya lodged her combined 820 and 801 application in Australia on 15 March 2023. Her 820 was granted on 1 February 2024. Her eligibility date for the 801 is 15 March 2025, two years after lodgement. Suppose the Department decides the 801 five months later, on 20 August 2025. That grant date is an illustration only. From 20 August 2025 she holds the partner visa subclass 801 and is a permanent resident.

Worked example: an offshore subclass 309 to subclass 100

Marco lodged his combined 309 and 100 application from overseas on 1 June 2023. His 309 was granted on 10 January 2024, and he arrived in Australia to live on 1 May 2024. His eligibility date for the 100 is 1 June 2025. Suppose the partner visa subclass 100 is granted on 1 October 2025 while he is in Australia. That date is again an illustration.

Why the two-year clock starts at lodgement, not at grant

Clause 801.221(2)(d) of Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth) requires that "at least 2 years have passed since the application was made", and clause 100.221(2)(c) says the same for the 100. A slow first-stage decision does not push back your eligibility date.

When the two-year wait does not apply

• A long-term partner relationship. The 2-year wait does not apply if, when you applied, you had been in the relationship for at least 3 years, or at least 2 years if there is a dependent child of you both (reg 1.03 and cll 801.221(6A) and 100.221(5)).
• A sponsor who holds a permanent humanitarian visa and who told the Department about the relationship before that visa was granted. This exception is in cl 100.221(6) for the subclass 100.
• The relationship has ended because of family violence, or you share a child with the sponsor, or the sponsor has died. Special criteria then apply, and the Department can grant the permanent visa earlier.

When can a partner visa holder apply for Australian citizenship?

A partner visa holder becomes a citizen through citizenship by conferral. Under s 21(2) of the Australian Citizenship Act 2007 (Cth) you must be a permanent resident when you apply and when the Department decides, and you must meet the general residence requirement in s 22. That requirement is two tests, and both must be met on the day you apply. The later of the two dates governs.

The four-year lawful residence test

Section 22(1)(a) and (b) require you to have been present in Australia for the 4 years immediately before you apply, and never as an unlawful non-citizen in that time. The Department puts it as "living in Australia on a valid visa for 4 years". Time on any valid visa counts, including a visitor, student or bridging visa. For an onshore applicant the clock usually started before the 820, and for an offshore applicant it starts on arrival.

The twelve months as a permanent resident test

Section 22(1)(c) requires you to have been present in Australia as a permanent resident for the 12 months immediately before you apply. The Department states that for an 801 or 100 this starts on the grant date if you were in Australia, or on the day you first entered Australia on the visa if you were not.

Worked example: an onshore applicant, where the permanent-residence clock binds

Priya has lived in Australia on valid visas since 10 February 2022. Her 4-year test is met from about 10 February 2026. Her 801 was granted on 20 August 2025, so her 12-month test is met from about 20 August 2026. The later date governs, so 20 August 2026 is her earliest application date. The Department's residence calculator gives the exact day.

Worked example: an offshore applicant, where the four-year residence clock binds

Marco first arrived to live in Australia on 1 May 2024, and his 100 was granted in Australia on 1 October 2025. His 12-month test is met from about 1 October 2026, but his 4-year test is not met until about 1 May 2028. The 4-year clock binds, so Marco waits about 2 years and 7 months after his permanent grant, where Priya waits 12 months. An offshore partner's residence clock only starts on arrival, while an onshore partner has usually been living in Australia since before lodging.

How absences from Australia change the date

Section 22(1A) lets you count absences totalling no more than 12 months in the 4 years as time in Australia. Section 22(1B) does the same for absences totalling no more than 90 days in the final 12 months, if you were a permanent resident during them. Suppose Priya travels from 1 to 30 December 2025 (30 days) and from 1 May to 9 July 2026 (70 days). On 20 August 2026 her absences in the previous 12 months total 100 days, which is over the limit. She must wait until the December trip falls far enough out of the window. From about 11 December 2026, the 12 months before the application hold 20 December days plus the 70 days of the second trip, a total of 90.

Does being married to an Australian shorten a partner visa holder's citizenship wait?

Not by itself, but there is a discretion. Section 22(9) of the Act lets the Minister treat time spent outside Australia as time present in Australia as a permanent resident if all of the following apply:

• you are the spouse or de facto partner of an Australian citizen when you apply
• you were their partner during the time overseas
• you were a permanent resident during that time
• you had a close and continuing association with Australia during that time.

It covers time after your 801 or 100 was granted, not time on the 820 or 309. It is a discretion, not an entitlement, and the Department says it cannot be assessed before you apply.

What does citizenship cost a partner visa holder, and how long does it take?

As at 23 September 2026, Form 1298i (July 2026) lists A$595 for a general eligibility application, A$85 for an eligible Pensioner Concession Card holder, and no fee for children under 16 on a parent's form. The Department's conferral page also shows an older figure of A$285, so rely on the current form. Fees are indexed on 1 July each year. On processing, the Department states that it decides 75% of applications in 13 months and 90% in 16 months, counting from lodgement to the ceremony, and that ceremonies are usually held within 6 months of approval.

What is the citizenship test for a partner visa holder?

Most conferral applicants aged 18 to 59 sit the test, and some have only an interview. The test assesses your English and your knowledge of Australia and of the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship, which s 21(2)(e) and (f) of the Act require. The Department says its booklet Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bond is all you need to prepare. Applicants aged 60 or over use a separate pathway on the Department's citizenship pages.

What happens between applying and the ceremony for a partner visa holder?

1. Apply in ImmiAccount once both residence tests are met.
2. Sit the test or attend the interview when the Department sends an appointment.
3. Decision. You must still be a permanent resident and of good character and, in most cases, be in Australia.
4. Invitation, about 4 weeks before the ceremony, usually from your local council.
5. The pledge. Under s 28 of the Act you become a citizen on the day you make it, not on the approval date.

What changes when a partner visa holder becomes a citizen?

• You can apply for an Australian passport after the ceremony, and you can enrol to vote.
• The travel facility stops mattering. Until you make the pledge, a permanent resident whose 5-year facility has run out still needs a Resident Return visa after a partner visa to come back as a permanent resident, even once citizenship is approved.
• Jobs restricted to citizens become open to you.

Can citizenship be refused after a partner visa?

Yes. The Department's published grounds include failing the residence requirement, not being of good character, identity (the Department "cannot approve" if it is not satisfied of your identity), a national security risk, and being outside Australia at the decision without a residence concession. Applying these rules to your own circumstances is immigration assistance, which ss 276 and 280 of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) restrict to registered migration agents and Australian legal practitioners.

What if your relationship ends after the partner visa but before you apply for citizenship?

Your citizenship application runs on residence, not on the relationship. Nothing in ss 21 or 22 of the Act requires you to still be with your sponsor. Only the s 22(9) discretion depends on being the partner of an Australian citizen at the time you apply.

Can children on your partner visa become citizens at the same time?

• Children under 16 who are permanent residents can be included on your application at no extra cost, and they do not need to meet the residence requirement.
• Children aged 16 or 17 must apply on their own and meet the residence requirement.
• Children born in Australia are citizens at birth if a parent is a citizen or permanent resident at the time of birth (s 12).
• Children born overseas to a parent who was an Australian citizen at the time of birth may apply for citizenship by descent (s 16).

Questions about citizenship after a partner visa

Does the two-year partner visa wait count toward the four years?

Yes. Time in Australia on the 820 counts towards the 4-year test. It does not count towards the 12 months as a permanent resident.

Does time on a bridging visa count?

Yes, for the 4-year test, because a bridging visa is a valid visa.

Do you lose your other citizenship?

Not under Australian law. The Department states that Australia allows dual citizenship and that some countries do not, so check the law of your other country.

The permanent stage of your partner visa

• The grant that starts your 12 months as a permanent resident: partner visa subclass 801.
• The same permanent stage for an offshore applicant: partner visa subclass 100.
• Work, travel, Medicare and your obligations after the grant: after your partner visa is granted.

The residence arithmetic is where citizenship applications go wrong: a trip that pushes you over 90 days, or an application lodged a week early. If your travel history is long, or your case involves character or identity questions, an application checked by a registered migration agent or an Australian legal practitioner is more likely to succeed. They can test your dates against s 22 before you lodge. No adviser can guarantee an approval.

Questions people ask

How long after getting an 801 visa can you apply for citizenship?

At least 12 months after the 801 is granted, and only once you have also lived in Australia on a valid visa for the 4 years immediately before you apply. Whichever of the two dates is later is the earliest date you can apply. Onshore applicants who lived in Australia before lodging often find the 12-month permanent resident test is the one that binds.

Does marrying an Australian citizen make you a citizen?

No. Marriage gives no visa, no residence right and no citizenship. It can support a partner visa application, and a partner visa holder who becomes a permanent resident can later apply for citizenship by conferral like other permanent residents.

Does time on the subclass 820 or a bridging visa count towards citizenship?

Yes, towards the 4-year test, because that test counts time present in Australia on a valid visa, and a bridging visa is a valid visa. It does not count towards the 12 months, which must be spent as a permanent resident after the 801 or 100 is granted.

How much does Australian citizenship cost?

Form 1298i, dated July 2026, lists A$595 for a general eligibility application by conferral, or A$85 for an eligible Pensioner Concession Card holder. Children under 16 on a parent's form are free. Fees usually rise on 1 July each year, so check the current form before you lodge.

Can you get citizenship while you are still waiting for the 801?

No. Section 21 of the Australian Citizenship Act 2007 requires you to be a permanent resident both when you apply and when the Department decides. An 820 or 309 holder is not a permanent resident, so the application must wait until the 801 or 100 is granted.

Sources

Primary sources this page was checked against on 23 September 2026.

1. Australian Citizenship Act 2007 (Cth), Federal Register of Legislation www.legislation.gov.au
2. Home Affairs, Citizenship by conferral for permanent residents immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
3. Form 1298i, Citizenship application fees immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
4. Home Affairs, Citizenship test and interview immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
5. Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth), Federal Register of Legislation www.legislation.gov.au
6. Home Affairs, Global visa processing times immi.homeaffairs.gov.au