Fill Out Home Affairs Form 1195 Online
Identity declaration
Department of Home Affairs
Have an approved referee confirm your identity and endorse your photograph for an Australian citizenship application.
Reviewed July 2026
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Form 1195, Identity declaration, is the Department of Home Affairs form a referee uses to confirm your identity and endorse your photograph when you apply online for Australian citizenship by descent or for evidence of Australian citizenship. The Department cannot approve those applications unless the applicant's identity can be verified, so this short form does important work.
The form is four pages, but only part of it is yours to complete: the applicant answers two questions, and a qualified referee completes the rest and signs across your photograph. You can fill in the applicant fields on this page, download the PDF, then have your referee complete and sign their sections by hand.
What Form 1195 is used for
When you apply online for citizenship by descent or for evidence of citizenship, Home Affairs asks for an identity declaration to link you, the person in the photograph, to the identity claimed in the application. A referee who knows you confirms who you are and endorses a passport-sized photo of you.
Questions 1 and 4 are completed by the applicant. Questions 2 and 3, along with the photograph endorsement and signature, must be completed by the referee.
Who can be the referee
The referee requirements are strict, and applications are delayed when the referee does not qualify. The referee must satisfy all of the conditions on the form, not just some of them.
- An Australian citizen who has known you for at least one year.
- Currently working in a profession or occupation on the list printed in the form.
- Not related to you by birth, marriage or de facto relationship.
- Easy to contact by telephone during normal working hours.
- If you are outside Australia and do not know an Australian citizen, a citizen of your country of residence who meets the other requirements can act as referee.
- For children under 6, the referee can have known the child for less than 12 months, provided they meet the other requirements.
Photo requirements and how to fill it out
Glue a passport-sized photograph of the applicant in the space provided at Question 3. The referee signs over a bottom corner of the front of the photo without covering the face, following the example shown on the form. The Department recommends having the photo taken by a professional passport photo provider.
- The photo must be no more than 6 months old, in colour and of good quality.
- Use a neutral or light grey background that contrasts with your face, and do not edit the image in any way.
- Size: 35mm to 40mm wide and 45mm to 50mm high, with the face measuring 32mm to 36mm from chin to crown.
- Glasses should be removed unless needed for medical reasons; if worn they must be untinted with frames that do not obscure the eyes.
- A head covering worn for religious reasons is fine as long as the whole face is visible and the material is plain.
- The applicant completes Questions 1 and 4; the referee completes Questions 2 and 3 and signs the photo.
How to lodge Form 1195
Scan pages 3 and 4 of the completed form, including the endorsed photograph, together as one file and upload it to your online application under the Form 1195, Identity declaration, requirement. You will also be asked to upload a separate digital version of the same photograph under the photograph requirement of the application.
Keep the original signed form in case the Department asks to see it. Home Affairs forms are version dated, so check the official website for the current version of Form 1195 before your referee signs it.
Frequently asked questions
The form is required when you apply online for Australian citizenship by descent or for evidence of Australian citizenship. An application cannot be approved if the applicant's identity cannot be verified.
The applicant completes Questions 1 and 4. The referee completes Questions 2 and 3, endorses the photograph and signs over a bottom corner of it without covering the applicant's face.
No. The referee must not be related to you by birth, marriage or de facto relationship. They must also be an Australian citizen who has known you for at least a year and works in an occupation listed on the form.
A citizen of your country of residence can complete the declaration instead, provided they have known you for at least one year, work in a listed occupation and are not related to you.
Scan pages 3 and 4, including the signed photo, as a single file and upload it to your online application under Form 1195, Identity declaration. A separate digital copy of the photo is uploaded under the photograph requirement.
Colour, under 6 months old, unedited, neutral or light grey background, 35mm to 40mm wide by 45mm to 50mm high, face 32mm to 36mm chin to crown, full face visible, and the referee's signature across a bottom corner.
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