Fill Out Home Affairs Form 1290 Online

Who Form 1290 is for

This form serves several distinct groups of conferral applicants, and the eligibility rules differ slightly for each. All applicants must be permanent residents, satisfy the residence requirement, and be likely to reside or continue to reside in Australia or maintain a close and continuing association with Australia.

• People aged 60 and over, who do not sit the citizenship test but must understand the nature of the application and make the pledge at a ceremony.
• People with a permanent or enduring physical or mental incapacity that prevents them sitting the test, who may not need to sit the test or make the pledge.
• People with a permanent loss or substantial impairment of hearing, speech or sight, who must understand the nature of the application and make the pledge.
• Applicants aged 16 or 17, who must be permanent residents at application and decision and show sufficient time in Australia along with basic English and knowledge of the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship.
• Children under 16 applying in their own right, who must be permanent residents and generally live with a responsible parent who is an Australian citizen.

How to fill out Form 1290

Read the information pages before starting, because the steps differ by category: some applicants attend an appointment and ceremony while others do not. The form then collects identity details, residence history, character information and, where a ceremony applies, your pledge preference and local council.

You will need certified copies of your supporting documents. The form sets out which documents to gather and how to have copies certified, and paper applications are commonly delayed by incomplete or uncertified documents.

• Identity: names, date and place of birth, and identity documents matching your official records.
• Residence: permanent residence details and travel in and out of Australia measured against the residence requirement.
• Character: character questions and consents appropriate to the applicant's age and situation.
• Ceremony: choice between the two versions of the Australian Citizenship Pledge, one made under God and one not, if a ceremony applies to you.
• Travel plans: proposed overseas travel in the next 12 months, since in some circumstances an application cannot be approved while you are outside Australia.
• Payment: concession eligibility and payment details, checking form 1298i and the current charge on the Home Affairs website.

How to lodge Form 1290

Check first whether you can apply online through the Home Affairs citizenship pages, which is the Department's preferred lodgement method. If you use the paper form, pre-pay the application charge through ImmiAccount before posting, then send the completed form, certified document copies and payment receipt to the address in the form.

Keep a copy of everything you lodge. Home Affairs forms are version dated, so confirm the current version of Form 1290 on the official website before completing it, and consider advice from a registered migration agent for complicated cases such as incapacity-based applications.

After you apply

Depending on your category, you may be asked to attend a citizenship appointment, and you should bring a photo identity document if so. The Department then notifies you of its decision, and most applicants attend a ceremony to make the pledge, which is the final legal step to becoming a citizen for those required to make it.

Tell the Department about any change in your circumstances or proposed travel while the application is being processed, since being outside Australia at the time of a decision can be a problem in some situations.