Citizenship residence calculator

How this is worked out

The general residence requirement is in section 22 of the Australian Citizenship Act 2007 (compilation C2026C00236). For most applicants it has three parts, all tested on the 4 years and the 12 months immediately before the day you apply:

• You were present in Australia for the 4 years before that day (s 22(1)(a)). If your absences in those 4 years total not more than 12 months, you are taken to have been present (s 22(1A)).
• You were present in Australia as a permanent resident for the 12 months before that day (s 22(1)(c)). If your absences in those 12 months total not more than 90 days and you were a permanent resident during each of them, you are taken to have been present as a permanent resident (s 22(1B)).
• You were not in Australia as an unlawful non-citizen at any time in the 4 years (s 22(1)(b)).

How we count. The 4 years run from the same date 4 years before the day you apply to the day before you apply; the 12 months the same way. The day you leave and the day you return count as days in Australia, so a trip that leaves on 1 March and returns on 10 March is 8 days away. We count the 12 months of absence allowed in the 4 years as 365 days. Trips before your permanent residence started count towards that limit; the 90 days apply to the last 12 months, when you must already be a permanent resident. If you have not met the requirement yet, the earliest date is the first day on which every part would be met, assuming no further travel beyond the trips you entered.

The Minister has limited discretions: to treat time as lawful, or as time as a permanent resident, where an administrative error was made (s 22(4A) and (5)); to count lawful time in Australia before permanent residence where you would otherwise suffer significant hardship or disadvantage (s 22(6)); and to count time outside Australia as a permanent resident for some partners of Australian citizens with a close and continuing association with Australia (s 22(9) and (11)). None of them relaxes the 4 years of presence. Time in prison, or in a psychiatric institution by court order made in proceedings for an offence, during the 4 years means the 4-year part is not met, subject to a further discretion (s 22(1C) and (5A)). If you were born in Australia or were an Australian citizen before, the 4-year and unlawful non-citizen parts do not apply to you, but the 12 months as a permanent resident still does (s 22(2)). If any of this may apply to you, the calculator cannot answer for you: ask a lawyer. Other requirements for citizenship, such as the test and good character, are not checked here. The application charge for citizenship by conferral is $595 (Department of Home Affairs: Form 1298i, Citizenship application fees).

Checked on 22-10-2026. General information only, not legal advice.