Citizenship Application Fee Changes from 1 July 2026

Effective from 1 July 2026, Australian citizenship application fees have been adjusted from $575 to $595 in line with CPI to reflect the cost of administering the Australian citizenship program.

Applications received before 1 July 2026 are assessed under the previous fee schedule, regardless of when a decision is made.

What changed on 1 July 2026

Children under 16 on the same application pay nothing rather than the full child rate.

The fee that applies is the one in effect on the date your application is received by the Department, not the date you started preparing it.

For a full breakdown of Citizenship Fees and Visa costs, see our Visa Application Charges page.

Citizenship Fee History

When people ask “how much does it cost to apply for Australian citizenship?” they are referring to the general eligibility fee (Form 1300t).

A few things stand out in the data:

• The big jump was in 2021. The fee nearly doubled that year, rising from $285 to $490.
• 2023 brought a “catch-up” increase. Because indexation had been paused for two years, the 2023 regulations applied both years’ worth of CPI adjustment in one go, taking the fee from $490 to $540.
• Since 2023, increases have settled into a steady annual rhythm of roughly 3-4%, consistent with ordinary CPI indexation.
• From 2021–22 to 2025–26, the general eligibility fee rose from $490 to $575 – a cumulative increase of $85, or about 17%. The five-year increase from 2021–22 to 2026–27 would be $105, or around 21%.

For help working out which form applies to you, what fee concessions you might be eligible for, or getting your application ready to lodge, see our guide on how to get Australian citizenship.

Contact This is Australia on +61 (0)7 5592 0755 or contact our team to discuss your next steps.