Naturalisation records held in Canberra – Fact sheet 68
The National Archives in Canberra holds naturalisation records for the Colony of Victoria and the Province of South Australia for the period from 1848 to 1903, and many records for the Commonwealth of Australia from 1904. Details of relevant records series are in the table below.
Naturalisation records for the Province of South Australia before 1904 are held by our office in Adelaide.
Naturalisation records for New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania before 1904 are held by the appropriate State government archives.
Locating the records
Searching for items on RecordSearch
The naturalisation file you are seeking may already be listed on our RecordSearch database. Conduct searches using the surname of the subject as a keyword term. Note that the word ‘naturalisation’ in these file titles may be spelt either naturalisation or naturalization. Reference archivists are available in reading rooms to guide your research
The Citizenship Index
If the file you are seeking is not listed on RecordSearch the Department of Immigration Citizenship Index may be consulted. A microfiche version of the Citizenship Index is held by all offices of the Archives. Arranged alphabetically, the index lists all applicants for naturalisation from 1904 to the present. Because it contains information not yet in the open access period the index cannot be made publicly available. Our reference staff will consult it on your behalf to identify the file number and location of records of naturalisations that took place more than 30 years ago. Additional sources that may be consulted include the nominal index card series A1652, A3907 and A3908. A search is more likely to be successful if the following information can be supplied:
- full name (include any known alias or alternate spelling of the name)
- date of birth
- date of arrival in Australia
- State of residence at time of naturalisation
Many naturalisation files are held in Canberra, but depending on the State of residence of the subject at the time of their naturalisation relevant records may be held in another office of the Archives. If you are unable to visit the office holding the records we are able to supply you with a photocopy – a quote for the cost can be provided.
In general records relating to naturalisation become publicly available once they are more than 30 years old.
Contents of the record
Pre-Federation records normally consist of Memorial for Letters of Naturalization (the application), Oath of Memorialist (ie the applicant) and Certificate and Oath of Allegiance. Post-Federation records may also include a Statutory Declaration, Application for Certificate of Naturalization and some routine correspondence.
Volumes of naturalisation certificates issued for the period 1904–1962 are also available. These are available on microfilm for the period 1904–1937. Reference staff will assist you in obtaining access to these records.
