Before 1949, there was no legal concept of Australian citizenship. Every Australian was a British subject, including immigrants who arrived and became naturalised.

On 26 January 1949, the Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948 introduced Australian citizenship.

Most Australians became Australian citizens at this point, although they were still British subjects. After 1949, immigrants could apply for ‘citizenship by naturalisation’.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Australian citizens still had to declare their nationality as British. In 1984, the law was changed and Australian citizens were no longer British subjects. 

Citizenship records include information such as:

• date of arrival in Australia
• ship or flight travelled on
• town and country of birth
• names of other family members
• education
• profession
• address in Australia at the time of naturalisation

The National Archives holds Commonwealth naturalisation and citizenship records from 1904 onwards.

We also have naturalisation records for the Colony of Victoria from 1848 to 1903 and the Province of South Australia before 1904.

We hold two main types of citizenship records:

• naturalisation certificates (up to 1962)
• naturalisation case files

Case files give more detail than certificates. They include:

• the citizenship application
• the oath of allegiance
• other documents

To find citizenship records:

• use the NameSearch tab in RecordSearch
• type in the surname
• type in the given name
• in ‘Category of records’, select ‘Immigration and naturalisation records’