Australian Citizenship Appointment: What to Bring (Photo ID Rules)

For your Australian citizenship appointment, the Department of Home Affairs tells you to bring a photo identity document (photo ID), such as an Australian driver licence, a passport or an Australian issued proof of age card. It has to be the document itself: Home Affairs will not accept a certified copy or an electronic image, such as a photo of your ID on your phone. If you arrive without photo ID, your appointment will be moved to a later date.

This post gives you the exact rule, a checklist, what happens if you forget your ID, and the questions Home Affairs does not answer. It is based mainly on the Home Affairs page Learn about the citizenship interview and the official application form, Form 1300t.

Citizenship appointment: what to bring (checklist)

Home Affairs names one thing to bring: your photo ID. Here is what that means in practice.

1. Bring one photo identity document. The examples Home Affairs gives are an Australian driver licence, a passport, or an Australian issued proof of age card.
2. Bring the real document. Not a certified copy, not a photocopy, and not a photo or scan on your phone.
3. Follow any request for extra documents. After you apply, Home Affairs says it may ask for "extra documents or original documents" and will contact you directly if needed. If you received a request like this, follow its instructions.
4. Read your appointment letter before the day. Home Affairs says it will "send you an appointment letter with the details" of your appointment.
5. Bring your appointment letter or text message. Home Affairs' instructions for attending a departmental office, linked from its citizenship appointment booking site, say: "You need to bring evidence of your appointment; this includes your appointment letter or text message."

Home Affairs introduces the list with "Examples of photo identity documents include", so the three documents are examples, not a complete list. The pages we checked do not publish a full list of accepted photo IDs.

The rule: no certified copies, no electronic images

This is the key sentence, word for word, from the citizenship interview page:

"We will not accept certified copies or electronic images of your photo ID."

The same sentence appears in Form 1300t, under "Step 7 – Attend your citizenship test appointment". So it applies whether you are going to a citizenship test or an interview.

A certified copy is a copy that an authorised person has checked against the original. Home Affairs' certified copy page explains the process: you take the original and your copy to the certifier, and "They will check your copy is the same as the original." Certified copies are useful when you apply on paper. They are not accepted as your photo ID at the appointment.

Do you need original documents for the citizenship test?

For the appointment itself, the only document Home Affairs tells you to bring is your photo ID, and it must be the document itself, not a copy or an image.

Your other documents are handled when you apply. On the Become an Australian citizen page, Home Affairs asks for "scans of your original documents if you are applying online" and "certified copies of all other documents if you have to lodge a paper application". Form 1300t adds: "Do not post original documents with your application."

After you apply, Home Affairs may still want to see more. Its words: "We may ask for extra documents or original documents. We will contact you directly if needed." The pages we checked do not tell you to bring your other original documents (such as a birth certificate) to the appointment unless you are asked.

Documents for a citizenship interview in Australia

Some people have an interview instead of the test. Home Affairs says applicants "who do not need to sit the citizenship test may have an interview with us so we can confirm their identity and ask about their application."

The document rule for the interview is the same: bring a photo ID, and certified copies or electronic images of it will not be accepted. The interview page also says:

• If you are 60 or over, or have a hearing, speech or sight impairment, a family member or other person can come to your appointment with you.
• The same applies if you have a permanent or enduring physical or mental incapacity.
• In both of these cases, if you need an interpreter, Home Affairs can arrange one at your appointment.

What happens if you forget your photo ID?

Home Affairs answers this directly:

"If you do not bring a photo ID, your appointment will be changed to a later date."

Home Affairs does not publish how long you might wait for the new date.

Missing the appointment completely is more serious. Form 1300t says: "Your application may be refused if you do not attend your appointment." If you need to change your appointment, the form says to "follow the instructions in your appointment letter."

What Home Affairs does not say

These questions come up, but the official pages we checked do not answer them. If one applies to you, check your appointment letter or ask Home Affairs before the day.

Where the appointment is and how long it takes

Form 1300t says: "Citizenship appointments are conducted at selected offices of Services Australia (Centrelink)." Your appointment letter gives you the details of yours.

Plan your day around this line from the form: "Allow up to an hour for your appointment."

At the appointment, Form 1300t says Home Affairs will "discuss your citizenship application, and confirm your identity and eligibility to sit the citizenship test." The form also says test administrators at Services Australia are authorised to collect identifying information, such as your photograph and signature, to verify your identity.

As for timing, Home Affairs says the time from when you apply to your appointment date "varies, but can take several months."

The citizenship test, in brief

Most applicants for citizenship by conferral aged 18 to 59 will have an appointment to sit the test, according to the Citizenship test and interview page. The citizenship test page says it is 20 multiple-choice questions in 45 minutes, and "There is no extra cost to sit the citizenship test."

To pass, you need at least 15 out of 20 and all 5 Australian values questions correct. We explain how that scoring works in Australian citizenship test pass mark: why 19 out of 20 can still be a fail.

How to practise before your appointment

Home Affairs' Prepare for the test page says all test questions are based on the Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bond booklet. It also offers an official practice test, a podcast and the AMEPOnline citizenship modules. The same page says the Department "does not endorse or recommend any external courses" for the test, including paid apps. Start with the booklet and the official practice test.

If you want extra practice, our free Australian citizenship mock exams are marked with both pass rules (15/20 overall and 5/5 values), and there is a second free mock exam too. The AU Citizenship Test: Values app has 630+ questions written from Our Common Bond, a Values Drill that tracks every values question, and 40 timed mock exams.

Frequently asked questions

What do I need to bring to my citizenship appointment?

A photo identity document. Home Affairs gives an Australian driver licence, a passport or an Australian issued proof of age card as examples.

Can I bring a certified copy of my passport?

No. Home Affairs says: "We will not accept certified copies or electronic images of your photo ID."

Can I show a photo of my ID on my phone?

No. Electronic images of your photo ID are not accepted. Bring the physical document.

What happens if I forget my photo ID?

Your appointment will be changed to a later date. Home Affairs does not say how long the new date might take.

Do I need to bring original documents to the citizenship test?

The only document Home Affairs tells you to bring is your photo ID, and it must be the real document. Home Affairs says it may ask for extra or original documents, and will contact you directly if it does.

What documents do I need for a citizenship interview in Australia?

The same as for the test: a photo ID, not a certified copy or an electronic image.

How long does the citizenship appointment take?

Form 1300t says to allow up to an hour for your appointment.

Can I reschedule my citizenship appointment?

Yes. Form 1300t says to follow the instructions in your appointment letter. It also warns that your application may be refused if you do not attend.

Sources

• Department of Home Affairs, Instructions for attending a departmental office: bring evidence of your appointment (letter or text message).
• Department of Home Affairs, Learn about the citizenship interview: photo ID rule, examples of photo ID, no certified copies or electronic images, appointment moved if no ID, who has an interview, support person and interpreter.
• Department of Home Affairs, Learn about the citizenship interview and test: same photo ID rule and examples.
• Department of Home Affairs, Form 1300t: Application for Australian citizenship, General eligibility (design date 09/26): Step 7 photo ID rule for the test appointment, allow up to an hour, rescheduling, refusal if you do not attend, Services Australia (Centrelink) offices, identity checks, do not post original documents.
• Department of Home Affairs, Become an Australian citizen (by conferral): permanent residents: documents for online and paper applications, appointment letter, time to appointment, requests for extra or original documents.
• Department of Home Affairs, Certified copy: what a certified copy is.
• Department of Home Affairs, Citizenship test and interview: who has a test appointment.
• Department of Home Affairs, Learn about the citizenship test: 20 questions, 45 minutes, pass rules, no extra cost.
• Department of Home Affairs, Australian citizenship practice test: the official practice test, linked from the Prepare for the test page.
• Department of Home Affairs, Prepare for the citizenship test: Our Common Bond, official practice test, statement on external courses and apps.

All quotations were checked against these pages in October 2026.