How Do I Book the Australian Citizenship Test? You Don't
You don't book the Australian citizenship test yourself. Home Affairs invites you and sends a letter with the date, place and time. How rescheduling works.
You don't book the Australian citizenship test yourself. After you apply for citizenship, the Department of Home Affairs invites you to a citizenship appointment and sends you a letter with the date, place and time. Home Affairs says: "You do not need to contact the Department about your citizenship appointment."
This post explains how the appointment is arranged, what the appointment letter and the online appointment site are for, how to reschedule, how long the wait can be, and what ImmiAccount does and does not show. Everything comes from Home Affairs pages, mainly Instructions for attending a departmental office, the citizenship test locator and the citizenship application form, Form 1300t.
How do I book the Australian citizenship test?
There is no step where you choose a test date. Here is the order of events as Home Affairs describes it.
- You apply for citizenship. The Become an Australian citizen page says you can apply online in ImmiAccount if you are aged 18 to 59 and not eligible for a concession. Some applicants must post a paper application instead; for general eligibility applicants aged 18 to 59, that is Form 1300t.
- Home Affairs receives your complete application. Form 1300t says that when your completed application, certified copies of your documents and the correct fee are received, "you will be provided with a date and time for your citizenship appointment."
- Home Affairs invites you. On its office instructions page, Home Affairs says: "We will contact eligible individuals and invite them to attend a citizenship appointment."
- You get an appointment letter. The test locator page says: "We will send you a letter with the date, place and time of your appointment."
- You attend. Form 1300t says citizenship appointments are held at selected offices of Services Australia (Centrelink). The test locator page says tests are held at departmental offices and at some regional locations by officers of Services Australia.
Not everyone sits the test. The Citizenship test and interview page says most applicants for citizenship by conferral aged between 18 and 59 will have an appointment to sit the test, and "Others may only have an interview with us." For interviews, Home Affairs says: "If we need to interview you, we will contact you with the details."
Is there a citizenship test booking website?
There is an official site called Citizenship Appointment Booking at appointments.homeaffairs.gov.au, but it is not where you get your first appointment. Its login page is titled "View/Reschedule your appointment", and its own FAQ says:
"This website is for clients with a citizenship appointment scheduled by the Department of Home Affairs."
So you use it after Home Affairs has already given you an appointment. You log in with your client ID and family name. The FAQ explains that your client ID is "an eleven digit reference number" that appears at the top of your letter or email from Home Affairs, together with your personal details.
If you cannot find your appointment on the site, the FAQ lists these possible reasons:
- you typed your client ID or family name incorrectly
- your appointment date and time has already passed
- your appointment was cancelled
- you don't have a valid appointment.
Your citizenship appointment letter
The appointment letter is the main document for your appointment. Based on the Home Affairs pages, it:
- gives the date, place and time of your appointment (test locator page)
- shows your client ID at the top, which you need to log in to the appointment site (appointment site FAQ)
- contains the instructions for rescheduling (Form 1300t).
The appointment site's FAQ refers to "the letter or email we sent to you". If the appointment details shown online are different from your letter or email, it says your appointment may have been rescheduled or cancelled, and asks you to check your emails and SMS.
The appointment site's notice links to Home Affairs' instructions for attending a departmental office. That page says to arrive no earlier than 10 minutes before your appointment time, and: "You need to bring evidence of your appointment; this includes your appointment letter or text message."
You also need to bring photo ID. Form 1300t says certified copies and electronic images of your photo ID are not accepted, and that without photo ID your appointment will be changed to a later date.
How do I reschedule my citizenship test appointment?
Start with your appointment letter. Form 1300t says: "If you need to reschedule your appointment, follow the instructions in your appointment letter."
The Citizenship Appointment Booking login page adds these instructions:
- "If you cannot attend your appointment, reschedule online." You do this on appointments.homeaffairs.gov.au with your client ID and family name.
- If you cannot reschedule online, or you are restricted from entering a Services Australia site, the page says to call 131 881. This is the in-Australia number of Home Affairs' Global Service Centre, which its telephone page says is open Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm your local time.
- The same page says: "Do not attend your appointment if you are unwell."
The site's FAQ also says some appointments cannot be rescheduled online, and in that case you should contact Home Affairs to reschedule.
When will I get my citizenship test date?
Home Affairs does not give a fixed date or a set number of weeks. On the Become an Australian citizen page, it says: "The time from when you apply to your appointment date varies, but can take several months." The test locator page adds: "Appointment waiting times will vary between test centres."
Home Affairs does not publish a separate figure for the time from lodging your application to your test appointment.
What the citizenship processing times measure
Home Affairs does publish citizenship processing times. These figures measure the time from the date of application to a decision, not the time to your test appointment. A "decision" on that page includes applications that were approved, refused, withdrawn or invalid.
For citizenship by conferral (general eligibility and other situations), the page (last updated 21 September 2026) shows:
| Share of applications | Processed in (application to decision) |
|---|---|
| 25% | 40 days |
| 50% | 47 days |
| 75% | 85 days |
| 90% | 5 months |
Home Affairs says these percentile figures "are intended to provide a guide only", and the processing times overview says the information is updated every month. The same page also shows the time from approval to a citizenship ceremony, which is a later step.
Two things Home Affairs says can slow your application down:
- Form 1300t says that if you do not provide all your documents, processing of your application will be delayed.
- The processing times page lists factors such as whether your application is complete, how promptly you respond to requests, and the time it takes to check your information.
What does ImmiAccount show after you apply?
If you applied online, you can check your application status in ImmiAccount. Home Affairs' After you apply page says the status shows next to your application under "My applications summary". The statuses it defines include:
| ImmiAccount status | What Home Affairs says it means |
|---|---|
| Submitted | You have successfully submitted the application. |
| Received | We have received the application and it will be assessed. |
| Initial assessment | We have completed an initial check of your application. |
| Further assessment | We are assessing your application. |
| Approved | Your citizenship application has been approved. |
| Finalised | We have made a decision. |
None of the status definitions on that page mention the citizenship test or an appointment. The Home Affairs pages we checked say your appointment details come in a letter, and the appointment site's FAQ also refers to a letter or email. They do not say that your test date appears in ImmiAccount.
You can find how to update your details on the After you apply page if you applied online.
What happens at the appointment
Form 1300t says to "Allow up to an hour for your appointment." At the appointment, Home Affairs will discuss your application and confirm your identity and your eligibility to sit the test.
The citizenship test page says the test has 20 multiple-choice questions and you have 45 minutes. It also says there is no extra cost to sit the test, because your application fee includes it. To pass you need at least 15 out of 20 and all 5 Australian values questions correct. We explain that rule in Australian citizenship test pass mark: why 19 out of 20 can still be a fail.
How to practise while you wait
The wait for your appointment is useful study time. Home Affairs says on the Citizenship test and interview page that Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bond is all you need to prepare. Home Affairs also has an official practice test on its website. The same page says the Department "does not endorse or recommend any external courses" for the test, including paid apps, so start with the booklet and the official practice test.
If you want more practice, our free Australian citizenship mock exam and a second free mock exam are marked with both pass rules (15/20 overall and 5/5 values). 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
How do I book the Australian citizenship test?
You don't. Home Affairs invites you to a citizenship appointment after you apply and sends you a letter with the date, place and time. It says you do not need to contact the Department about your citizenship appointment.
When will I get my citizenship test date?
There is no fixed timeframe. Home Affairs says the time from when you apply to your appointment date "varies, but can take several months", and waiting times vary between test centres.
What is the citizenship appointment letter?
It is the letter Home Affairs sends with the date, place and time of your appointment. It also has your client ID at the top and the instructions for rescheduling.
Can I choose my citizenship test date?
Not at first. Home Affairs schedules your appointment. If you cannot attend, you can reschedule online on the Citizenship Appointment Booking site, or follow the instructions in your appointment letter.
How do I reschedule my citizenship appointment?
Log in to appointments.homeaffairs.gov.au with your client ID and family name. If you cannot reschedule online, the site says to call 131 881.
Does ImmiAccount show my citizenship test appointment?
Home Affairs does not say it does. ImmiAccount shows your application status, and none of the published status definitions mention the test or an appointment. Your appointment details come in a letter.
What happens if I miss my citizenship appointment?
Form 1300t says your application may be refused if you do not attend your appointment. If you cannot go, reschedule instead of skipping it.
Do I have to pay to book the citizenship test?
No. Home Affairs says there is no extra cost to sit the citizenship test, because the application fee you paid includes it.
Sources
- Department of Home Affairs, Instructions for attending a departmental office in Australia (linked from the appointment site as immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/appts): Home Affairs invites eligible individuals, no need to contact the Department, arrive no earlier than 10 minutes before, bring evidence of your appointment.
- Department of Home Affairs, Citizenship test locator: letter with date, place and time, waiting times vary between test centres, where tests are held.
- Department of Home Affairs, Form 1300t: Application for Australian citizenship, General eligibility (design date 09/26): date and time provided once a complete application is received, delays from missing documents, rescheduling via the letter, refusal if you do not attend, Services Australia (Centrelink) offices, allow up to an hour, photo ID rule.
- Department of Home Affairs, Citizenship Appointment Booking (login page and its FAQ): view and reschedule an existing appointment, client ID, reschedule online, call 131 881, do not attend if unwell.
- Department of Home Affairs, Telephone: Global Service Centre number and hours.
- Department of Home Affairs, Become an Australian citizen (by conferral): permanent residents: applying online or on paper, time to appointment "can take several months", tell us about changes to your contact details.
- Department of Home Affairs, Citizenship processing times (last updated 21 September 2026) and processing times overview: application-to-decision percentiles, what a decision includes, monthly updates.
- Department of Home Affairs, After you apply: ImmiAccount status and status definitions.
- Department of Home Affairs, Citizenship test and interview: who has a test appointment or an interview, Our Common Bond, statement on external courses and apps.
- Department of Home Affairs, Learn about the citizenship interview: Home Affairs contacts you if it needs to interview you.
- 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 free practice test.
All quotations were checked against these pages in October 2026.
Study While You Wait
Download the app
AU Citizenship Test: Values
Australian citizenship test practice: 630+ questions, values drill, mock exams