Citizenship test day: what to bring and what happens

Before the day

If you need to sit the test, Home Affairs sends you a letter with the date, time and place of your appointment. Tests are held at Home Affairs offices in most capital cities and at some Services Australia (Centrelink) offices. If the time doesn't work for you, follow the rescheduling instructions in the letter.

In the week before, take care of three things:

• Check your documents in ImmiAccount. Make sure everything is attached to your application. If your circumstances have changed since you applied, such as a new address or a new name, attach the new documents.
• Arrange childcare. Children aren't allowed in the test centre, and the centres don't have childcare.
• Plan the trip. You need to arrive on time, so check how long the trip takes at that time of day.

If you applied from outside Australia, you'll be invited to sit the test after you return. A test at an Australian embassy or consulate is arranged only in exceptional circumstances.

What to bring

Certified copies and photos of your ID are not accepted. If you arrive without an original photo ID, your appointment will be moved to a later date, so check your bag the night before. Your notes can stay in your bag: staff will tell you where to leave your belongings.

At the test centre, step by step

Home Affairs describes the appointment in this order.

1. 1

   Arrive on time

   Home Affairs asks you to arrive on time. Bring your original photo ID.

2. 2

   Talk through your application

   Staff discuss your citizenship application and confirm your identity and that you are eligible to sit the test.

3. 3

   Have your photo taken

   Staff take your photo as part of the appointment.

4. 4

   Leave your belongings

   No study material can come into the testing area. Staff tell you where to put your things.

5. 5

   Sit the test

   20 multiple-choice questions on a computer or tablet, with a headset if you want to listen. You have 45 minutes.

6. 6

   See your result

   Your result appears on the screen as soon as you finish.

The rules in the test room

These come straight from Home Affairs:

• Turn off your mobile phone and put it away.
• Don't talk to other people.
• Don't use any books, paper or other material to help you.
• Don't copy answers from anyone.
• Finish within 45 minutes, or 90 minutes for an Assisted Test.
• Raise your hand if you need help.

Anyone who doesn't follow the rules is asked to leave without completing the test. With about 2 minutes 15 seconds for each question, there is no need to rush.

Help you can ask for

You can't bring anyone with you to help with the test, but you can ask staff for help to read the screen or to use the computer or tablet. Every device has a headset, and if you can't read English, you can choose to listen to the questions.

Home Affairs may offer an Assisted Test, which allows 90 minutes, if you asked for help with the test in your application and either completed at least 400 hours of English classes in the Adult Migrant English Program or have an impairment that means you need more time.

After the test

If you pass, Home Affairs keeps processing your application and writes to you if it needs more information or when it has made a decision. If your application is approved, you'll be invited to a citizenship ceremony. The invitation arrives about four weeks before the ceremony, and waiting times for ceremonies vary. Our article on the pledge and the ceremony covers that day.

If you don't pass, Home Affairs books another appointment at no extra cost, and your permanent visa isn't affected. Read what happens if you fail for a plan before your next attempt.

If you don't need to sit the test

Most people applying for citizenship by conferral who are aged 18 to 59 on the day Home Affairs receives their application sit the test. People who apply aged 17 or younger, or 60 or older, don't, and neither do some others, such as people who can't sit it because of an incapacity or impairment. They may have an interview instead, where Home Affairs confirms their identity and asks about their application.

The same photo ID rules apply to the interview. If you're 60 or over, or have a hearing, speech or sight impairment, a family member or support person can come with you, and Home Affairs can arrange an interpreter at the appointment.