How to Apply for Australian Citizenship by Descent for US-Born Kids in 2026

My wife Stacey and I have an Australian son who was born in New Jersey, and we're now doing this for the second time. If you're an Australian living in America who's just had a baby — congratulations, and welcome to the paperwork. Your US-born child is eligible for Australian citizenship by descent (CBD), but the application is more nuanced than it looks. Here's the full 2026 walkthrough: forms, fees, processing times, and the single most important timing trap to avoid before you book any travel home.

A bit of context. Stacey and I had our first son Danny in 2023. We applied for his Australian citizenship by descent in 2024. We had Liam in December 2025 and we're going through the process again right now. So this guide is the version I'd hand my past self — what's actually changed, what tripped us up the first time, and what's different in 2026 from the way every other guide on the internet describes it.

What Australian citizenship by descent actually is

Australian citizenship by descent is the legal pathway for a child born outside Australia to become an Australian citizen. The trigger: at least one of their parents was an Australian citizen at the time of their birth. The relevant law is Section 16(2) of the Australian Citizenship Act 2007. It covers children born outside Australia on or after 26 January 1949.

The key thing Australians often misunderstand: citizenship by descent is not automatic. Your child being your child does not, by itself, make them Australian. You have to formally apply. You pay the fee. The Department approves the application. Only then is your child officially an Australian citizen.

Until that approval lands, your US-born baby is American — full stop. They travel on a US passport. Australia treats them like any other American visitor (with an Electronic Travel Authority, ETA). And they have no Australian citizenship rights.

This matters for a reason most parents don't think about until they're booking flights. I'll get to that next.

The single biggest CBD timing trap to avoid

Before you do anything else with this article, internalize this:

Once you apply for your child's Australian citizenship by descent, do NOT plan travel to Australia until you also have their Australian passport in hand.

Here's why this matters. When the Department approves your child's CBD application, they become an Australian citizen. From that day forward, Australian law requires citizens to enter and exit Australia on an Australian passport. They can no longer enter on their US passport with an ETA.

But the citizenship certificate doesn't get you a passport. You then have to apply separately for the Australian passport. That takes another six weeks minimum.

So the time between “your child becomes Australian” and “your child has an Australian passport” can be a 4-6 week window. During that window, they technically can't legally enter Australia on either passport without paperwork. Unless you've been very deliberate, this is the gap that wrecks family travel plans.

The simple rule:

• If you're traveling to Australia within the next 6-9 months, hold off on applying for CBD until after the trip.
• If you've already applied and now need to travel urgently, contact the Department of Home Affairs immediately. They can issue an emergency Australian passport, but it'll cost you and there are restrictions.

If you're moving back to Australia permanently, you can apply for CBD while you're already on Australian soil. That scenario doesn't have the same trap because you're not flying back and forth.

Who's eligible for Australian citizenship by descent

The eligibility test for your child:

• Born outside Australia (the US counts; this whole article assumes that)
• At least one parent was an Australian citizen at the time of the child's birth — note “at the time of birth”, not “now”
• Of good character (only relevant for applicants 18 years or older)

That parental Australian citizenship at the time of birth is the test that matters. If you became a US citizen and renounced your Australian citizenship before your child was born, your child isn't eligible through you. If you held Australian citizenship at the moment of birth, your child is eligible regardless of what's happened since.

A few cases get more complicated and warrant talking to a migration lawyer:

• International surrogacy — eligibility depends on documented genetic and legal parentage; complex
• Adoption — different pathway entirely; the Hague Convention has its own form (Form 1272)
• Children born through assisted reproduction with non-Australian gametes — case-specific

For a straightforward case (Australian parent, US-born biological child, no complications), the application is genuinely simple. Most of this article is for that scenario.

What Australian citizenship by descent costs in 2026

The Department updated the fee schedule on 1 July 2025. Current fees:

	AUD
First child (Form 118)	$370
Each subsequent sibling applying together on the same form	$150

If you have one US-born child, that's AUD $370. If you have twins or you're applying for two siblings at once, it's AUD $370 + $150 = $520. You pay the fee online when you submit the application via ImmiAccount.

The fee is non-refundable even if the Department refuses your application. Make sure you've got the documentation right before you hit submit.

You'll also need to budget for the Australian passport that follows the citizenship certificate. That's a separate process and a separate fee (more on that below).

How long Australian citizenship by descent takes to process

According to the Department of Home Affairs' published processing times:

• 75% of citizenship by descent applications are processed within 5 months
• 90% are processed within 7 months

This is meaningfully longer than the “4 months” figure that's been circulating in old guides. When we did Danny's CBD in 2024, it took about 4½ months. Friends who've applied more recently have reported closer to 5-6 months. Plan for the longer end of the range.

After approval, the Department prints the citizenship certificate in Australia and posts it by registered mail to the address on your application. From the US, that typically arrives 2-4 weeks after approval.

So the realistic timeline from “submit application” to “physical certificate in hand” is roughly 6-8 months. Don't trust the 4-month figure. Budget around 6 months minimum.

What documents you need for the Australian CBD application

Gather these before you start the online application — having them ready makes the actual submission about an hour's work:

For the child:

• The child's US birth certificate (the long form / certified copy, not the souvenir version some hospitals hand you)
• A passport-quality photo of the child meeting Australian specifications (more on this below)
• The child's US passport, if they have one (not strictly required, but helpful)

For the responsible parent (typically you):

• Proof of your identity — your Australian passport, US passport, or driver's license
• Evidence of your Australian citizenship at the time of your child's birth — this is the critical one. Acceptable proof includes:
  • Your Australian passport that was valid at the time of the child's birth
  • Your Australian birth certificate (if you're an Australian citizen by birth)
  • Your Australian citizenship certificate (if you're a citizen by descent or conferral yourself)
• If you've changed your name since being granted Australian citizenship, you also need the document that bridges the names (marriage certificate, deed poll, etc.)

For the application itself:

• A completed and signed Form 1195 Identity Declaration (more on this below)

Form 1195 — the gotcha most people miss

This is where the application most commonly gets tripped up. Form 1195 is an Identity Declaration that an authorized person must sign. Not you, not your spouse, not a relative.

The authorized person must:

• Not be a relative of the child or the responsible parent
• Be in an approved occupation — the form lists them, but think doctor, teacher, nurse, lawyer, dentist, police officer, accountant, registered nurse, pharmacist
• Be either an Australian or US citizen
• Have known your child for at least 12 months if the child is over 6 years old (this requirement doesn't apply to babies — for a newborn, anyone qualifying who's met the child works)
• Use an actual pen signature — not a digital signature, not a printed name, not a stamp

A few American-specific traps to flag:

• Date format: Form 1195 requires day/month/year. Americans default to month/day/year. If your authorized person is American, walk them through this explicitly. We had a friend nearly mess this up the first time.
• Photo specifications: The passport photo attached to Form 1195 has to meet Australian government specs, which are different from US specs. Standard CVS/Walgreens passport photos in the US won't necessarily comply. Use passportphotonow.com or a similar Australian-spec service that can produce US-printed photos that meet the Australian rules.
• Witness signature: The authorized person signs Form 1195 in front of a witness. Make sure both signatures and dates are on the form before you upload it.

This form is the most common reason applications get sent back for resubmission. Get it right the first time.

How to apply for Australian citizenship by descent (step by step)

The actual submission is online through ImmiAccount — Australia's online portal for visa and citizenship applications.

1. Create an ImmiAccount at immi.homeaffairs.gov.au if you don't already have one. You'll use this account for everything — citizenship, passport renewals, future visa applications. Keep the login somewhere secure.
2. Start a new application — search for “Australian Citizenship by Descent” or Form 118.
3. Fill in the online form — it's about 30-45 minutes of typing. Have your documents ready so you can reference dates and numbers exactly.
4. Upload supporting documents — birth certificate, Form 1195, photo, your Australian citizenship evidence, parental ID. PDFs work well; scan or photograph documents at high resolution.
5. Pay the fee online — AUD $370 for one child, plus $150 per sibling. The payment screen accepts Australian credit cards, PayPal, BPAY, and increasingly Visa/Mastercard from US banks. Surcharges apply on some payment methods.
6. Submit and save the receipt — you'll get a Transaction Reference Number (TRN). Save it somewhere safe; you'll need it for status checks and for the passport application that follows.
7. Check your email regularly — including the spam folder. The Department of Home Affairs will email if they need additional information. Slow responses to those emails are the #1 reason applications take longer than the published processing times.

What happens after your child's Australian CBD is approved

You'll get an email notification confirming approval. Read it carefully — it includes the client ID number that you'll need for the next step (the Australian passport application).

Your child is officially an Australian citizen on the day the Department approves the application. You don't need a citizenship ceremony for citizenship by descent (that's only for citizenship by conferral).

The physical citizenship certificate is printed in Australia and posted by registered mail to the address on your application. From the US, that typically takes 2-4 weeks after approval. The certificate is a beautiful document — Stacey framed Danny's, and we'll do the same for Liam.

But before that certificate even arrives, you can (and should) start the Australian passport application using the email confirmation as evidence of citizenship.

How to apply for your child's Australian passport from the US

This is the second piece of the puzzle. It's where the timing matters most.

For a first-time child passport for a child born in the US, you must lodge the application in person at an Australian consulate or embassy. In the US, that means an appointment at one of:

• Australian Embassy, Washington DC (more on working with the DC embassy here)
• Australian Consulate, New York City
• Australian Consulate, Los Angeles
• Australian Consulate, Chicago
• Australian Consulate, Houston
• Australian Consulate, San Francisco

Note that most child passport renewals (for children under 16) can be done by mail. But a first passport must be in person. There's no way around it.

What to bring to the appointment:

• The completed Australian passport application form (PC8 for first-time)
• Your child (yes, they need to be physically present)
• Their citizenship certificate (or the email confirming approval if the certificate hasn't arrived yet — make sure you have the client ID number)
• Two passport photos meeting Australian specifications
• Your Australian passport
• Both parents' photo ID
• Both parents' written consent on the application form (witnessed)
• The fee (around AUD $200+ for a child under 16, paid in USD at the consulate)

Processing takes at least 6 weeks from when you lodge the application. Faster processing is available for an additional fee — Priority service (2 business days) and Fast Track service (5 business days) — but only if the application is complete and lodged with full parental consent.

I've written more detailed guidance on Australian passport renewals from the US here if you want the full process for renewals or your own passport.

How dual-citizen kids should travel: Australian and US passports

Once your child has both passports, they're a dual citizen. The travel rules:

• Entering and leaving Australia: use the Australian passport. Australian law requires Australian citizens to enter and exit on their Australian passport.
• Entering and leaving the US: use the US passport. US law requires the same on the US side.
• At airline check-in: show both if asked. Airlines often want to see the destination country's passport before they let you board; show the relevant one.

In practice, this means traveling with both passports for international trips and being able to switch between them at different border control points. It's a tiny logistical thing but worth knowing before your first international trip with a dual-citizen child.

For more on the dual-passport question generally, I've written about which passport to use as an adult dual citizen here.

Tax implications of dual US-Australian citizenship for kids

Worth flagging because most parents don't think about it until much later.

As a US citizen, your child has US tax filing obligations for the rest of their life on worldwide income — regardless of whether they ever live in Australia or anywhere else. This is the controversial citizenship-based taxation that the US is one of the few countries to apply. It doesn't kick in until they have income that crosses filing thresholds. But it's something a 16-year-old with a US summer job will need to know about.

Australia, by contrast, taxes residents, not citizens. So your child's Australian citizenship doesn't create Australian tax obligations on its own. It only matters if they become an Australian tax resident later in life.

The intersection of US and Australian tax for dual citizens is real and ongoing. Most expat families end up working with a specialist accountant who handles both jurisdictions. I've written more on US tax for expats here — same logic applies to your dual-citizen kids when they grow up and start earning.

What if your CBD is mid-process and you've already booked travel?

If you applied for CBD and then booked Australian travel before realizing the timing trap, you have options. None are great, but they exist:

1. Wait it out — if the application gets approved AND the passport gets issued before your departure date, you're fine. This requires luck.
2. Request an emergency Australian passport — once your child's CBD is approved, you can request an emergency passport at a consulate for an additional fee. Emergency passports have only 4 visa pages, limited validity, and can't be used to enter the US under the Visa Waiver Program. So they're a one-trip solution for an Australian-born adult, but for a child going to Australia and back, they work.
3. Withdraw the CBD application — extreme option, but if you withdraw before approval, you can travel on the child's US passport with an ETA. You'll need to re-apply (and re-pay) later.
4. Reschedule the trip — sometimes the cleanest option, particularly if the trip isn't urgent.

If you're in this situation, contact the Department of Home Affairs and your nearest Australian consulate as soon as possible. They've seen this exact problem hundreds of times and have processes for it.

Welcome to the Aussie-American family

That's the full process — about as complete a 2026 walkthrough as I can give you based on actually doing it twice.

A few last things:

• The Australian community of expat parents in the US is genuinely supportive. The Aussie Mums in the USA group on Facebook is the best resource I've found for the day-to-day questions that come up.
• Once you have the certificate, frame it. They look great.
• Update your will. Dual-citizen kids inherit complications you'll want addressed in writing — particularly around guardianship, US-vs-Australia executor rules, and which jurisdiction's tax law applies. (See my guide on whether you need a will in your new home country — short answer: yes.) Talk to an estate planner who handles cross-border families.
• Welcome to the slightly-more-paperwork life of raising kids who get the best of both passports. (More on the bigger picture of parenting in the US as an Australian here.)

Australian citizenship by descent FAQs

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Disclaimer: I'm not a registered migration agent, lawyer, or tax professional. This article reflects my family's experience and current public information from the Department of Home Affairs as of 2026. For complex cases — international surrogacy, adoption, complex parentage, or character concerns — talk to a registered Australian migration lawyer. Government fees and processes change; check immi.homeaffairs.gov.au for current details before applying.