Australia permits dual citizenship — an Australian citizen may hold citizenship of one or more other countries without losing their Australian citizenship. This has been the position in Australian law since 2002, when amendments to the Australian Citizenship Act 1948 removed the pre-existing rule that caused automatic loss of Australian citizenship when a citizen voluntarily acquired the nationality of another country. As a result, Australian citizens who subsequently naturalise in another country retain their Australian citizenship, and foreign nationals who become Australian citizens do not need to renounce their original citizenship under Australian law. Dual citizens traveling to or from Australia must use their Australian passport — an Australian citizen does not have the right to enter Australia on a foreign passport. Whether a particular foreign country permits its own citizens to also hold Australian citizenship is a matter governed by that country's own law, not by Australian law. This page explains the dual citizenship framework in Australia, the 2002 change, travel obligations, the first generation descent limit, and the pre-2002 resumption pathway.

For guidance on traveling as a dual citizen, refer to the DHA traveling as a dual citizen page.

• Australian Citizenship Act 2007 — the current citizenship legislation; does not contain any provision that causes an Australian citizen to lose their citizenship by acquiring the citizenship of another country; dual (or multiple) citizenship is therefore permitted as a matter of Australian law
• Australian Citizenship Legislation Amendment Act 2002 — removed the automatic loss of citizenship provision from the Australian Citizenship Act 1948; before this amendment, an Australian citizen who voluntarily acquired another citizenship lost Australian citizenship automatically under s 17 of the 1948 Act; the 2002 amendment abolished s 17 with effect from 4 April 2002
• Australian Citizenship Act 2007, s 36 — provides a pathway for persons who lost Australian citizenship under the old s 17 of the 1948 Act to resume Australian citizenship by making an application; the resumption pathway is available to eligible former Australian citizens who lost citizenship before 4 April 2002
• Australian Citizenship Act 2007, s 21 — citizenship by descent — the first generation outside Australia limit: a person born outside Australia to an Australian citizen parent who was themselves born outside Australia and acquired citizenship by descent cannot acquire citizenship by descent; the citizenship by descent pathway does not create a chain beyond the first generation born outside Australia
• DHA: Traveling as a dual citizen — immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/traveling-dual-citizen

Australia's current position on dual citizenship

Under Australian law, an Australian citizen who acquires the citizenship of another country does not lose their Australian citizenship. This applies whether:

• An Australian citizen naturalises in a foreign country
• A foreign national acquires Australian citizenship by conferral (naturalisation) or by descent, while retaining their original citizenship
• A person is born with citizenship of two or more countries (for example, born in Australia to foreign national parents, giving citizenship both by jus soli and by the foreign country's descent rules)

Australian law does not impose any obligation on an Australian citizen to renounce or relinquish a foreign citizenship in order to remain an Australian citizen.

The pre-2002 rule — automatic loss by voluntary acquisition

Before 4 April 2002, section 17 of the Australian Citizenship Act 1948 provided that an Australian citizen who, while of full age and capacity, acquired the citizenship of a foreign country by a voluntary and formal act automatically ceased to be an Australian citizen. The key elements of the old rule were:

• The acquisition had to be voluntary — automatic acquisition (for example, by birth to foreign national parents, or by operation of foreign law without the person's active participation) did not trigger the rule
• The acquisition had to be by a formal act (naturalisation, registration, or enrolment in a foreign citizenship process)
• The person had to be of full age and capacity — minors and persons under legal disability were not affected

From 4 April 2002, s 17 was repealed. Australian citizens who acquired a foreign citizenship from that date forward did not lose their Australian citizenship. Persons who lost citizenship before 4 April 2002 under the old s 17 are separately eligible to apply to resume Australian citizenship under s 36 of the current Act.

Traveling as a dual citizen

An Australian citizen who is also a citizen of another country has the following obligations when traveling to and from Australia:

• Enter Australia on an Australian passport: Australian citizens have the right to enter Australia, but this right must be exercised by presenting an Australian passport at the Australian border — presenting a foreign passport when the traveler is an Australian citizen does not establish the right of entry as an Australian citizen
• No visa required on Australian passport: Australian citizens entering Australia do not require a visa
• Use the foreign passport for entry to the other country: a dual citizen typically uses their foreign passport to enter the other country of citizenship; some countries require entry on a national passport
• VEVO check: dual citizens who are not sure whether they hold a current Australian passport can verify their citizenship status through the VEVO visa check system or by contacting DHA

Foreign countries' rules — a separate question

Whether a particular foreign country permits its citizens to also hold Australian citizenship is entirely governed by that country's own law — not by Australian law. Australia cannot prevent or permit the following:

• Some countries do not permit their citizens to hold another citizenship — acquiring Australian citizenship may result in automatic loss of that foreign citizenship under the foreign country's law
• Some countries require their citizens to renounce other citizenships before or after naturalisation
• Australia has no bilateral agreement with any country requiring either country's citizens to choose one nationality

Persons who are concerned about the impact of acquiring Australian citizenship on a foreign citizenship should seek advice from the relevant foreign government's consulate or embassy in Australia before applying for Australian citizenship. The Australian Department of Home Affairs cannot advise on the citizenship laws of other countries.

Citizenship by descent — the first generation limit

Dual citizenship and citizenship by descent interact in an important way. An Australian citizen born outside Australia who acquired citizenship by descent (under the descent provisions) can transmit that citizenship to their child only if the child is born in Australia or if the Australian citizen parent lived in Australia for a certain period before the child's birth. Specifically:

• A person born outside Australia to a parent who is an Australian citizen by descent does not automatically acquire Australian citizenship by descent — the citizenship by descent pathway is limited to the first generation born outside Australia
• A person born in Australia is an Australian citizen by birth regardless of the parents' citizenship

This first generation limit applies specifically to the descent pathway and is separate from the question of whether dual citizenship is permitted. See the citizenship by descent page for further detail.

The removal of automatic loss of citizenship in 2002 was a significant policy change that aligned Australia with the majority of common law countries which permit dual citizenship. In practice, the most common context in which this issue arises is when an Australian permanent resident applies for Australian citizenship by conferral while also retaining their original citizenship — Australian law creates no obstacle to this. The issue of foreign countries' restrictions on their citizens' dual nationality is frequently raised by applicants from countries like India, China, and some Gulf states, where the foreign country does not permit dual nationality — in those cases, the applicant should understand that acquiring Australian citizenship may cause them to lose their foreign citizenship under that foreign country's law, which has practical consequences (loss of right of return on the foreign passport, inheritance rights, etc.). The DHA traveling as a dual citizen page provides current guidance on travel obligations for dual citizens. For the application to resume Australian citizenship lost under the pre-2002 rule, refer to the DHA resume citizenship page.