QLDlover

Hi everyone!

My baby (Samuel) was born last week. I understand that he will be an Australian citizen as my wife and I are Australian permanent resident. I was given two application forms when discharged from hospital :

1- Birth certificate application
2- Centerlink application

So, I applied for his birth certificate yesterday. I understand that I can apply for his Australian passport which requires a birth certificate as well. So basically I have to wait until his birth certificate is received.
Meanwhile, is there anything else I need to apply in addition to his Australian passport and birth certificate ? How would I apply for his citizenship ?
Do I need to lodge an application for that as well ?
The other question is that how would I add him to our medicare card ?
Thank you and looking forward to your replies.

Cheers,
Reza

xhuyx

You need to follow these steps:
1. Fill in and submit birth certificate
2. Fill in and submit centerlink application (this will automatically adds baby to parent medicare card)
3. Citizenship is automatically acquired, you do not need to apply. Just apply for a passport using birth certificate and your pr status is enough.

Cheers

spouse of scouse

Congratulations on the birth of your baby. Samuel.

JAJ

The best way to prove acquisition of citizenship is to apply to DIBP (using form 119) for a citizenship certificate. The fee is A$60, and service standard is 7 days.

Passports do not provide evidence of citizenship that is acceptable over the longer term.

spuddyo

But birth certificates do.

JAJ

They do not.

For those born on or after 20.08.1986, an Australian birth certificate is not evidence of Australian citizenship.

QLDlover

Thank you

QLDlover

I've got another question regarding centerlink application for my newborn baby. Who should be the main applicant in the application form ? Does that make any changes if I am the main applicant or if my wife is ?
Thank you

JAJ

Perhaps research at Centrelink website:
Having a baby

The child's birth certificate will be state-issued, not federal. Citizenship certificates are federal.

And congratulations on the birth of the baby.

spuddyo

It does if the Birth Certificate shows that one or both of the parents are Australian.

JAJ

Sigh.

Really, it doesn't. An Australian birthplace of a parent does not prove the parent was a citizen when the child was born. It's possible the parent may have lost or renounced Australian citizenship.

More commonly, there are now situations where the parents themselves were born (in Australia) after the 1986 cut-off. So they're having to apply for citizenship certificates themselves in order to prove that their own children are Australian citizens. And it's much simpler to document a child's citizenship straight after birth (and have it recorded at the Department of Immigration) rather than try to do so 30 years down the line.

spuddyo

Sigh, my arse !

Most children born in Australia before 20 August 1986 are Australian citizens by birth unless one parent was entitled to diplomatic privileges or was a consular officer of another country.

Children born after that date are only Australian citizens if at least one parent was an Australian citizen or permanent resident at the time of their birth.

Children born in Australia to parents who are not Australian citizens or permanent residents, automatically acquire Australian citizenship on their 10th birthday if they have lived most of their life in Australia

JAJ

Exactly, which is why (for those born after the cut off date in 1986) the birth certificate doesn't prove anything regarding whether the child is Australian or not and a citizenship certificate is needed.

xhuyx

You should have a look at the current Australian birth certificates, they do not contain citizenship of parents and they also do not show citizenship of the child. Then how do a birth certificate prove the child citizenship?