Commonwealth legislation

Legislation (Deferral of Sunsetting—Australian Citizenship Regulation) Certificate 2026

In ForceCTH

Jurisdiction

Commonwealth

Collection

legislative instrument

Plain English Summary

2/10 complexity

This is a short legal instrument that extends the life of the Australian Citizenship Regulation 2016 by two years.

What it does:

Under Australian law, most regulations (rules made by government, not Parliament) automatically expire — or "sunset" — after 10 years unless they're remade or extended. This is meant to keep laws up-to-date.
The Australian Citizenship Regulation 2016 was due to sunset (expire) on 1 April 2027.
This certificate pushes that expiry date back to 1 April 2029.

Who it affects:

Anyone applying for Australian citizenship, as the Regulation sets out detailed rules for how citizenship applications work (forms, fees, evidence requirements, etc.).
The Department of Home Affairs, which administers citizenship law.

Why it matters:

Without this extension, the Regulation would have expired in 2027, potentially creating a gap in the rules for citizenship applications while new regulations were prepared.
This gives the government breathing room to review and remake the Regulation properly without disrupting citizenship services.

What happens next:

This certificate itself disappears on 2 April 2029 (the day after the new sunset date).

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Direct links to the current provisions in Legislation (Deferral of Sunsetting—Australian Citizenship Regulation) Certificate 2026.

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Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation (legislation.gov.au), CC BY 4.0.