Commonwealth legislation

Naturalization Regulations 1916

RepealedCTH

This Act has been repealed and is no longer in force. It is retained for historical reference.

Jurisdiction

Commonwealth

Act Number

186 of 1916

Collection

legislative instrument

Plain English Summary

1/10 complexity

What this does

These regulations set the price for accessing citizenship records held by the Department of External Affairs.

The fees

Searching records: Anyone can pay 2 shillings and sixpence (about 25 cents) to search through government-held naturalization certificates
Certified copies: Anyone can pay 2 shillings and sixpence to get an official certified copy of a naturalization certificate

Who this affects

People researching family history or citizenship status
Anyone needing official proof that someone became an Australian citizen through naturalization (the legal process by which a non-citizen becomes a citizen)

Why it matters

Before modern digital identity systems, these paper certificates were the primary proof of citizenship. These regulations established the administrative cost of accessing that proof—effectively setting a barrier (modest but real) to verifying citizenship status.

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Current sections

Direct links to the current provisions in Naturalization Regulations 1916.

Naturalization Regulations 1916

STATUTORY RULES.

1916. No. 186.

_________

REGULATIONS UNDER THE NATURALIZATION ACT 1903.

I, SIR ARTHUR STANLEY, Governor of the State of Victoria and its Dependencies, in the Commonwealth of Australia, acting as the Deputy of the Governor-General, in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, acting with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, hereby make the following Regulations under the Naturalization Act 1903 to come into operation forthwith.

Dated this ninth day of August, One thousand nine hundred and sixteen.

A. L. STANLEY,

Deputy of the Governor-General.

By His Excellency’s Command,

ALBERT GARDINER,

For Minister of State for External Affairs.

________

Naturalization Regulations 1916.

Short title.

These Regulations may be cited as the “Naturalization Regulations 1916.”

Fee for search.

Any person may, on application at the office of the Department of External Affairs, have a search made in any records of certificates of naturalization in its custody upon payment of a fee of Two shillings and sixpence for each search.

Fee for certified copy.

Certified copies of any certificate of naturalization so recorded may be obtained by any person from the Department of External affairs on payment of a fee of Two shillings and sixpence for each certified copy.

____________________

Printed and Published for the Government of the commonwealth of Australia by Albert J, mullett, Government Printer for the State of Victoria.

C.9359.—Price 3d.

Source text

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

1 Naturalization Regulations 1916