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Australia Country Profile

Passport
For more details visit Australia Passport Ranking
  • Passport Grade
    A
  • Passport Ranking
    42/198
  • Passport Score
    171.7/198
  • Visa-free Countries
    155
  • Visa-required Countries
    43
  • Access to the World's GDP
    74%
  • Access to the World's Surface Area
    59%
  • Access to the World's Population
    45%
  • Access to the Unesco Sites
    78%
Citizenship and Naturalization
Birthright citizenship (Jus Soli)
  • Birthright citizenship (Jus Soli)
    Restricted
    Restricted: A child born in Australia will become a citizen at birth if at least one of the parents is an Australian permanent resident.
Naturalization - Standard Conditions
  • Minimum residency period
    4 years
  • Physical presence requirement
    Cannot be away from Australia for more than 12 total months during these 4 years, including no more than 90 days in the past 12 months
  • Language test
    Yes, English. (Not required if older than 60)
  • Need to renounce original citizenship?
    No
  • Can minor children naturalize?
    –
  • Can naturalized parents pass citizenship to a child born abroad?
    –
  • Can you lose naturalization due to prolonged absence/ naturalization elsewhere?
    –
Naturalization - Your Spouse is a Citizen
  • Living IN the country: Residency/marriage requirement
    No provisions
  • Living ABROAD: Marriage requirement
    No provisions
  • Language test
    No provisions
  • Need to renounce original citizenship?
    No provisions
Naturalization - Other Beneficial Provisions
  • Your child is a citizen
    No provisions
  • Citizens of specific countries
    –
"–": The provision has not been analysed.
Taxation
For more details visit Cost of Living
  • Taxation Type
    Residence-based
A tax resident of a country with a RESIDENCE-BASED tax system pays taxes on their WORLDWIDE income. However, if you lose tax residency status there (e.g., by moving out), the country will generally stop taxing you.

Foreigners with temporary (but not permanent) residency enjoy territorial taxation.
Australia and New Zealand signed the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement (TTTA) allowing their citizens to live and work in either country.
Schiff Sovereign's Take on Australia
Australia has a lot going for it: lots of sunshine, beaches, beautiful nature, fantastic cities, amazing wildlife in the Outback. The country is also very safe.

Australians tend to be laid-back. It’s easy to relax and be yourself there.

That’s all assuming you will be able to visit the country at all. During the pandemic, the Australian government banned not only tourists, but often their own citizens from coming to Australia. And for the longest time, they also did not allow anyone to leave the country without a “valid” reason, essentially returning to its days of a penal colony.

Still, Australia is a decent place to consider for employees, as wages are generally high there. And the country’s point-based immigration system makes moving to Australia quite straightforward.

But keep in mind that you are not likely to save anything while working there – Australia is very expensive. Housing prices are astronomical, so the housing market in any major city presents a formidable barrier for many expats. 

If you’re considering Australia for business, you might want to think twice. Australia is quite socialist, and almost anti-business. There are a lot of rules and regulations. High taxes are also an issue.

On the investment front, however, compelling opportunities can be found in Australia. In fact, most of the stock picks in our 4th Pillar investment letter are listed in Australia.

Australia is a resource-oriented economy, rendering the Australian dollar cyclical in value. The periodic slumps in natural resource prices easily take the AUD down 20% or more versus the US dollar.

At times when the Australian dollar is weak, buying into Australian companies can be a lucrative thing to do. 

On the downside, Australia has been rapidly increasing its debt, both public and private. Consumer debt is also spiraling out of control.

Students, if they can afford housing, might flourish in Australia. The quality of universities is very high there, and tuition prices are much more reasonable than in the US.

Bottom line – Australia is great to visit, but it’s a difficult place to find value, unless you’re a student or an investor from afar.
Schiff Sovereign's Rolodex
Service Providers available in Australia
  • Immigration (residency, citizenship)
  • Tax advice (attorneys and/or accountants)
  • Stock broker
Obtain access to our Rolodex by signing up for Sovereign Confidential Join Sovereign Confidential Today

Sovereign Global Explorer

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Australia Overview
  • Region
    Oceania
  • Capital City
    Canberra
  • Largest City
    Sydney
  • Currency
    Australian dollar
  • Languages
    English
  • Population
    26 million (53rd)
  • Life Expectancy
    83.1 years (14th)
  • GDP (Nominal)
    $1.7 trillion (14th)
  • GDP/Capita
    66371.87246 (13th)
Useful Data
For more details visit Cost of Living
  • Cost of Living
    Very expensive (6/7)
  • Climate
    Very comfortable (1/5)
  • Safety
    Very Safe (2/7)
  • Pollution
    Very clean (1/5)
  • English Proficiency
    Native

Sovereign Global Explorer

Benefiting from over a decade of our team’s boots-on-the-ground experience, Global Explorer is where your international journey begins.
Explore Now
Found a mistake /
Have a suggestion ?
Please let us know if you spot any inaccuracies on this page or have a suggestion on how to make it even more useful.
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PREMIUM REPORTS
Australia inside Schiff Sovereign resources
Resource TitleProductTypeDate
May 2025 SC Q&ASovereign ConfidentialSMCQ&A30-May-2505/30/25
February 2025 SC Q&ASovereign ConfidentialSMCQ&A28-Feb-2502/28/25
Naturalization: Requirements and Practical Examples WorldwideSovereign ConfidentialSMCAlert26-Sep-2409/26/24
November 2023 SC Q&ASovereign ConfidentialSMCQ&A29-Nov-2311/29/23
August 2022 SMC Q&ASovereign ConfidentialSMCQ&A29-Aug-2208/29/22
Where In The World Are Vaccine Mandates Unconstitutional?Sovereign ConfidentialSMCAlert05-Nov-2111/05/21
These 10 countries offer university graduates residency and a Plan BSovereign ConfidentialSMCAlert12-Aug-2108/12/21
December 2020 SMC Q&ASovereign ConfidentialSMCQ&A30-Dec-2012/30/20
Best startup programs around the worldSovereign ConfidentialSMCBlack Paper05-Oct-1810/05/18
The Sovereign Man Global Passport Ranking: 2018 EditionSovereign ConfidentialSMCBlack Paper05-Jul-1807/05/18
Australian Junior Mining Stocks UpdateSovereign ConfidentialSMCAlert31-Jul-1707/31/17
Golden Visas - a Roundup of Economic Residencies around the WorldSovereign ConfidentialSMCBlack Paper06-Jul-1707/06/17
Sovereign Man Country Rankings: The Right Country for YOU, with Simon's insightsSovereign ConfidentialSMCBlack Paper06-Apr-1704/06/17
Take up to 200% profits on your Aussie junior mining stocks - updateSovereign ConfidentialSMCAlert09-Sep-1609/09/16
Meet FATCA’s even nastier cousin: CRSSovereign ConfidentialSMCAlert26-Feb-1602/26/16
More great profits with Aussie junior mining stocks -- update on the entire portfolioSovereign ConfidentialSMCAlert19-Feb-1602/19/16
Worldwide Banking Review: 2015 EditionSovereign ConfidentialSMCAlert25-Jan-1501/25/15
How to open a bank account in Australia over the phoneSovereign ConfidentialSMCAlert04-Dec-1312/04/13

Articles featuring Australia

Trends & News

The next domino: Australia doubles tax on retirement savings

Though Australia’s national balance sheet is comparatively quite strong, the government has been running at a net deficit for years… and they’re under intense pressure to balance the budget. The good news is that Australia now has a goodly number of investor-friendly immigration programs designed to bring productive foreigners into the country, similar to the […]
Alerts

How to open a bank account in Australia over the phone

These days it’s very difficult to find a bank that will open accounts for non-resident foreigners, and even do so remotely. If you cannot show up in person to open an account, it is sometimes still possible to do so through an intermediary who knows exactly who to contact, in which part of the bank. […]
Expatriation Diversification Internationalization
Lifestyle Design

How to easily save $20,000 by living and working in Australia

December 23, 2014 Santiago, Chile It was just a few days after arriving to Australia that Jean was able to start working immediately at the most prestigious French restaurant in Sydney, without having to look for a job very hard or dealing with much bureaucracy. As a chef trained in France Jean had his choice […]
Loose Monetary Policy
Trends & News

Australia’s Treasurer: Loose monetary policy has made the rich richer

October 28, 2014 Region VII, Chile The Treasurer of Australia (equivalent to the Secretary of the Treasury in the US, or Finance Minister in most European countries) has made a stunning admission. Joe Hockey stated that the policy of ultra-low interest rates hasn’t spurred economic growth; instead it has mainly had one effect—making rich people […]

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