Australian Citizenship Pledge
See the pledge wording in both versions, and when you become a citizen, with the official source for each statement.
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How to use the Australian Citizenship Pledge tool
- Scroll to the list of statements on this page. Each item is one statement about the pledge or the ceremony.
- Read the statement in bold at the start of each item. This is the main point.
- Read the short quote under it, if the item shows one.
- Select the Source link to open the official page the statement came from.
- Check the “(checked 2026-10-26)” note to see the date that statement was verified.
- Move to the guide below to compare the statements with the full pledge wording in both versions.
Because each Source link goes to an official site, you can check any statement yourself before you rely on it.
Each statement was checked against the page it links to on 2026-10-26. Official pages change, so open the Source link before you act on a date, an amount or an eligibility rule, and follow your own appointment letter if it differs from what is shown here.
If a statement seems to differ from what you were told at your ceremony, trust the official page it links to, and ask the officer running your ceremony if you are unsure which version of the pledge you will say.
The pledge texts are also printed in the guide below, taken from page 6 of the booklet, so you can read them without leaving this page.
Can I choose the version of the pledge?
Yes. The official statement is that you can choose which version of the pledge to say at your ceremony, either with the words “under God” or without them. Apart from those two words, the wording is the same in both versions.
| Version | Pledge text | Where it is printed |
|---|---|---|
| With “under God” | From this time forward, under God, I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people, whose democratic beliefs I share, whose rights and liberties I respect, and whose laws I will uphold and obey. | Our Common Bond, PDF page 6 (CC BY 4.0) |
| Without “under God” | From this time forward, I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people, whose democratic beliefs I share, whose rights and liberties I respect, and whose laws I will uphold and obey. | Our Common Bond, PDF page 6 (CC BY 4.0) |
Decide which version you want before the day, so you are not choosing while you stand at the ceremony.
When do I become a citizen?
If you are required to attend a ceremony, you become a citizen only when you make the pledge there. Approval of your application comes first, then an invitation, and the pledge is the final step.
- Your application is approved.
- About four weeks before the ceremony, an invitation is sent to you (checked 2026-10-26).
- You attend the citizenship ceremony.
- You make the pledge, and that is the moment you become a citizen.
Approval alone does not make you a citizen, and neither does receiving the invitation. The timing of the invitation is one of the statements in the list above, so you can check it against the official page it links to.
What do the parts of the pledge mean?
The pledge has four promises, and the booklet’s glossary explains several of the words used in them. The table matches each promise with the glossary meaning of its key word, where the glossary has one.
| Promise in the pledge | Key word | Meaning in the Our Common Bond glossary |
|---|---|---|
| I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people | loyalty | Not defined in the glossary; the booklet’s Part 4 pages on loyalty explain that citizens may also hold another citizenship but must follow Australian laws |
| whose democratic beliefs I share | democracy | Government by the people through elected representatives |
| whose rights and liberties I respect | liberties | Personal freedom and independence |
| whose laws I will uphold and obey | Not defined in the glossary | Obeying the law is listed as a responsibility of citizenship (Part 2, PDF page 22) |
| From this time forward | from this time forward | From now and in the future |
Because the promises are about shared beliefs, rights and laws, reading Part 2 (democratic beliefs, rights and liberties) and Part 4 (Australian values) of the booklet is the best way to understand what you are promising. The practice pages for those topics are linked below.
How this tool works and where the numbers come from
Every fact on this page comes from Our Common Bond (Home Affairs, testable section) or the Home Affairs citizenship pages named below, checked on 2026-10-26. Practice questions are original, adapted from Our Common Bond (CC BY 4.0), and are not the official test questions.
Sources
Check yourself: common questions
What is the Australian citizenship pledge?
It is the formal promise you make at your citizenship ceremony, pledging loyalty to Australia and its people. In it you also commit to respecting rights and liberties and to upholding and obeying Australia’s laws. The booklet Our Common Bond prints the wording on PDF page 6.
When do you make the citizenship pledge?
The pledge comes at the ceremony, and only after your application has been approved. An invitation to the ceremony is sent about four weeks ahead (checked 2026-10-26). Making the pledge there is what makes you a citizen.
Do you have to memorise the pledge for the test?
The booklet prints the pledge on PDF page 6, before Part 1, which places it outside the testable section. The testable section is Parts 1-4, and the booklet says all the information needed to pass the test is in those four parts. If you want the wording by heart, the table above gives both versions.
What does “from this time forward” mean?
The booklet’s glossary defines it as from now and in the future (Our Common Bond glossary, PDF page 43). In the pledge, it means the promise starts at the ceremony and applies from then on. It opens both versions of the wording.
Related tools
- Australian Citizenship Practice Test: Run a mock with the published pass rule.
- Australian Citizenship Test Questions: Mixed practice questions from the whole bank.
- Australian Values Questions: Drill the Part 4 values questions on their own.
- Australian Citizenship Test Format and Pass Mark: Check each official rule with its source.
- Australian States and Capitals Quiz: Practise states, territories and capitals.
- Australian National Symbols Quiz: Practise the flag, Coat of Arms, flower and anthem.
- Australian Government Questions: Practise parliament and how laws are made.
- Australian History Questions: Practise early settlement and the gold rush.
- Rights and Responsibilities Questions: Practise duties and privileges of citizens.
- Australian Citizenship Flashcards: Review cards on a spaced schedule.
- Australian Citizenship Test Audio: Listen to cards read aloud.
- Our Common Bond Summary: Find the tested parts of the booklet and study notes.
- Australian Citizenship Test Age: See who generally sits the test by age.
- What to Bring to the Citizenship Test: Check ID and what is not allowed.
- Australian Citizenship Test hub: all Australian citizenship test tools in one place.