Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Citizenship) Regulations

Legislation au C1961L00052 Regulations Not in force Legislative Instrument

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Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Citizenship) Regulations

Statutory Rules 1961 No. 52 as amended

made under the

Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act 1955

This compilation was prepared on 9 May 2002
taking into account amendments up to SR 2002 No. 93

[Note:  These regulations were repealed by SR 2002 No. 93]

Prepared by the Office of Legislative Drafting,
Attorney-General’s Department, Canberra

Contents

Page

 1 Citation [see Note 1] 

 2 Repeal 

 3 Interpretation 

 4 Form of declaration 

 5 Forwarding of declaration 

 6 Registration of declaration 

 7 Filing of declaration 

 8 Particulars etc may be required 

 9 Replacement of lost copy of declaration 

 10 Certified copy to be endorsed 

 11 Persons before whom declarations may be made 

 12 Penalties 

Schedule 

Form 1 Declaration under section 14 

Form 2 Declaration under section 14A 

Notes  

 

 

 

 

1 Citation [see Note 1]

  These Regulations may be cited as the Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Citizenship) Regulations.

2 Repeal

  The Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Citizenship) Regulations (comprising Statutory Rules 1955, No. 85; and 1958, No. 69) are repealed.

3 Interpretation

  In these Regulations, unless the contrary intention appears:

authorized officer, in relation to the exercise of a power or function under these Regulations, means a person authorized for that purpose by the Minister.

declarant means a person who makes a declaration.

declaration means a declaration under section 14 or 14A of the Act.

Secretary means Secretary to the Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs.

the Act means the Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act 1955-1958.

4 Form of declaration

 (1) A declaration under section 14 of the Act shall be in accordance with Form 1 in the Schedule.

 (2) A declaration under section 14A of the Act shall be in accordance with Form 2 in the Schedule.

5 Forwarding of declaration

 (1) A person who makes a declaration may forward the declaration to, or lodge it with, the Secretary or an authorized officer.

 (2) Where a declaration is forwarded to, or lodged with, an authorized officer, that officer shall forward it to the Secretary.

6 Registration of declaration

  Upon being satisfied that the declarant is entitled to make a declaration and that the declaration complies with the requirements of these Regulations, the Secretary shall register the declaration and cause a certified copy of the declaration to be forwarded to the declarant.

7 Filing of declaration

  The Secretary shall cause all registered declarations to be filed in the records of the Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs.

8 Particulars etc may be required

  The Secretary may require a declarant to furnish such particulars and produce such documents as the Secretary thinks necessary to establish that the declarant is entitled to make a declaration, and may refuse to register the declaration until those particulars and documents are furnished or produced.

9 Replacement of lost copy of declaration

  If the Secretary is satisfied that the certified copy of a declaration has been lost or destroyed, the Secretary may supply a further certified copy of the declaration to the declarant.

10 Certified copy to be endorsed

  A certified copy of a declaration shall have endorsed on it a certificate by the Secretary or an authorized officer that it is a true copy of the original declaration and that the original declaration has been registered.

11 Persons before whom declarations may be made

  A declaration may be made before a Commissioner for Declarations, a Justice of the Peace or an authorized officer.

12 Penalties

  A declarant shall not, in his declaration or in furnishing particulars or producing a document required under these Regulations, make, orally or in writing, a false or misleading statement.

Penalty:   $100 or imprisonment for three months.

Schedule  

Form 1 Declaration under section 14

(regulation 4)

COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA

Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act 1955-1958

DECLARATION UNDER SECTION 14

 I (full name) of (address) do solemnly and sincerely declare as follows:

1. I was, immediately before the twenty-third day of November, 1955, a British subject ordinarily resident in the Cocos or Keeling Islands.

2. I was born on , 19 .

 3. I wish to become an Australian citizen.

 Dated this day of , 19 .

(Signature)

 Made and subscribed at this day of , 19 ,

 before me

(Person before whom declaration is made)

Form 2 Declaration under section 14A

(subregulation 4 (2))

COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA

Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act 1955

DECLARATION UNDER SECTION 14A

I, (full name) of (address) do solemnly

and sincerely declare as follows:

1. I am not an Australian citizen.

2. I was immediately before 23 November 1955 ordinarily resident in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.

3. I am ordinarily resident in* .

4. I was born on 19 .

5. I wish to become an Australian citizen.

 Dated this day of 19 .

 (Signature of the declarant)

Made and subscribed at

this day of 19 ,

 before me

 (Signature of the person before whom

 declaration is made)

________________________________________________________________

* Here insert ‘Australia’ or the name of the external Territory where the applicant is resident, as the case requires.

Notes to the Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Citizenship) Regulations

Note 1

The Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Citizenship) Regulations (in force under the Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act 1955) as shown in this compilation comprise Statutory Rules 1961 No. 52 amended as indicated in the Tables below.

Table of Statutory Rules

Year and
number

Date of notification
in Gazette

Date of
commencement

Application, saving or
transitional provisions

1961 No. 52

13 Apr 1961

13 Apr 1961

 

1979 No. 39

21 Mar 1979

21 Mar 1979

2002 No. 93

9 May 2002

9 May 2002

Table of Amendments

ad. = added or inserted      am. = amended      rep. = repealed      rs. = repealed and substituted

Provision affected

How affected

R. 3.................

am. 1979 No. 39

R. 4.................

rs. 1979 No. 39

R. 5.................

am. 1979 No. 39

R. 7.................

am. 1979 No. 39

R. 12................

am. 1979 No. 39

The Schedule..........

rep. 1979 No. 39

Heading to Schedule.....

ad. 1979 No. 39

Heading to Form1......

ad. 1979 No. 39

Form 2..............

ad. 1979 No. 39

 

 

Overview

The Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Citizenship) Regulations were enacted in 1961 under the authority of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act 1955. This legislation was introduced to address the specific needs of the citizens of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands regarding their transition to Australian citizenship following the transfer of the islands from British to Australian administration. The regulations provide a framework for individuals who were British subjects and resident in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands before 23 November 1955 to declare their wish to become Australian citizens. The enacting body for these regulations was the Parliament of Australia, with the policy objective being to streamline the process of citizenship for those affected by the change in sovereignty over the islands. The regulations outline the procedure for making a declaration, the forms to be used, and the responsibilities of the Secretary to the Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs in registering and managing these declarations.

Scope and Application

The Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Citizenship) Regulations, made under the Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act 1955, detail the procedural requirements for individuals seeking Australian citizenship who were British subjects ordinarily resident in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands immediately before 23 November 1955. These regulations apply to persons who wish to declare their eligibility for Australian citizenship, requiring them to make a formal declaration in a prescribed form. The declaration can be submitted to the Secretary or an authorized officer, who will then forward it to the Secretary for registration. The Secretary has the authority to request additional information or documents to verify the declarant's eligibility and may refuse to register a declaration until such requirements are met. Once a declaration is registered, a certified copy is issued and endorsed as a true copy of the original, which is then filed in the Department's records. The regulations also outline penalties for making false or misleading statements in the declaration, including a fine of $100 or imprisonment for three months. These regulations have a specific geographic reach, applying only to the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and have been subject to amendments over time, with the most recent significant changes occurring in 1979 and 2002.

Key Provisions

The Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Citizenship) Regulations, which were made under the Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act 1955, contain several key provisions. Firstly, Regulation 4 stipulates the form of declaration that must be used under section 14 or 14A of the Act, as set out in Forms 1 and 2 in the Schedule (regulations 4(1) and 4(2)). Regulation 5 allows a person to make a declaration by forwarding it to, or lodging it with, the Secretary or an authorized officer, with any declaration submitted to an authorized officer being forwarded to the Secretary (regulation 5). Regulation 6 provides that upon being satisfied that the declarant is entitled to make a declaration and that it complies with the requirements of these Regulations, the Secretary shall register the declaration and cause a certified copy of the declaration to be forwarded to the declarant (regulation 6). Regulation 7 states that the Secretary shall cause all registered declarations to be filed in the records of the Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs (regulation 7). Regulation 8 allows the Secretary to require a declarant to furnish such particulars and produce such documents as the Secretary thinks necessary to establish that the declarant is entitled to make a declaration and may refuse to register the declaration until those particulars and documents are furnished or produced (regulation 8). The obligations and requirements imposed by the Regulations include the declarant making a declaration in accordance with the prescribed forms (regulation 4). The Secretary has the authority to require additional particulars and documents to establish the declarant's eligibility for making a declaration (regulation 8). The Secretary is also responsible for registering the declaration and issuing a certified copy to the declarant upon satisfaction that the declaration complies with the Regulations (regulation 6). Furthermore, the Secretary must ensure that all registered declarations are filed in the Department's records (regulation 7). The Regulations also specify the persons before whom declarations may be made, which include a Commissioner for Declarations, a Justice of the Peace, or an authorized officer (regulation 11). The Regulations impose penalties for making false or misleading statements in a declaration or in furnishing particulars or producing a document required under these Regulations (regulation 12). The penalty for such an offence is a fine of $100 or imprisonment for three months (regulation 12). This penalty applies to any declarant who makes a false or misleading statement, whether orally or in writing, in their declaration or in any information provided under the Regulations.

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Area of Law
Immigration & Refugee Law
Instrument
Regulation
Concepts
Definitions & Interpretation
Reporting & Disclosure Obligations
Penalty Provisions
Compliance Obligations

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Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.