Payments
Residence requirements
To qualify for Disability Support Pension, you must be an Australian resident and in Australia on the day that you lodge your claim.
To qualify you must be living in Australia as:
- an Australia citizen, or
- the holder of a permanent resident visa, or
- a New Zealand citizen who was in Australia on 26 February 2001, or for 12 months in the 2 years immediately before that date, or was assessed as 'protected' before 26 February 2004.
You also need to meet the 10-year permanent residence requirement, unless:
- you are claiming under an international social security agreement, or
- you are a refugee or former refugee, or
- your inability to work or blindness happened while you were an Australian resident.
More information
- Australia's international social security agreements
- Changes which affect New Zealand citizens claiming payments in Australia
- Disability Support Pension section
On the Department of Immigration and Citizenship website