Kiwi Russell Crowe’s Australian Citizenship Application Rejected Twice

Russell Crowe may identify himself as an Australian, but that doesn’t make him a citizen. Although the New Zealand-born Hollywood superstar has made Australia his home since he was a child, he still isn’t qualified for a citizenship because of “unreasonable” laws, he lamented.

The 50-year-old actor moved to Sydney with his family when he was just 4 years old. They moved back to New Zealand when he was a teenager, but he returned to Australia when he was 21. From then, he has made a name for himself in show business after appearing in a few films and TV series, including the soap “Neighbours.”

And although he also travelled frequently to the U.S. to further his acting career, he has remained an Australian resident. He married Australian singer Danielle Spencer, has two Australian sons, co-owns the South Sydney Rabbitohs, and has been voted one of the country’s 50 national treasures.

But apparently, these aren’t all enough to convince the country to grant him citizenship. He revealed to Radio Times that he has applied twice to be an Australian citizen but his applications were rejected.

‘They changed the law for New Zealanders,” he explained. “No matter how long you’d been in the country, if you weren’t in Australia for the majority of 2000 and 2002 – when I was particularly busy filming overseas – you can’t become a citizen.”

He added, “I’ve been voted one of Australia’s 50 national treasures. I’ve even had my face on an Australian stamp, the only non-Australian to do so, apart from the Queen, of course. It’s so, so… unreasonable.”

In a previous interview with News Limited in 2013, he said he applied for citizenship in 2006 and then again in 2013. His applications were rejected both times. And while he understood why the government placed the citizenship rules, he still found it “kind of frustrating” since he spent his formative years Down Under.

The most important reason for his application was not just because he identifies himself as an Australian, but because he needs a less complicated method for his sons Charles and Tennyson. “If something goes down overseas we have to go to two embassies.”

Crowe recently released his directorial debut “The Water Diviner,” a historical drama that takes place after the Battle of Gallipoli. He will next be seen in the film “Fathers and Daughters” with “Breaking Bad” star Aaron Paul, Diane Kruger, Amanda Seyfried, Octavia Spencer, Jane Fonda and breakout child star Quvenzhane Wallis.