Domicile, in broad terms, means the country in which a person is, or is presumed to be, permanently resident or have their permanent home. It is not only a question of residence but also the person's intention of remaining in that place indefinitely. There are two types of domicile:
- Domicile of origin
This is the domicile that occurs at birth – a child is assigned their parents' domicile until they reach the age of majority (between 1974 and 1982 in each of the Australian States and Territories the age of majority was reduced from 21 years to 18 years) and choose to have another domicile.
- Domicile of choice
Once a child reaches the age of majority they can choose to have another domicile. A person may acquire a new domicile by, for example, migrating from one country to another with the intention of making it a permanent home.
Temporary moves from one country to another do not alter domicile. While a person may have no home, or a home in more than one country, the law is that they can only have one domicile at a time.
For those who enlisted in the forces before the age of majority, their domicile is considered to be the domicile of their father, if he was living at the time.
For [glossary:service pension:245] purposes, Australian domicile at the time of enlistment is established in order for the [glossary::80], [glossary:Allied veteran:246] or Allied mariner to gain entitlement to medical treatment at departmental expense.
For [glossary:Disability Compensation Payment:574], domicile establishes entitlements to claim Disability Compensation Payment and related medical benefits.
The references in the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 to domiciled in Australia include section 6A, section 6C, section 53D and section 80 of VEA.