Australia’s latest passport – the R Series – combines visual elements and advanced technologies to make it one of the world’s most secure and beautiful travel documents.
The Australian Passport Office (APO) issued the first R Series passport in September 2022. P Series passports, which preceded the R Series, remain highly secure travel documents and can continue to be used until they expire.
All Australian passports meet the standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization.
To learn more about the R Series passport, watch the video below. Take a journey around Australia and learn more about how Indigenous art and cultures are represented in the R Series passport.
Technology advancements and security features
The Australian passport is designed, printed and assembled in Australia. It has advanced security features to prevent counterfeiting and identity theft, and ultimately, keep Australians safe.
The R Series photo page is made from polycarbonate. Polycarbonate is more durable than laminated paper. It is less likely to tear and prevents other minor damage that can cause difficulties for travellers when crossing borders.
The R Series passport includes a variety of security features. For example, the photo page has:
- a raised map of Australia on the bottom left-hand side
- a transparent window with a second coloured photo of the passport holder
- other windows that include the antenna for the passport chip, which is embedded in the passport.
Under ultraviolet light, other elements and security features of the passport become visible. On the visa pages, the sky in each Australian landscape becomes a unique nightscape, and a local species of native fauna appears. The photo page turns bright red under ultraviolet light and a red and white wattle is visible on the inside front cover.
Australian landmarks and Indigenous artworks
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware this content may contain images, voices and names of people who have died.
The R Series continues the Australian passport’s history of including Indigenous artwork in its design. This passport incorporates the work of two esteemed Aboriginal artists, the late Uta Uta Tjangala and the late Michael Nelson Jagamara AM.
The visa pages of the R Series passport capture images of 17 iconic landscapes from around the country.
