News

Most of us love sharing our holiday snaps on social media. But stop and think before you post - make sure you’re not giving away your personal information. 

Don’t share photos of your passport or boarding pass, for example. These documents have personal information that identity thieves can use to defraud or harm you. 

Your identity is one of your most valuable assets, so make sure you protect it! Find out more about protecting against scams and identity theft on our website.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is aware of a cyber incident impacting fertility service provider, Genea. 

Genea’s investigation into the cyber incident has found the personal details of some clients and staff were compromised. This may include Australian passports.

Genea is contacting impacted individuals directly.

Affected Australian passports are still safe to use for international travel. Your passport number cannot be used to obtain a new passport. Robust controls are used to protect passports from identity takeover, including sophisticated facial-recognition technology.  

See our page on protecting against scams and identity theft for more advice on how to safeguard your personal information.  

You can also seek help from IDCARE, a not-for-profit organisation that specialises in providing advice and support to Australians on how to respond to identity theft.    

More advice on what you can do to protect yourself and your family from cyber security incidents is available on the Australian Cyber Security Centre’s (ACSC) webpage at:  www.cyber.gov.au.

You should allow a minimum of 6 weeks to receive a passport. 

Child passports can take longer, particularly in cases without full parental consent. 

More information on our current processing timeframes is available on our website. 

If you need more certainty that your passport will be processed quickly, you may want to choose one of our faster processing services.

We’ve seen a rise in third-party providers offering to help process applications for travel documents, such as passports and visas, on your behalf.  

Some of these providers appear to offer their services as legitimate businesses, but for an extra fee.

However, others are scams designed to steal your money, your identity documents and/or personal details.  

The only way to avoid falling victim to a travel document scam, or being charged an unnecessary fee, is to lodge an application yourself.

Start your application online on the official Australian Passport Office website.  

If you think you have been scammed, visit IDCare for more information.  

Different countries have different rules, so it depends on where you're going.

Some of the most popular overseas destinations for Aussie travellers need you to have at least 6 months left on your passport from the date your trip ends. This includes places like Bali, for example.

Make sure you check the entry requirements for any countries you're planning to visit or transit through. Visit Smartraveller for the entry and exit requirements of your destinations.