News

Like many countries, we’re experiencing unprecedented demand for passports. We prioritise applications for customers who are travelling in the next 3 days. Call us on 131 232 and let us know your travel dates.  

We recommend you allow a minimum of six weeks to get your new passport.  Where possible, don’t book flights without a valid passport. If you can’t wait at least six weeks for your passport, you can use our priority passport processing service. For more information, visit our urgent applications page. 

For more information on how we prioritise applications, go to our Frequently Asked Questions page. 

The production and issuance of Australian passports will be unaffected by the death of Her Majesty the Queen.

All current Australian passports remain valid.

Australian passports will change in the future to reflect the accession of His Majesty King Charles III.

Customers are currently unable to track the delivery of their passport.

We’re working to fix this issue as soon as possible and apologise for any inconvenience caused.

This issue doesn’t impact the delivery of passports, only the tracking service.

You’ll still receive an email from us confirming your passport is being delivered by Australia Post, via registered mail.  If you haven’t included an email address in your application, you’ll be sent an SMS message instead.

While delivery times vary, typically it takes between 2-6 business days for your passport to arrive.  For more information, go to Australia Post’s website.

You’ll be asked to sign for your passport on delivery.  If you’re not home, a card will be left with instructions on where to collect your passport, usually the nearest Australia Post outlet.

If you’ve received a message that your passport is being delivered, but you’re concerned that it won’t arrive in time for you to travel, please call us on 131 232.

Still waiting on your child’s passport?

If you’re travelling in the next 24-48 hours and are waiting to receive your child’s passport, please call us on 131 232.

We normally recommend customers allow a minimum of six weeks to apply for or renew their passport.

While most people are getting their passport within this timeframe, there will always be cases where applications take longer.

Child applications can often fall into this category.

We have to verify all the supporting documents we need as part of a child applications. This means they sometimes take longer to process.

Establishing parental consent is another factor that can add to processing times for child passports.

Each person with parental responsibility for a child must give their consent to the child being issued with a passport. This includes separated parents.

If we can’t get full parental consent, the only other way to guarantee we can issue a passport is for us to be shown an Australian court order which permits the child to:

• have an Australian passport
• travel internationally
• live or spend time with a person outside Australia.

If there isn’t full consent or an Australian court order permitting the child to travel, we may only issue a child passport if we consider special circumstances apply.

These consent requirements are in place for a very good reason. They’re legislated specifically to provide all parents the right to make decisions about their children. Importantly they protect children, including safeguarding them against criminal activities such as child abduction.

For more information, please see how to get a child passport.

Are you a dual national and wondering whether you can leave or return to Australia on your foreign passport instead of your Australian one?

In short, the Department of Home Affairs’ advice is that Australian citizens, including dual nationals, should leave and enter Australia on their Australian passport.

This is because you may experience issues returning to Australia on a foreign passport.  For example, airlines may not allow you to board a plane to Australia without evidence of Australian citizenship or an Australian passport. 

If you have a passport from another country, you can use that after you leave Australia.  But you should also be aware that, by entering the country of your other nationality on that country’s passport, local authorities may also not recognise you as an Australian citizen, which may limit the Australian Government’s ability to provide you with consular assistance.

For more information on travelling as a dual national, see Smartraveller.

Or, to get more advice on Australia’s exit/entry requirements, go to the Australian Border Force website.