Looking after your passport
Your passport is an important tool for international travel purposes. Certain actions can damage a passport sufficiently to make it unusable for travel or identification purposes, and can cause you inconvenience at border points, either in Australia or overseas. Minor damage resulting from usual wear and tear is to be expected and is not generally sufficient to render the passport invalid, but it is advisable to minimize this as far as possible.
To ensure the integrity of your passport, avoid damaging it in any way. Some of the common causes of damage include the following and should NOT be done (this is not a complete list):
- Cutting any part of the passport
- Removing or tearing any pages
- Soaking the passport (in washing machine or by swimming with it) or spilling any liquids on it
- Covering the passport with any material, such as Contact
- Changing any of the printed details
Changing the printed details in your passport is an offence under the Australian Passports Act 2005 with a penalty of up to 10 years’ imprisonment or a fine of $110,000, or both.
The only part of your passport that you should write in and that you are permitted to change is the personal details page at the back of the passport. We recommend that you complete these details in pencil so you can change them if necessary.
It is also highly recommended that, for your own reference, you keep either a photocopy of your passport or a record of your passport number and expiry date. You will be required to enter the passport details to report your passport lost or stolen online.
Depending on the condition of your passport if it is damaged, it may be confiscated at border control and you will be required to obtain a replacement at your own expense, or you may be advised to obtain a replacement prior to further overseas travel to avoid possible problems at the border points of other countries.
If your passport has been damaged in any way, telephone APIS or visit your nearest passport office or Australian diplomatic or consular mission to ascertain whether or not your passport is usable for international travel.