Damaged passport

Your passport may be considered to have minor damage if:

• you can still be identified as the passport holder
• there is some damage to the photo page, stitching or visa pages
• the document has not been tampered with or altered in any way.

If your passport has more than 2 years’ validity, you may be eligible for a replacement passport.

A replacement passport has the same expiry date as the passport it’s replacing. This means if your damaged passport has 3 years’ validity left, your replacement passport will expire in 3 years too.

If your passport has less than 2 years’ validity, you’ll need to apply for a passport renewal and pay the relevant fee. A passport renewal costs the same as a new passport.

To help you decide which one applies to you, see Replacement passport or contact us.

Not all damaged passports can be replaced or renewed.

Your passport is considered to have major damage if:

• you can’t be identified as the passport holder
• it can’t be identified as an Australian passport
• the passport number is not readable
• there are any major tears or damage to the photo page, stitching or visa pages
• or the document has been tampered with or altered in any way.

A passport with major damage is not eligible for renewal or replacement. You’ll need to apply for a new passport and pay the relevant fee.

If your passport was damaged in a declared natural disaster, you may be eligible to have the application fee for your replacement passport waived. See Natural disasters.

Step 1. Apply for a new passport

You apply for a replacement passport the same way you apply for a new passport.

There are 3 ways to do this. You can either:

1. complete the online form in our application portal(Opens in a new tab/window)
2. fill in a blank paper form from a participating post office(Opens in a new tab/window)
3. contact your  Australian embassy or consulate(Opens in a new tab/window) if you're travelling or living overseas.

Step 2. Tell us about the damage

Complete a B-11 form that tells us when, where and how your passport was damaged.

Step 3. Provide the damaged passport

If you complete the online form, you need to lodge the application at a participating post office(Opens in a new tab/window).

If you complete a paper form, you need to lodge the application at your nearest passport office. Contact us to make an appointment.

Provide the damaged passport when you lodge your application and pay the replacement passport fee if required.

If you’re in Australia and have a current passport, it will generally be cancelled when you lodge your passport application. This means you won’t be able to use it in connection with travel or identification.

Any remaining validity will not carry over to your new passport. Your new passport will be valid from the date it’s issued.

Urgent replacement

If you have a damaged passport and need to travel urgently, contact us.

Australian passports have a chip that contains your details from the photo page. Border authorities access this information through electronic systems at passport control.

It's unusual for a passport chip to fail. If you suspect the chip in your passport doesn’t work:

• go to your nearest passport office if you're in Australia
• contact your nearest Australian embassy or consulate(Opens in a new tab/window) if you're overseas.

Emergency passports don't have a chip.