News

With the reopening of Australia’s international border, we know Australians are excited to travel overseas again, and we’re making it easier for more people to renew their passport.

We’ve leveraged advances in facial recognition technology to open up our streamlined renewal process to more adult Australians who would have otherwise lodged a full passport application and been asked to provide their identity and citizenship documents again.

Until now, our streamlined renewal process has been open to customers up to three years after their passport’s expiry date.  But, due to increased confidence in the security of our identity checking, eligible adult passport holders can now qualify for streamlined renewal if their passport was issued on or after 1 January 2006.

If you qualify, you’ll only need your application checklist or form, two passport photos and your most recent passport.

You can now download your International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate and save it to your Apple or Google digital wallet.

It can now also be used with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Travel Pass that some airlines are using for customers to store and manage their verified COVID-19 test and vaccine certificates.

Your international certificate provides proof of your COVID-19 vaccinations to present to border authorities or airline check-in staff for crossing international borders.

Anyone who has a valid passport and their COVID-19 vaccinations recorded on the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) can request an international certificate. 

The easiest way to get your free international certificate is by using your Medicare account in myGov, or the Medicare Express Plus app.  If you can’t use these options, you can contact the Australian Immunisation Register on 1800 653 809.

International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate Specimen – Digital wallet format:

Apple Wallet:

Google Wallet:

A new Australian-issued International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate will help travellers heading overseas prove their COVID-19 vaccination status.

Developed by the Australian Government, the international certificate links your COVID-19 vaccination information with the details in your passport to create a secure Quick Response (QR) code.

This individual QR code, which is as secure as an Australian passport chip, can be read by border authorities and presented at check-in with airlines when departing or returning to Australia.

The international certificate can be download or printed and will be used with COVID-19 travel apps like the International Air Transport Association (IATA)Travel Pass, which some airlines are using.

Anyone who has a valid passport and their COVID-19 vaccination recorded on the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) can request an international certificate. Recording vaccinations on the AIR is done automatically for people who’ve had their vaccinations in Australia.

If you received your COVID-19 vaccinations outside Australia, you’ll need to record them on the AIR before you can get an international certificate.  To find out how, go to the Services Australia website.

The easiest way to get your free international certificate is by using your Medicare account in myGov, or the Medicare Express app.  If you can’t use these options, you can contact the Australian Immunisation Register on 1800 653 809.

More information

For more information on

• getting an international certificate, go to servicesaustralia.gov.au/covidvaccineproof 
• the security of the international certificate, see passports.gov.au

You can now track delivery of your Australian passport. From this week, we’re including a Registered Post tracking number in our email and SMS messages that let you know your passport is on its way. You can use the number to check the passport’s delivery status on Australia Post’s website and app.

This new service will give Australians more assurance about delivery of their passport and make the process more transparent.

More information is on Australia Post’s website at www.auspost.com.au/using-our-tracking-service

In Australia, passport services are operating normally, although the impacts of the pandemic are causing significant delays to Australia Post delivery services around the country.

Protecting our customers and staff is a high priority for us. To visit our passport offices in Sydney, Melbourne or Canberra, you need to phone us first on 131 232 to make an appointment. When you’re at any passport office, please practice good hygiene and social distancing by covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze, and keeping at least 1.5 metres away from other people. Local state and territory health directions may mean that you have to wear a mask when you're in a passport office. Please don’t enter a passport office if you’re meant to be in self-isolation.

Local restrictions are constraining our capacity to provide passport services overseas. Some Australians overseas may find it hard to lodge passport applications. Staff at Australian diplomatic and consular missions are doing all they can to assist those most in need. For the latest information, monitor the website and social media channels of your nearest Australian mission.