News

We are experiencing high demand for passports since the reopening of Australia’s international border.

In the first three months of this year, we issued nearly 400,000 passports, more than double the total number we issued over the same period in 2021.

With passport demand on the rise, we strongly urge you not to leave your application to the last minute.

You should allow a minimum of six weeks to get a new passport or renew one.

To help avoid delays, before you submit your application, make sure you:

• provide all the necessary information
• meet all the requirements.

For more information, visit our FAQs page for answers to the most common questions we receive.

We apologise to those of you who’ve had difficulty contacting us recently. We want to assure you that fixing this issue is a top priority for us.

Call volumes have increased dramatically over the past six months. 

We now have more staff working in our contact centre than ever before, and we are adding more. Our dedicated call centre staff are doing all they can to assist and we’d be grateful for your continued patience.

While we understand some of our customers prefer to speak to a person to have their questions answered, in most cases our website will have the information you require.  The majority of the phone queries we get can be easily resolved by going to our general advice on passport applications, which provides answers to the most common questions raised.

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.

Has your passport been gathering dust in a sock drawer?  With quarantine-free travel to New Zealand now a reality, it’s time to brush it off and check that it’s still current.

If your passport has expired, or if it’s going to expire soon, the best way to renew it is by starting online.  You can also prepare applications online for other family members. Lodge your application at any participating Australia Post outlet.  Need to know more?  Check out our 5 step guide and COVID-19 passport information.  For travel advice, visit Smartraveller.