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Your identity is one of your most valuable assets. Make sure you keep it safe and secure. Don’t share your passport details online, including in social media. You don’t know who might see it.

Identity thieves target credentials such as passports. For example, they can use your passport information to gain access to your bank accounts, or to apply for loans in your name. Once your identity is stolen, it can take a long time to fix. It may be hard for you to:

• get a credit card or loan
• rent a house
• apply for government services or benefits.

Protect yourself and think before you post social media messages. While you might be excited about your upcoming trip, it’s not a good idea to share a photo of your passport online. Just like you wouldn’t hand your house keys to a stranger, don’t hand over your personal information.

For more information, see protecting against scams and identity theft.

Your ticket is booked, your bag is packed, you’re ready to go! Or are you?

It’s important to check your passport when planning a trip.

Here’s the top five passport mistakes that could turn your vacation into a stay-cation:

Not checking the expiry date
Some countries won’t let you enter if your passport is going to expire in six months or less. Make sure you check your passport expiry date before you travel.

Leaving it too late to apply or renew
While we process most passport applications in well under six weeks, some do take longer. This includes first-time adult and child passports.

Not checking for damage
Even minor passport damage may stop you from entering your destination country. You should check your passport for signs of damage like rips, marks, stains or missing pages.

Having too many stamps
Frequent travellers may have a lot of visa stamps. Some countries won’t let you enter unless you have at least two to four blank pages in your passport.
Unauthorised stamps such as souvenir or tourist ones can make your passport invalid for travel.

Falling for a scam
If you need to renew your passport or apply for one, make sure you use our official website - passports.gov.au. If your identity is stolen or misused, you may need to cancel your passport.

Did you know even minor damage to your passport can ruin your holiday before it starts?

Different airlines and countries have certain requirements for the condition of your passport. They may stop you from boarding your flight or entering your destination country.

Be travel ready and check the condition of your passport. Make sure it’s free from damage like:

• small tears or rips
• marks, stains or discoloration
• souvenir stamps, written marks or lines
• altered or missing pages.

If you’re not sure about the condition of your passport, call us on 131 232 or contact your nearest Australian diplomatic or consular mission. We may need to see your passport to assess it.

You should also check your passport is current and valid for at least 6 months from when you plan your trip to end. Some countries won’t let you enter if your passport is expiring soon. For more information, see Smartraveller.

For advice and tips on taking care of your passport, see using and protecting your passport.

If you’ve recently applied for a passport, you’ll be getting the new R Series passport.

This new passport is a little different to previous Australian passports. When you first open your passport, you will now see a polycarbonate photo page. This is a tough, high-security, layered plastic.

Be careful to not bend the passport too far back or you could damage the stitching that holds the passport together.

As you flip through the pages, you’ll notice the visa pages feature iconic Australian landmarks. Under ultraviolet light, the sky in each image becomes a unique nightscape, and a local species of native fauna appears.

There are many features of the R Series passport you can read online. You can also watch a video to learn more.  

There have been some recent news stories reporting Australians will soon be able to lodge their passport applications online with myGov.

The myGov user Audit report highlighted using myGov for a broader range of online services, including processing Australian passport applications.

However, the approach and timeframe for a future move to online passport renewals hasn’t been determined yet. There is currently no option to lodge passport applications via myGov.

So, if you need to renew your passport soon, the best way to do this is to start your application online via our AusPassport portal. Then print off your ‘Passport application checklist’ and lodge it at your nearest participating Australia Post outlet, together with two passport photos and any other supporting documents.