Australian Passport Application: Documents, Photos, and Processing

To apply for an Australian passport, an Australian citizen lodges a completed application in person at a participating Australia Post outlet, or at an Australian embassy or consulate if overseas, along with original proof of citizenship and identity, two compliant photos, and the fee. A standard ten-year adult passport costs $422 as of January 2026, and routine processing takes at least six weeks.1Australian Passport Office. Fees2Australian Passport Office. Processing Times

Who Can Apply

Only Australian citizens are eligible. Permanent residents can live and work in Australia but cannot hold an Australian passport. Citizenship comes through birth, descent, or conferral, and you must prove yours as part of the application.3Department of Home Affairs. Become an Australian Citizen

If you were born in Australia before 20 August 1986, a full birth certificate from a state or territory Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages proves your citizenship.4Australian Passport Office. Australian Citizenship Born after that date, you also need evidence that at least one parent was an Australian citizen or permanent resident at the time of your birth. Anyone who became a citizen by descent or through conferral must present a citizenship certificate issued by the Department of Home Affairs.5Department of Home Affairs. Get a Citizenship Certificate Without acceptable proof of citizenship, the application will be refused.

If you hold citizenship in another country as well, you should use your Australian passport when entering and leaving Australia. Airlines may refuse to board you on a flight to Australia if you cannot show one.6Department of Home Affairs. Travelling as a Dual Citizen

Documents You Need

Supporting documents fall into categories. You need one primary document to prove citizenship, plus a combination of others confirming your photo, signature, and current address.7Australian Passport Office. Identity Documents You Need

  • Citizenship proof: a full Australian birth certificate (if born in Australia) or an Australian citizenship certificate.
  • Photo and signature document, Category A: most commonly a current Australian driver licence.
  • Additional identity, Category B: a Medicare card is the usual choice.
  • Address proof, Category C: needed only if neither of your other documents shows your current address.

If your name has changed since your citizenship document was issued, you also need a marriage certificate or change of name certificate from a Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages. Every document must be an original. Copies are not accepted.

Passport Photos

Photos must meet International Civil Aviation Organization standards. They must be less than six months old and measure 35 to 40 millimeters wide by 45 to 50 millimeters high, with a neutral expression, closed mouth, eyes looking straight at the camera, and even lighting with no shadows on the face or background.8Australian Passport Office. Passport Photos

Glasses must be removed. The only exception is a medical reason, and even then the lenses must be untinted and the frames cannot cover your eyes. Poor eyesight on its own is not accepted.

New Application or Renewal

The paperwork is shorter if you qualify to renew. Renewal is only available where your most recent passport was issued when you were 16 or older, issued on or after 1 January 2006, originally valid for more than two years, and not reported lost or stolen. Your name and personal details must be unchanged.9Australian Embassy and Consulates in the United States. Documents and Forms Required

Everyone else uses the longer application form, including first-time applicants, anyone replacing a lost or stolen passport, anyone changing their name, and all child applications. You can start either form through the online application portal and print the result, or pick up a blank paper form from a post office.10Australian Passport Office. Adult Passport

Guarantor or Referee

Someone must vouch for your identity. If you complete the form online you nominate a referee, who does not sign anything but must be willing to confirm your identity if the Passport Office phones them. If you use a paper form you nominate a guarantor, who signs section 11 and writes on the back of one photo: “This is a true photo of [your full name].”10Australian Passport Office. Adult Passport

Either way, that person must be an adult Australian citizen who has known you for more than 12 months. They cannot be related to you by birth or marriage, in a de facto or registered relationship with you, or living at your address.11Australian Passport Office. Guarantors, Referees and Witnesses Tell them to expect a possible call.

Making a false statement in a passport application is a criminal offence under section 29 of the Australian Passports Act 2005, carrying up to 10 years imprisonment, a fine of up to 1,000 penalty units, or both. That applies to the applicant and to any guarantor or referee who makes a false statement.12AustLII. Australian Passports Act 2005 – Section 29

Applying for a Child

Children under 16 receive a five-year passport and cannot renew; each new passport is a fresh application. Every person with parental responsibility must consent by completing sections 12 to 15 of the form.13Australian Passport Office. Parental Consent

Parental responsibility typically covers anyone listed as a parent on the birth certificate, anyone who has paid child support, and anyone with a custody or guardianship order. Each consent signature must be witnessed by an adult who is not related to the child’s family, does not share the same address, and is not an Australia Post employee or Passport Officer.

Where a parent cannot be located or refuses to consent, an Australian court order specifically permitting the child to hold a passport, travel internationally, or live outside Australia can substitute for the missing consent. You must provide originals of every court order relating to the child, together with a completed B7 form. Foreign court orders only count if registered under Australian family law. Without a suitable court order, you can ask the Passport Office to assess the application under the special circumstances provisions of the Australian Passports Act 2005, which requires additional forms and supporting evidence such as family violence orders or police documents. Applications without full consent are not eligible for priority processing, and there is no guarantee a passport will be issued, so do not book travel before it is approved.13Australian Passport Office. Parental Consent

Lodging in Person and Paying

Whether you fill in the form online and print it or use a paper form, you must lodge in person at a participating Australia Post outlet. Staff review your original documents, scan them, and hand them back. Booking an appointment through the Australia Post website is recommended, since busy outlets may not take walk-ins.10Australian Passport Office. Adult Passport

If you already hold a current passport, it is generally cancelled at lodgement. From that moment you cannot use it for travel or identification, so plan around any upcoming trips.

Fees are paid at lodgement and are non-refundable, even if the application is later refused or withdrawn. As of 1 January 2026:

  • Ten-year adult passport (age 16+): $422
  • Five-year child passport (under 16): $213
  • Five-year adult passport (optional for people 75+): $213
  • Priority two-day processing: $308 on top of the passport fee

All amounts are in Australian dollars.1Australian Passport Office. Fees Australia Post outlets generally accept EFTPOS, major credit cards, and cash.

Processing and Delivery

The Passport Office aims to have 95 percent of passports available within six weeks of lodgement under the routine service. Complex applications, such as child passports without full parental consent, take longer.2Australian Passport Office. Processing Times Priority processing delivers within two business days but is not available to every applicant, and you must request it at lodgement.

Once printed, your passport is sent by Registered Post by default, arriving within about a week of dispatch, with an email and SMS carrying the tracking number. You can instead ask at lodgement to collect it in person at your nearest passport office (not a post office). Someone else can collect on your behalf with photo ID and your written authorisation.14Australian Passport Office. Delivery or Passport Collection

Applying from Overseas

Outside Australia, you lodge in person at the nearest Australian embassy or consulate. Appointment requirements vary, so check the specific post’s website.15Australian Passport Office. Applying Outside Australia Allow at least six weeks. Priority processing is not offered for overseas applications. Original documents are required, and anything not in English needs a full translation by an approved service.

Renewal eligibility overseas mirrors the domestic rules. Some embassies and consulates also accept renewal applications by mail from eligible adults, but first-time applicants, replacements for lost passports, and applicants aged 16 or 17 must appear in person.16Australian Embassy and Consulates in the United States. How to Apply for a Passport

Australians stranded overseas who need to travel urgently can apply for an emergency passport at an embassy or consulate. Emergency passports are valid for up to one year, contain no electronic chip, and may not be accepted by every country. Check the entry and transit requirements of every country on your route before relying on one.17Australian Passport Office. Emergency Passport

Validity and the Six-Month Rule

Standard adult passports are valid for ten years; children under 16 and adults aged 75 or over can get a five-year passport. Being valid is not the same as being usable. Many countries refuse entry unless your passport has at least six months of validity remaining beyond your planned departure from that country, and some airlines apply the same rule to transit stops.18Smartraveller. Passport Services Check the expiry date well before booking travel, and apply for a new passport if it will have fewer than six months of validity by the end of your trip.

If Your Passport Is Lost or You Have Lost One Before

You are legally required to report a lost or stolen passport as soon as possible by calling the Australian Passport Office, or the nearest embassy or consulate if you are overseas. A police report is recommended, and keep the report number for your replacement application.19Australian Passport Office. Lost and Stolen Passports A false statement about a lost or stolen passport carries the same section 29 penalty as any other false statement in an application.

Repeated losses affect what you can get next:

  • Two losses in five years: your next adult passport will be valid for five years only, at the full ten-year fee.
  • Three or more losses in five years: your next passport may be valid for up to two years, or be refused altogether. You still pay the ten-year fee.

Fraud or suspected dishonesty, inability to confirm identity or citizenship, and missing parental consent for children are the other common reasons an application will not proceed.