To renew an Australian passport in the USA, you lodge your application with the Australian Embassy in Washington, D.C. or one of six Consulate-General passport offices around the country. A standard 10-year adult renewal costs $611 AUD (about $430 USD) and takes at least six weeks from the date your application and payment are received. The form you use, the documents you gather, and whether you can post it in or must attend an appointment all depend on which category your renewal falls into.
Start by Figuring Out Which Form You Need
This is the decision that shapes the rest of the process. There are two forms, and they have very different requirements.
The PC7 (Simple Renewal by Mail)
The PC7 Australian Passport Renewal Application is a one-page form for straightforward adult renewals. You qualify only if your most recent adult passport meets every one of these conditions:
- Issued when you were 16 or older.
- Issued on or after January 1, 2006.
- Had at least two years of validity when originally issued.
- Still shows your current name, date of birth, place of birth, and gender.
- Has not been reported lost, stolen, or cancelled.
If you tick every box, this is the easy path. No guarantor, no appointment, no interview. You can do the whole thing by mail, and your passport can already be expired as long as it meets the criteria above.
The PC8 (Everyone Else)
If any one of those PC7 conditions fails, you use the longer Application for an Australian Passport Overseas, known as the PC8. Common triggers include changing your name, replacing a lost or stolen passport, applying for a child, or holding a passport issued before January 1, 2006.
The PC8 is document-heavy. You’ll need original identity documents such as your Australian birth certificate or citizenship certificate, plus supporting documents for your specific situation. Copies aren’t accepted, and neither are notarized copies. The PC8 also requires a guarantor and, in most cases, an in-person appointment.
Filling Out the Form
You can complete either form through the Australian Passport Office’s online portal, then download and print it for lodging. You can also request a paper form from your nearest Australian passport office in the U.S. Either way, the printed and signed form has to be physically submitted. There is no fully digital application for Australians overseas.
What Goes With the Application
Passport Photos
Australian photo requirements are stricter than the U.S. standard, and non-compliant photos are one of the most common reasons applications get sent back. Your photos must be:
- 35–40 mm wide and 45–50 mm high (smaller than U.S. passport photos).
- Printed on glossy, heavy-weight paper (minimum 200 gsm) using a dye sublimation printer. Inkjet prints are not accepted.
- Good-quality color prints, less than six months old.
Before you pay, confirm the photographer uses a dye sublimation printer and can produce prints at these dimensions. Many U.S. chain pharmacies use inkjet, which will not pass.
Guarantor (PC8 Applicants Only)
PC7 renewals do not need a guarantor. Skip this section if that’s you.
For a PC8, the guarantor signs section 11 of the form and endorses the back of one passport photo by writing “This is a true photo of [your full name]” in black pen and signing underneath. An Australian citizen can serve as guarantor if they hold a current Australian passport that was issued with at least two years’ validity. A non-Australian citizen living in the U.S. can also serve, but they must belong to an approved profession: licensed doctors, dentists, lawyers, pharmacists, chiropractors, optometrists, CPAs, licensed engineers, registered nurses, bank branch managers, court clerks, judges, postal managers, sheriffs, police officers with five or more years of service, current U.S. military members with five or more years of continuous active service, full-time teachers with five or more years of service and a bachelor’s degree, and federal, state, or local government employees with five or more years of continuous service, among others.
Regardless of citizenship, every guarantor must have known you for at least 12 months, must not be related to you by birth or marriage, and must not live at your address.
Where and How to Lodge It
Australia runs seven permanent passport offices in the United States: the Embassy in Washington, D.C., and Consulate-General offices in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Houston, and Honolulu. Denver residents are served by Los Angeles. Temporary passport clinics visit other cities periodically; check the embassy website for the current schedule. You can use whichever office is most convenient regardless of your address.
By Mail
Adults using the PC7 can lodge entirely by mail. Most child renewals for children aged 15 and under can also go by mail even though they use the PC8. Your package should contain:
- Your signed, completed application form.
- Two compliant passport photos.
- Your current passport.
- A completed Credit Card Authorisation Form for payment.
The embassy advises against mailing an application that will arrive within a week of your travel date unless your departure is flexible. If your travel is genuinely urgent, apply in person.
In Person
All other PC8 applications, including first-time passports, lost or stolen replacements, and name changes, have to be lodged at an appointment at one of the seven offices.
Fees and How to Pay
Fees are set in Australian dollars and include a mandatory overseas surcharge. As of 2026:
- 10-year adult passport: $422 AUD base + $189 AUD overseas surcharge = $611 AUD total (about $430 USD).
- 5-year child passport (under 16): $213 AUD base + $92 AUD overseas surcharge = $305 AUD total.
- Emergency passport: $265 AUD (about $186 USD).
All offices accept Visa and Mastercard (credit or debit). Discover works only at Honolulu, Houston, San Francisco, and Washington. San Francisco and Houston also accept Apple Pay and CashApp using Visa, Mastercard, or Discover. No office accepts cash or checks.
For mail-in applications, include a signed Credit Card Authorisation Form. If your card isn’t enabled for international transactions, the payment will fail and delay your application. A prepaid Visa or Mastercard from a U.S. store works as an alternative; send the prepaid card along with the completed authorisation form. Someone else can pay on your behalf by completing and signing the form for you.
Processing Time and Delivery
Routine processing takes at least six weeks from the date your application and payment are receipted, not from the day you post it. The priority and fast-track services advertised on the Australian Passport Office website are for applications lodged inside Australia and are not available through U.S. offices. Plan your travel accordingly.
You can track your application’s status online once processing has begun. New passports are delivered by secure courier within the U.S., and a courier fee is charged separately. Your old passport is cancelled and returned to you separately from the new one.
Situations That Push You Onto the PC8
Changing Your Name
You cannot change your name on a PC7. Any name change means a PC8 and an in-person appointment. A U.S. marriage certificate on its own is not enough if the marriage happened outside Australia: the foreign certificate must be legalized with an apostille first. Marriage certificates can change only your last name; a given-name change follows a separate process.
If you were born in Australia and married in Australia, you’ll need the official marriage certificate from the state or territory Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages, not the ceremonial one from the wedding day. For a name change tied to divorce or personal choice, you generally need either a new Australian citizenship certificate in your new name, or a legalized foreign name change document such as a U.S. court order. Foreign name change documents are accepted only if the change occurred after you became an Australian citizen.
You may qualify for a fee waiver if your family name changed due to a change in marital status and your current passport still has more than two years of validity left. Bring proof: marriage certificate, divorce order, or death certificate. The waiver does not apply to given-name changes.
Lost or Stolen Passport
Report a lost or stolen passport to the nearest Australian embassy or consulate. Once reported, the passport is permanently cancelled and flagged with border authorities worldwide; if you find it later, it can never be used again. If it was stolen, also file a police report and keep a copy for your replacement application.
A lost or stolen passport disqualifies you from the PC7. You’ll need a PC8 with an in-person appointment, and your application must include a completed B11 statement explaining how, when, and where the loss or theft occurred, plus any police report.
Repeated losses carry consequences. Two lost passports within five years means your next adult passport is issued with only five-year validity at the full ten-year price. Three or more losses in five years can result in a passport valid for no more than two years, or the Passport Office may refuse to issue one at all. Providing false information about how a passport was lost is a criminal offence carrying penalties of up to ten years’ imprisonment.
Urgent Travel
If you need to travel before six weeks is up, an Australian embassy or consulate may issue an emergency passport valid for up to one year, costing $265 AUD (about $186 USD). These are for genuine emergencies rather than planning failures. Contact your nearest passport office to discuss eligibility.
Children Under 16
Child passports are valid for five years and always use the PC8. Every person with parental responsibility, typically both parents listed on the birth certificate, must give written consent, and each signature must be witnessed by an unrelated adult over 18 who does not live with the child or either parent. If one parent cannot or will not consent, the application becomes considerably more complicated and may require Australian court orders under the Family Law Act 1975 or a special-circumstances assessment by the Passport Office. Contact your nearest office before lodging in that situation.