Overpriced Australian Passport $277 AUD !!!

xiuhan83 on 02/10/2017 - 21:18
Last edited 03/10/2017 - 22:23 by 2 other users

Hi does anyone think the Australian passport is way overpriced for whats its worth?

Sure you can argue its one of the most powerful passport in the world however if you like to compare a passport from Germany which can get me to more countries visa free and it only cost 60 euros.

and to be honest it is not the most powerful passport compared to the west european countries where they have more visa free countries also apparently their the visa fee to get into certain countries are also cheaper for different passport holder.

example to go to uzbekistan an Australian have to pay 75 usd where a japanese only pay 15usd.

so is there any way we can lodge a complain to lower the overprice passport

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Comments

  • jzdhgkd on 02/10/2017 - 21:22
    +227

    lol

    • vinster55 on 03/10/2017 - 21:15
      +4

      ROFL

    • kangaroo on 05/10/2017 - 13:36

      Passport fee is fair in my view. But the fees for a number of Aus Immigration and Citizenship related services has sky rocketed. For example an Australian citizenship evidence certificate (child born in Aus to parents who are permanent residents) has gone up from $60 to $180!

      I also have concern that the Cost for Applying for citizenship in the future will increase, since IELTS exams are conducted by independent body and usually cost few hundred dollars. I don't think the government will incur that cost and most likely to increase the application cost of citizenship by few hundred bucks.

    • confetti01 on 05/10/2017 - 14:32

      Spot on!

  • retiredfeline on 02/10/2017 - 21:23
    +103

    Here we go again #OzWhinge. Go shop for another country then.

    • billy77 on 03/10/2017 - 20:04

      This. Check out the immigration posts in forums and you'll see they are full of entitled whinges as well.

    • OzzyOzbourne on 03/10/2017 - 20:22
      +47

      Yeah, it's not Australian to question high prices, so you shouldn't be getting an Australian passport anyway!

      Obviously the side effect of not speaking up about anything is that we get ripped off.

      • retiredfeline on 03/10/2017 - 21:09

        How do you know a priori, that it doesn't cost the government that much or even more to provide passport and consular services? Maybe other countries are cross-subsidising their passport fees?

        If you want to argue that perhaps there should be a review of the charges, then might be justified, if you are prepared for the verdict to go either way. Or you could argue for a lighter passport with even less pages for less frequent travellers. But there are bigger problems in this country and this rates far down my scale.

        In the long term this transactional view of life, that everybody should always pay the exact amount for every single thing you do in life is damaging to social cohesion.

        • MrTweek on 03/10/2017 - 22:39
          +38

          Maybe other countries are cross-subsidising their passport fees?

          To stick with the Germany example, I can tell you that in Germany it's illegal for government agencies to charge more for such services than it costs to provide them.
          After all, they exist to provide services to people and not to make a revenue.
          And that's the reason a passport costs 60 €, not more, not less.
          Before they had this biometric stuff in passports, they would cost 35€ or something.

          A drivers licence in Germany costs around 20€ (the actual card), here in Victoria it's more than $200.

        • Aniseed Steed on 03/10/2017 - 23:01
          +1

          @MrTweek:

          I believe the same goes for Sweden where it costs 350 SEK (A$55) for a passport.

        • retiredfeline on 03/10/2017 - 23:08

          @MrTweek: If that's case then one way to proceed is to get such a law enacted. But I doubt if whingers have any desire to put any effort into change.

        • eloquentloser on 04/10/2017 - 00:02
          +7

          I don't particularly care what it costs the government to provide the service, because I have already paid them the money to do so. Since a Passport has become an essential component of citizenship and increasingly essential to prove one's identity to receive even the most basic services (not my idea, I assure you), it should be provided at a nominal cost.

        • retiredfeline on 04/10/2017 - 01:01

          @eloquentloser: I do fine with a driver's license for nearly all cases. The funding for the services has to come from somewhere. So I take it you are in favour of increasing other taxes to pay for it? That is also a valid proposal. Go for it.

        • cameldownunder on 04/10/2017 - 11:12
          +2

          @MrTweek: In Switzerland you don't have to renew your drivers license. I forgot how much I had to pay to issue the first one. ( checking onthe internet, $40-$80 once off )

        • MrTweek on 04/10/2017 - 11:43
          +1

          @cameldownunder:
          Same in Germany too. You only pay that fee again if for some reason you need a new physical card (lost/stolen card, change of name, etc). Some people have had their licence with a picture of a 17 year old for 30 years or more :D

        • lordra on 05/10/2017 - 10:00

          @cameldownunder: Same in England, just a one-off fee. Such a rip off here (#pommies)

        • che_97 on 05/10/2017 - 13:05
          +1

          @MrTweek: Lets keep going with Germany as an example. Getting your German drivers license costs THOUSANDS of euros because you have to have state mandated driving lessons for ALL of the lessons. Compare that with Australia where none are mandated. It could be that the actual cost of issuing a passport isn't much but that the cost covers things like consular support (which compared to other countries of similar population is widespread) and other travel specific related services. If you can afford to travel overseas, you can afford a passport.

        • MrTweek on 05/10/2017 - 15:38
          +3

          @che_97:

          Getting your German drivers license costs THOUSANDS of euros because you have to have state mandated driving lessons for ALL of the lessons.

          The difference is, that money you pay for driving lessons goes to (private) driving schools, not to the government. And it's not a fee that someone made up, it's the actual cost of a service someone is providing for you.

          At Vicroads, a 10 year drivers licence costs a lot more than a 3 year drivers licence. This clearly shows that the price doesn't reflect the cost of issuing a licence (printing a 10 year licence obviously costs the same as printing a 3 year licence), but instead it looks a lot like an annual fee randomly made up.

          It could be that the actual cost of issuing a passport isn't much but that the cost covers things like consular support (which compared to other countries of similar population is widespread) and other travel specific related services.

          Still strange to think that Australian consular services cost a lot more than consular services in other countries.
          Despite that, I can guarantee you that for most consular services you WILL pay a fee anyway, should you require them. Australian consulates around the world aren't going to give you a free new passport if you lose yours overseas.

          If you can afford to travel overseas, you can afford a passport.

          Yes, most likely, but does it mean that you should?
          Are you saying the government is right in charging whatever they think people who can afford for travelling are able to spare for a passport?
          I don't think so.
          Given that leaving your country is a basic right that comes with Australian citizenship, I don't think the government should make money off people who make use of that right.

        • sn809 on 05/10/2017 - 15:52

          @che_97:

          This, with all the Australian consular support Australian need. Its expensive to get a passport.

        • virhlpool on 05/10/2017 - 23:22

          @MrTweek:

          Well, that's because our wages are 'high'. So 'high' that half of our population can't afford to buy a house.

    • MrGrinchy on 03/10/2017 - 22:01
      +33

      Its the most expensive on the planet!

      Oz - place of ripoffs, slow govt, over educated business analysts that know shit.

    • outlander on 03/10/2017 - 22:08
      +7

      How can you whinge about his whinging?

    • OhMaJuck on 04/10/2017 - 14:25
      +3

      http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/business/australias-passpor…

      Australia’s passport is now the second most expensive in the world

    • virhlpool on 05/10/2017 - 23:13
      +6

      Go shop for another country then.

      Such an easy argument, as always.

      • WeeDeePotato on 06/10/2017 - 18:32
        +1

        Can't shop for another country if you don't have a passport!

        Catch 22

      • retiredfeline on 16/10/2017 - 01:02

        You (and others) missed the point, you don't shop for another country like you switch eBay vendors. If you want change in this arena you have to do more than complain.

    • adante on 07/10/2017 - 01:06

      United Eneloop Islands here we come

  • [Deactivated] on 02/10/2017 - 21:24
    +18

    Fair go is dead!!!

    It's a ploy by the social elite to keep us hard werkin aussie cobbas in Australia workin underpaid service jobs for our mortgages!!!!

    • Ghogger on 05/10/2017 - 05:54
      +6

      If you can’t afford $277 for a 10 year visa, how could you afford to travel anyway?

      • Shutterfish on 05/10/2017 - 11:08
        +4

        That’s because holidaying overseas can be significantly cheaper than doing it locally.

  • kerfuffle on 02/10/2017 - 21:28
    +28

    It's actually cheaper owning a passport compared to a ten-year NSW Driver Licence.

    • [Deactivated] on 02/10/2017 - 22:21
      +12

      not if you havnt lost any demerit points and get the 50% discount.

      • kerfuffle on 02/10/2017 - 22:26
        +4

        Yeah that is true but the point I was making is that a passport is cheaper in theory.

        • kerfuffle on 04/10/2017 - 13:30
          +4

          @danyool: My comparison is that the OP is saying that a passport is expensive when a passport, that allows you to travel overseas as you have pointed out, is actually cheaper than a 10-year driver's licence in NSW.

      • [Deactivated] on 04/10/2017 - 22:38
        +5

        Repeat after me.

        You.
        Do.
        NOT.
        Lose.
        Demerit.
        Points.

        • greatlamp on 05/10/2017 - 05:04
          +4

          Yep, you gain them.
          Same difference though

      • Suspect420 on 04/10/2017 - 23:32

        Obviously not from sydney.

        We have fricken undercover parking inspectors… and safety cameras on every 2nd corner.

  • Almost Banned on 02/10/2017 - 21:28
    +57

    That is what happens when there is no competition for your product…

    • Diji1 on 02/10/2017 - 22:14
      +16

      Bullshit, just look at the electricity market where everyone competes and prices are the highest in the woerld.

      • altomic on 02/10/2017 - 22:46
        +54

        Diji1

      • OzzyOzbourne on 03/10/2017 - 20:23
        +1

        That's price fixing for ya

      • diddy50 on 04/10/2017 - 13:33
        -4

        that's because we have stupid Governments setting ridiculously high Renewable energy Targets and artificially force prices up

      • cauilfield on 04/10/2017 - 15:03
        +3

        There is no competition, you only see the retailers, the producers and distributors are still the same no matter if you go with Lumo or say AGL.

        • simulacrum on 05/10/2017 - 10:33

          Also effective competition relies on price transparency. If two identical products are available at different prices the market will choose the cheaper one, driving prices down further. If pricing is so complicated that its impossible to compare offers, competition ceases to be an effective way to drive down prices. Wholesale electricity is traded between generators and retailers in a very efficient market (the NEM), distributors are tightly regulated and their margins are fixed. Retailers are still making huge margins most people will either just pay their bill and grumble without switching. Or they'll sign up with someone who offers them a higher percentage discount, without stopping to think that its a discount off a higher base rate, or reading the fine print about how long the offer lasts.

          We need more regulation around transparency in the retail market to make the price signals work, or businesses that work as independent third parties that you can contract to monitor your usage and the market and switch you a different retailer if a cheaper offer becomes available.

          The other thing that will change in future is innovation at the network level. We have the largest interconnected grid in the world built to service a peak demand that only exists a for a few days a year when the temp is in the 40s for a few days in a row and everyone has the AC on. Some distributors have trialed demand response initiatives, like offering everyone in the distribution zone a $50 payment if they don't turn their AC on when the distributor anticipates high strain on the network. There's a lot more that can be done with smart grids. When batteries become cheaper it will also be a game changer at the network and consumer level, and could also drive network costs down in the longer term. Most of this will need to be government mandated however. Distributors run a very good (and very expensive) network but there's not much incentive for them to innovate.

        • sn809 on 05/10/2017 - 15:58

          @simulacrum:

          Manufacturer should get the bulk of the profits
          Thats the problem nowdays. Its all about retail retail retail. Manufacturing has been driven out of Australia. That leads to decreased jobs for engineers. All they want is checkout ppl and stock fillers

      • Jugg.Judy on 04/10/2017 - 18:26
        +1

        Electricity is essential product i.e utility, so once it's privatise or provide by private company, they can charge pretty whatever they wish, it's human nature, isn't that's what happen in California a while back.

        • simulacrum on 05/10/2017 - 10:35

          I don't know much about it but I'm not sure if in California it was fully disaggregated - they had the same people making money trading energy and running the grid. So there was a direct incentive to play with demand directly.. creating blackouts etc to manipulate the market price of electricity.

    • Aussie Smurfette on 03/10/2017 - 08:25
      +1

      Triggered! 😆

    • StrayfireX on 04/10/2017 - 12:53
      +4

      Well as a dual citizen; I'm going to get a Kiwi Passport next time instead of an Aussie one.

      It's $180 NZD ($164 AUD)

      I should post this as a bargain :P

      • -.- on 04/10/2017 - 16:03
        +8

        Just make sure you revoke it before entering Federal Parliament!

      • MrTweek on 05/10/2017 - 15:50
        +2

        I hope you are aware that as a dual citizen, you are technically not allowed to re-enter Australia on a Kiwi passport.

        Being a dual citizen that occasionally travels to both home countries actually makes the whole thing a lot more expensive, as you always need 2 valid passports, and chances are that you need to get one of them overseas, which will cost additional fees :(

    • virhlpool on 05/10/2017 - 23:33

      @blaircam: Tell someone that Bunnings now needs another Masters to keep their prices in control.

  • toristo on 02/10/2017 - 21:31
    +37

    A device that lets me enter pretty much any country in the world, which almost certainly has required me to pay many hundreds if not thousands of dollars for a plane ticket to get to said country? Yeah I think I can probably spare the $277.

    Look forward to your next post about your kickstarter campaign when you need cash because you didn't bother with travel insurance because "it's a rip off" too.

    • cameldownunder on 04/10/2017 - 11:14
      +1

      It's not ckickstarter, its gofundme

    • virhlpool on 05/10/2017 - 23:37
      +3

      If you or anyone can afford it, it doesn't mean it's not a rip off.

  • Eeples on 02/10/2017 - 21:39
    +5

    $180nz for a New Zealand passport.

    Barnaby?

    • ozkiwi75 on 03/10/2017 - 20:45

      Not even. I just updated mine last week… got charged AUD$148.87 after currency conversion on my credit card bill. That also includes the courier cost. Plus it was delivered within 3 days of my online application!

      • Meconium on 05/10/2017 - 09:58
        +3

        Username checks out

    • snipeymcsnipesnipe on 05/10/2017 - 14:30

      But arent they only for 5 years?

  • rgr on 02/10/2017 - 21:43
    +13

    "so is there any way we can lodge a complain to lower the overprice passport" LMAO chinese

    rgr on 02/10/2017 - 21:43 (Collapsed - Offtopic. Show)
  • chartparker on 02/10/2017 - 21:52
    +46

    There are lots of major things wrong with other countries. Your big issue with Australia is the price of the passport? My family chose to move to Australia for all the opportunity it provided, the safety, the comforts, the modernity, freedom etc etc… other people seem to move here and then just complain about relatively petty stuff. I just don't get it.

    • ozkiwi75 on 03/10/2017 - 21:07
      +11

      Whilst I wholeheartedly agree with your comment, I do wonder whether the price presents symptoms that signal our government is inefficient relative to other similar countries. And whether this also translates to the private industries as well, which makes us uncompetative on the world stage.

      At the end of the day, if we can afford an overseas holiday we should be able to afford this price for a passport! #firstworldproblems

    • MrTweek on 05/10/2017 - 15:53
      +5

      There are lots of major things wrong with other countries. Your big issue with Australia is the price of the passport?
      I just don't get it.

      So, just because you are happy here and other countries have other problems, nobody should ever talk about things they notice and dislike about Australia?

      • wodtha on 06/10/2017 - 14:14
        +2

        You're trying to argue against 3 generations of indoctrinated pro-big-government statists - and that's coming from someone who used to be on the left, a militant union delegate, no less. You can't convince people, who don't want to be convinced. It hurts to be wrong - our instinct is to defend against incoming threats.

        Just diversify yourself financially & politically, as I have done, following in the footsteps of Doug Casey. History shows what happens as government grows and consumes a greater and greater portion of the pie. You've been told "then leave". Like me, you may not want to, you may really like living on this patch of soil. But ultimately, you see the trend. Get yourself ready, because like the East Germans, the Cubans, and as the Venezuelans are experiencing now… once the nation's balance sheet gets bad enough, they might not allow you to leave.

        The optimistic Jews stayed in Germany. The optimistic Venezuelans stayed in Venezuela.
        Venezuela used to be the richest country in South America, where Colombians and others used to flee towards. Nowadays, the opposite. The wealth of the middle-class has been decimated 1000 to 1 through the destruction of the currency. Their inability/unwillingness to recognise that "things change" - people change, families change, communities change, societies change, countries change - is why the majority stayed. People's perception of the future is set by their experience in the immediate past.

        "Only a fool tries to survive by acting like a vegetable, staying rooted to one place, when the political and economic climate changes for the worse." -Doug Casey

  • AlienC on 02/10/2017 - 21:54
    +1

    It's pricey but if you are travelling around the world then I guess it is a good barrier to entry kind of placement. Makes sure that you mean it I suppose, also government revenue just like speed cameras.

  • robbo135 on 02/10/2017 - 22:22
    +9

    I hear the bikies do a decent version for a fraction of the price…

  • Ozbargainite on 02/10/2017 - 22:23
    +2

    It's worth it for the excellent service you receive from our overseas missions said no one ever.

    • justdigi on 03/10/2017 - 10:41
      +11

      I will say it. I actually had excellent service from the Australian Consulate in Nepal when my daughter was born there. The process to get her citizenship by descent and an emergency passport was difficult, however the staff were incredibly helpful, patient and experienced. They weren't able to print an emergency passport in Nepal and brought in assistance from the Australian Embassy in Delhi India - at their expense. Well worth the $175 emergency passport fee, $100 overseas application fee and shipping costs.

      • sn809 on 05/10/2017 - 16:05
        +1

        While I agree with your sentiments its just crazy that we have to pay extra just cause your child was born overseas. My daughter had to have all yhis done as well and I think its a dumb policy- Citizenship by descent.

        What do they expect for parents to travel back to OZ have babies then fly out again?

    • ilikeradiohead on 04/10/2017 - 12:33

      Yeah I'm with Justdigi - I lost my passport in the US and the consulate in Houston was very helpful in sorting it out for me.

      • virhlpool on 05/10/2017 - 23:39

        Most countries do it, if not all. You don't have any other choice when you lose your passport abroad. Not to say that we don't get a great service from our consulates abroad.

  • peterpeterpumpkin on 02/10/2017 - 22:33
    +19

    I believe the photo page should be waterproof for the price we pay.

    • Ozbargainite on 02/10/2017 - 22:42
      +2

      ^This

    • justdigi on 03/10/2017 - 10:41
      +1

      Yep, mine has mould growing under the laminate :(

  • PVA on 02/10/2017 - 22:34
    -5

    the best country in the world, of course the passport is priced so. Only a select few in the world can have one.

    hey, you dont have to get one.

  • Dont Care on 02/10/2017 - 22:48
    +5

    You're right don't buy one and try and travel without it. I'm sure you're suggestions that it's too expensive will go down well.

  • Kenb0 on 02/10/2017 - 23:12
    +6

    You're not shopping for a TV mate, it's a passport.

    If you're that concerned about the cost of an Aussie passport, why don't you go get citizenship in a country with cheaper passports and get one there. Jeez louise…

    • juventino on 04/10/2017 - 00:18
      +4

      what are you on about ??? One of the compulsory traits before being granted an Australian passport is to show your ability to whinge. AT EVERY SILLY THING. OP just did that hahahah

    • virhlpool on 05/10/2017 - 23:42

      why don't you go get citizenship in a country with cheaper passports and get one there. Jeez louise…

      As if other country's citizenship was a TV. Come on, mate. Get real.. every country has criteria that need to be met. If it was that easy, many of us might have been sitting in Switzerland or Norway or Brunei or Bhutan as their citizens.. who knows!

  • Cleremy on 02/10/2017 - 23:33
    +6

    The government is like a Mafia and can charge whatever they can get away with.

    What worries me is that their sprawling growth and sprawling taxation is a runaway process that will end at Australia being a third-world country.

  • dingdong3000 on 02/10/2017 - 23:38
    +4

    $AU27.70 a year isn't that bad tbh. Yeah of course if you want cheaper go live in the country of preference and apply for that citizenship.

    • bobbified on 04/10/2017 - 13:17
      +1

      But I only want it for one year. haha

  • brickwall on 03/10/2017 - 03:30
    +3

    As dingdong3000 said, $27.70 a year or roughly $2.31 per month…if you look at it that way and having one means you live as a citizen in a good country, yea…$277 for 10 years Australian passport is not overpriced at all.

    • ATD on 03/10/2017 - 08:32
      +4

      A passport does not equate to citizenship. The passport belongs to the Gov't and can be taken away if they wish.

      • brickwall on 03/10/2017 - 17:12
        +1

        True, but looking at it the other way, you can't get Australian passport if you're not Australian citizen :)

        • ATD on 03/10/2017 - 18:18
          +2

          Or the other way again, you can be an Australian citizen but not allowed to hold an Australian passport :)

        • brickwall on 04/10/2017 - 12:35
          -1

          @ATD: Only if there's reasonable grounds to suspect dishonesty or fraud in the application :).

        • ATD on 04/10/2017 - 15:17
          +1

          @moonlite51: These are some but not all possibilities. Also, the Court has the power to compel you to hand over your passport thus depriving you of it.

        • brickwall on 04/10/2017 - 15:32
          -3

          @ATD: True, but again that must have meant that the law sees you as doing something illegal etc - which is basically all your arguments above is all about :)
          Back to my point, plain Australian citizen without any sort of court/legal issues should be able to apply and be granted Australian passport (and pay $277 for 10 years validity :p) and not have it taken away from them, either by the Court or by the Government like you said :).

    • virhlpool on 05/10/2017 - 23:45
      +2

      @moonlite51: If this isn't overpriced, then nothing else would seem overpriced to you here. Not houses or cars, nor the food and public transport! Salute, mate.

      • brickwall on 07/10/2017 - 06:53

        @virhlpool thank you for the salute mate, I feel honoured (bows to virhlpool). But yea, I don't even know why you go as far as comparing passport that cost $277 for 10 years to a house etc… And passport is also optional. If you think it's overpriced can simply not apply, as simple as that ;)
        I do still think public transport is expensive though. But I love living here, so I'll pay the price :). As for houses, foods, cars.. Well depends on where you look, there are always options :p

  • Bluberry on 03/10/2017 - 03:35
    +2

    You really need to get some perspective.

  • Darkpulsar on 03/10/2017 - 04:51
    +10

    In comparison to other countries, our passport is indeed very expensive. We used to be the second most expensive in the world, but by my calculations, we've now surpassed Turkey, who have decreased their fees, for the title.

    The (cumulative) surcharges are further crazy; $183 for priority shipping, $103 for overseas applications, $175 for an emergency passport, and shipping on top of that if you cannot pick it up at the embassy. The $100 lost/stolen passport fee was only removed last year…

    https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/these-are-the-most-expe…
    https://epasaport.egm.gov.tr/hakkinda/harclar.aspx

    • snipeymcsnipesnipe on 05/10/2017 - 14:35

      Whilst they did remove the lost stolen fee, they've got a replacement process for trying to encourage people to be more careful and to avoid potential fraud with genuine passports.
      So before if you lost passport in the last 5 years there was a fee, if it was 2 then you paid more, if it was 3 i believe it was almost 200 dollars extra you paid.
      Now instead of it being a cost, they reduce the length of the validity of your passport according to how many youve lost in the last 5 years.

  • mskeggs on 03/10/2017 - 07:52
    +34

    I agree it is expensive, but the money goes into consolidated revenue, and would have to be made up with a different tax if passport prices were lower.
    Taxing people who can afford international travel is better than taxing those who can't.

    • Ryanek on 03/10/2017 - 08:40
      +6

      Sensible reply as always from the keggs.

    • [Deactivated] on 04/10/2017 - 10:55
      +1

      Slightly off topic, but the passport booklet is very low quality. Last year I had to replace one send by mail in a standard, paper envelope which was wet (rain), and the front cover of the passport delaminated. The replacement is OK, but one can easily lift the lamination. Secure and tamper proof document it is not.

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