Australia Post is testing out their new digital camera for Passport Photos. So they are offering eight (8) passport photos for $14.95. Usually, they only give you four photos for $14.95.
I went to the one on Elizabeth St. Not sure if this is applicable to all branches or just this one.
Everything was done in less than 10 minutes from the time I took my photo to the time I walked out! :)
Take your own with a digital camera and print them on a Kodak instant machine. 20c from memory.
Awesome deal!
I'm guessing this is a price reduction? I've had issues with AusPost as in my area they deliberatly deny photos which havent been taken by them.
The wouldn't have deliberately denied them because they hadn't taken them. That would be against trade practices. Take it from someone who works at Australia post. We see a lot of photos taken by the customer themselves and even taken by Kodak places etc that simply don't meet the strict requirements set by the passport office. Although not required i would recommend you have the taken by the post office. They are the ones who will be processing your passport application and have the final say before it's sent to the passport office. Makes the whole process simpler and a lot less stressful
simply don’t meet the strict requirements set by the passport office
I've seen the little translucent card that they give AusPost employees to check passport photos. In the case of Teds Cameras, they've digitised the dimensions, and check it before printing, then compare it with the card again once printed. So it's perfect imo. However, when i took it in, there was an issue with the photo, and despite my persistence, they couldnt actually tell me what the issue was.
I ended up taking it with me back to canberra (to a bigger post office), when i asked if the photo was ok, the lady checked it, and said it was totally perfect. Submitted it no issues.
I dont know anyone (of my friends) who has ever been able to submit a passport at this post office unless the photo was taken at the time, and i had lived in the area for a long time.
I'm not saying you (or the system) is corrupt/dishonest, just at this one local post office.
I went to a local post office in Perth to have 8 photos taken and it cost me 2x $14.95. The camera they used was the same as pictured in the link and it took under 10 minutes.
The one in the picture is a polariod camera. It has four lenses which capture the same image four times at once. You would have paid $14.95 twice because you had two sets of four printed. The digital photo equipment has only one lens. It duplicates the same image digitaly in two rows of four on one sheet of sony photo paper when it prints.
Why do you need 8 photos anyway? You need 1 for the passport and no more. Seriously, it's silly.
Just in case Australia Post screw up your photo somehow and you have to give them another one. Had this happen to me with the last two passport applications I submitted. sigh
NB: you actually need two for your passport - one for the photo and one where a witness or JP or whatever writes something along the lines of 'This is a photo of x signed by y' on the back of the second photo.
The second photo is endorsed by a guarantor not a witness. The guarantor can be anyone providing they are 18 years of age or over, have known the applicant for at least 12 months or since birth, not be related to the applicant by birth, marriage, de facto or same sex relationship, nor live at the applicant's address, possess a current (unexpired) passport that was issued with at least two years' validity. The guarantor needs to endorse the back of one photograph in English by writing "This is a true photograph of (applicant's full name)" and sign in black ink.
Why not link to where you copied that from?
https://www.passports.gov.au/Web/Newppt/Overseas/Guarantor.a…
You need two. The extra photos can come in handy as they're also suitable for visas & international drivers licences.
You need 1 for the passport and no more. Seriously, it’s silly.
You need 2
Passports aren't the only thing that require 'passport photos'. I'm about to head to Asia and I need 2 Visas with a total of 4 photographs. People travelling further afield than me might need even more.
You need two…but point still valid that most people have not purpose for the remaining 6.
As an alternative, at Officeworks it costs $9.95 for 8 photos and no appointment is required. (http://www.officeworks.com.au/retail/b2c/ourServicesForward.…)
No appointment is required at Australia Post either. The whole process shouldn't take anymore then 5 minutes. Im surprised the original poster of this bargain had to wait 10 minutes. Maybe they counted the time they stood in queue?
Hey guys, this might be a great deal, but I think taking your own passport photo and print it for 9c from most of the shops is even better if you can be bothered? I have done it twice and both times were accepted by the department.
http://www.epassportphoto.com/ —> this deal has been posted some time earlier.
Yes I used that for my daughter's passport photo a few weeks ago. Overall cost = $0.12 to print 6 at Harvey Norman :)
Yup, I've used this for two different passport photos and worked perfectly. Definitely cheaper!
Take it from someone who works at Australia Post, not all outlets have the digital photo equipment so this bargain is a little bit misleading. Some outlet have had the new digital cameras for some time where as other are just getting them. Most (particularly in the outer suburbs and almost all LPO's) have the older polaroid cameras which will only give you four photos. The $14.95 fee is the same across all stores. You only get a bargain if you find an outlet that has the digital photo equipment. In Sydney i know the GPO & Broadway have the newer digital camera.
Good, I suppose, for anyone needing to update two (2) or more passports (eg, Dual-Nationals) ;-)
British, Japanese, USA etc have different photo requirements for their passports. The Aussie standard is perfectly acceptable for international drivers licence, visas and Australia ID cards though so the six spare could be used for those purposes.
This link may come in handy for anyone thinking of taking their own photos or even if you have them taken else where. It details the strict guidelines for acceptable photos for an Australia Passport.
https://www.passports.gov.au/web/requirements/photos.aspx
As mentioned before it may be just easier to have them taken at the post office and know they're done right the first time around. If they're not they may refuse your application and make you get new photos. For a new passport application it will delay the process as you will then have to get the new photos re-endorsed by the guarantor again.
i've been doing my own for years for me and family members and never once had a problem… In fact got a comment last time about how clear the photos were…
Agree. Got to give credit to 5haneo though, he/she is an excellent rep/promoter for Aus Post!
Waste of money these days, with most people having digital cameras and a basic home printer…
yea, you would need a good printer to produce high quality photos.
You do not need a high end printer to print out your own passport photo
But the size of your head is critical as Aust Post use a plastic template to see if the dimensions are correct and you can only be a few mm out before it is rejected
http://www.epassportphoto.com makes it so easy - your head can be any size in the photo and it is then re-sized when uploaded (and then downloaded.)
I have done my own passport fotos as the ones at these types of places charge exorbitant prices for something that can easily done nowadays with digital cameras and cheap printing.
Honestly from my few past experience with taking photo at POST I was pretty disappointed that everytime the photos came out either too small, too light, too left, too right or something have stuff up. I remember the first time i did it with them they had to take it 4 times because the lady keep stuffing up the size e.t.c. 2 weeks ago I went there to take another photo session and they need to take it 2 times and the 2nd time round wasn't great either, my left shoulder was at the end of the photo while the right side have plenty of space.
And you wonder why I don't take it somewhere else? Coz on those ocassion I found out that i needed a photo for some application i was about to send and i'm lazy to go back to POST.
By the way they did always give me the dodgy photos that they took, but looking at them they are so bad i could just throw them in the bin straight away.
Given other ways to take your own photo and POST staff photo skills I think would be a wiser move to choose another way to take your photos.
I'd rather have 2x4 different photos taken, because usually the first photo they take sucks. I don't want 8 crap photos. Give me 2x4 so I can pick which one to put on my passport already.
They don't do passport photo's for children. I was told to go to Kmart.
Really? I don't see why they would say that. I've seen kids have their passport photos done at Australia Post shops in south-west Sydney.
Unless you are in a desperate hurry this is a terrible deal.
It is much simpler to check the requirements: https://www.passports.gov.au/web/requirements/photos.aspx
Take an appropriate picture with your digital camera then use: http://epassportphoto.com/
Get it printed for free at: http://www.snapfish.com.au/ (as part of free prints signup)
Yes, if u want to save a few bucks. But much easier, quicker and less Hassle at AP. Depends on your priorities.
The time and hassle saved may be worth a lot more than $15 to some people.
Did this at the Canberra Centre post store without even realising, and was pleasantly surprised when they gave me 8 photos.