Hi, I know there are long waits for passports now, and they are quoting 6-8 weeks but I applied for renewal of my kids passports in mid March and it is now almost 4 months
Has anyone else experienced this long a delay??
Should I be joining the 8 hour queue at the passport office??
Calling the Passport Office is simply not possible unless things have changed in the last few days.
You will simply get a recorded message with words to the effect that they are too busy to answer and the call will terminate.
They won't even answer calls for lost/stolen passports despite there being a legal obligation for you to report it.
Yep they just roll the calls when the queue is full. If you call right when they open (or just before) you can get through.
I tried that a few times and still didn't succeed in getting through…
I did get to spend quite a few hours listening to on hold music and messages on one occasion before being "terminated"
I've tried calling and it's been like that for a few months.
Edit: I've been trying since May. I've called at 8am when they open and get the same BS
should try applying for a visa, it took about 4 years and they warn you not to enquire as to not jeopardise your near 10k application.
still such efficiency for a developed country…
@juki: 'they warn you not to enquire as to not jeopardise your near 10k application'
Are you sure about this?
Unless you are filling out amendment forms or repeatedly calling them every 2 days, you should not be getting any message like this. If they wrote that to you in an email, you can report it to the complaints email in your immi gov account. You are allowed to inquire as much as you want.
@StarvingOat: nup i was too afraid to even enquire once. I forget the exact wording, it has been a couple of years now, but yeah i am pretty sure that was the gist of the message.
Its not related to a specific agent its in the general guidelines :) (i wouldnt dare poke the bear reporting squat diddly)
Just keep calling. I had to dial >12 times in a row (because call was being terminated) to get onto the actual queue and then wait >2hrs in the queue. Its enough to make you throw your hands up but preferable to try this first vs going all the way to the passport office to stand in line for hours.
Agreed. I just had to call the passport office yesterday, because my son's passport application status had disappeared and we had already received our passports 4 weeks ago.
I did get the message saying they couldn't handle my call and to please try again. I tried again maybe 8x over 30 minutes but eventually got on the queue.
One time, my wife was on the queue for 47 mins then the call dropped (different call). Good thing she was able to get back on.
Anyways, yesterday, total wait on the phone was 1 hr and 58 minutes. Got in touch with a human representative that said my son's application did not go missing and was still in fact "in process." So I got the answer I needed. The representative was quite nice too.
*edit - just to share, our applications were lodged on 5th of April. The adult passports arrived on the 8th of June. The child passport is still "in process"
I lodged my application at a Sydney Post Office on 11 May and am yet to receive my new passport. Lucky I am not travelling until October but still, very poor.
Go to your local passport office and tell them you're travelling next week. At the moment they guarantee passport received 3 days before travel date.
My wife and eldest daughter applied end of May and got an email yesterday saying they have been posted.
You fared better than many people !!!
I was at the Sydney passport office on a number of occasions recently and there were numerous people I spoke to who had been waiting since February/March for their passports :-(
Yeah, when we applied they were saying the 6-8 weeks was possibly more like 8-12 weeks, and I thought ours would be harder due to issues with my daughters application (foreign biological father who is a POS). Just got lucky I suppose.
Am I missing something. Why are people applying at the passport office instead of australia post?
Apparently you haven't watched the news lately.
Im seriously still none the wiser. Does anyone care to explain?
@Yola: Go to passport office and wait for hours in the hope you get in that day or make an appointment at your local post office who process it and flick it to the Melbourne processing centre (from memory).
The people you submit to in the passport office would do exactly the same thing as Auspost. Happy to be corrected if my understanding is wrong.
Around the same here
Does it mean you are living in a different state, and faster than the office in Sydney?
Country NSW, Armidale - submitted through local Post Office.
almost 4 months
IMO too long, they're quoting 6 to 8 weeks, so I think its beyond time that you can be contacting them and see whats going on.
You should try call the passport office, to see if it has been sent/lost/stuck/whatever? but I thought there is a online status check to know where it is in the workflow.
The online status tracker is trash. I applied for a passport and received it in the mail a few weeks later. A few MONTHS after that, I received a tracking number… for someone else in a completely different state.
My sister got hers renewed around 3 months ago and the new passport arrived within 7 days.
Just to hijack this thread a bit but how early on are people applying? My passport expires in October, should I have applied for a new one months ago?
Probably apply now. I think it’s taking about 3 months from what I’ve heard.
It's also essentially useless now for most international destinations that require at least 6 months of validity. Better get it done asap.
That's the kicker — they require you have 6m validity beyond your travel date, so that means you can never legally use that 6month of the passport. It's really just a scam from the Passport / Immigration offices to leech more money from citizens for close to nothing in return.
A passport should cost no more based on the expiry, the extra pages in a 10yr passport probably cost a dollar or less than the regular one, the 3yr passport shouldn’t cost more than $50-100 Max, plus a postage charge, if you aren't picking it up in person.
That's in line with the paperwork and checks for licenses and birth certificates, and printing / assembly costs are marginally higher for the passport, that's the only difference — therefore total fees should be close to those documents.
As usual we get shafted with the Australia tax on this as well.
The rules are set by receiving country and some of them allow you up to the day of expire. What Passport office has to do with rules Indonesia sets?
When I applied for a new passport, they trashed my old one (which was 2 months out of date anyway) so it was not usable. It seems there will always be a 6-8 week period where you will not have a valid passport - unless of course you pay extra for urgent processing.
that would be because it was out of date. People can have multiple Australian passports (e.g. for visiting countries that don't like each other, or frequent travellers that have to provide their passport as part of a visa process.
No, they cut barcode from your passport the moment you submit renewal application at AusPost or office, it does not matter if it still has some validity left. Two passports has nothing to do with renewal and a totally separate application.
This is probably a stupid question that I could answer myself with an internet search, but since we’re discussing this. Mine is up for renewal at the end of the month. Presumably if I put it in before it expires it’s still a ‘renewal’ not a new passport even if it’s takes longer to process.
Should be classed as a "renewal" - just hang on to the current passport since you will need to provide it as one of the forms of ID to get your new one.
You don’t have to renew before it expires especially if you’re not planning on traveling abroad any time soon. I believe you have a few years after it expires to apply for a renewal. Can’t remember if it’s 2 or 3 years. I just renewed after 18 months..
DFAT says differently - https://www.passports.gov.au/getting-passport-how-it-works/p…
As long as it was made post 2006, any passport after that is a renewal
from this website, it's not a criteria for your passport to be current to apply for a renewal.
https://www.passports.gov.au/getting-passport-how-it-works/p…
As soon as you pay for "expedited" delivery, it will appear within days - has happened to a few friends :/
It's almost like they are sitting on them waiting for people to pay the extra fee :P
Even "expedited" can take weeks - I insisted on a refund of the additional fee after nearly three weeks…
We apparently have some of the most expensive passport fees in the world and also some of the longest wait times :-(
Yep - about $110 for my wife (dual citizen) to get her foreign passport.
I paid almost $500 today to get mine renewed at an Aus overseas office. Ridiculous.
I don’t get the issue. $30 per year for an adult. If that’s too much, it might be worth reconsidering whether you can afford to actually travel overseas.
A 10 year passport in most South East Asian countries cost less then $40.
Exactly. If you cannot afford $60 per person per trip (assuming you travel once every two years), probably should just stick to traveling local. That is probably the same price as the taxi to the airport.
It's too much when the govt bans its usage for two years. Where's the refund for the time we weren't allowed to use them? Let's call it 18 months, say $50 if your PP was valid the whole time?
I recall the phrase "fee for no service" was mentioned in some sort of high profile Royal Commission recently?
@BobLim: I be agree there should be a Royal commission into may of the things the Libs/Nats did.
Also, why don’t you ask for a refund or credit.
But again, nothing to do with my comment
It's an issue when you look at other developed countries and their associated costs. The Nordic countries, Japan all have similar cost of living if not much higher but their passports is only a third of the cost we paid.
Dividing that cost over 10 years to justify overpriced service is not ok and anyone who believes in that has pretty much been brainwashed by government agenda to mask their inefficiency and overpaid salaries.
@lgacb08: So $60 (assuming a trip every two years) on top of your overseas holiday is just ridiculous? Is that what you are saying?
For me, if $60 would break the bank and cause that much grief, I would personally conclude that i can’t afford to travel.
But i guess that $60 is 50 bottles of bintang and thats what hurts the most for some people.
@Vote for Pedro: mate, no one is complaining about that added cost for travel, there're many other expensive things for travel, passport is a piss in the ocean. With over a quarter of the population being born overseas and probably twice that many have some links overseas, travelling is part of life for many, it's not a luxury or just pure holiday leisure and can be a necessity at times.
Your and many others' ignorant to the fact is a perfect recipe for government bureaucrats to justify their overcharging. It will not be long before they come up with $100 a year licence renewal or $2000 quarterly council rate if we are complacent and not keeping them in check.
@lgacb08: So you’re saying people who don’t need to travel should subsidise people like you who want to travel?
I can guarantee you the cost of processing, security checks, printing etc a passport is far greater that the measly $300 for 10 years.
Just because I want to travel doesn’t mean I want people to subsidise my leisure. It would be selfish of me to expect that. But I guess that’s it, we are a selfish community.
Surely you are against government handouts for things like leisure travel overseas.
Your other example are simply incomparable. They are absolute necessities to survive in this country.
Great when you are single, Try renewing all a families passports at once.
I too think it is massively overpriced.
Sure, when you amortize it to $30 per year per adult it sounds more palatable, but that doesn't change the reality that it costs $308 a pop. Other developed nations charge you far far less for the same document.
I mean, if I bought a spoon for $1000 and used it 3x/day for 10 years, it would only come out roughly .09 per use. It wouldn't change the issue that it's a massively overpriced spoon.
@tebbybabes: In the context as a proportion of the cost of your overseas travel it’s insignificant. I just fail to see the issue. If you can’t afford $30 or $60 per trip on your passport, you really can’t afford the trip
Lets keep it in context. A trip to europe is $2500 for airfares and then there’s accomodation, foods, transport, travel insurance and the list goes in. The biggest issue OzBargain has is the $30 or $60 per trip passport cost?
Even if you only use it twice in ten years it’s a small expense in relation to the overall trip
@Vote for Pedro: If taking it in the context as a proportion of the cost of overseas travel, then I suppose it can seem "insignificant". And on one hand I can see the logic in what you're saying.
However, a large part of me is also seeing it from a different viewpoint. The point that similar documents are provided for far less money.
e.g. the cost of the sad sandwich and drink that I get from the airport concessions will be such a small proportion of my overall expenses of the trip, that it can also seem insignificant, but my brain can still comprehend that it's overpriced.
I get it, at the airport, I'm a captive customer and I have limited choices and I have to take it up the rear with whatever they want to charge me. I completely understand it. I can afford the crappy sandwich and I can afford the $308. It doesn't mean I have to be happy and be all butterflies and rainbows about it.
Even if you only use it twice in ten years it’s a small expense in relation to the overall trip>
This is completely factual. However, I'm just comparing apples to apples. And other apples are cheaper.
@tebbybabes: Eat the other apples then :P
And yes, I am being unemotionally factual. I guess it’s because a passport (in most circumstances) is not an essential need but rather a want.
Should it be cheaper? Maybe. Or should it cover the actual cost of provision? Probably. Because then people not needing passports aren’t subsidising (via the taxation system) those who want them.
Lettuce on the other hand.
It used to be like that in the Australian embassy in Manila - they would 'expidite ' your visa application for a generous cash donation/fee, or you could wait in line forever like the other cheap foreign bastards.
Gotta pay 2 play mate. This ain’t no charity 🙃
I heard on the radio the other day that there is a number you can call, and they upgrade your application to urgent delivery in cases where delays have been way more than expected.
Does anyone know the number. Calling 13 12 32 is a waste of time. Regardless of when I call I can’t even get in a call queue….. “we are experiencing long delays, please try again later…”
Just on 2 months. It would be nice to know where the hell my passport is.
Try this…
People who have been waiting for more than six weeks and have an urgent need to travel can email [email protected] to check in on the status of their passport application.
https://www.3aw.com.au/passport-warning-to-australians-for-t…
Thanks. Done. Let’s see how long it takes them to reply and their response.
@jv: Email sent 8 July, following reply received this morning:
“Thank you for your email regarding your passport application.
We have received your application and it is being processed. You will receive notification once your passport is despatched via registered post. If we require more information, we will contact you.
We appreciate your patience and apologise for the delays you’ve experienced.”
Sounds like an email you should get when you lodge. Also, the fact that it’s been two months and the email contains the words “if we require more information we will contact you” indicates to me that they haven’t even looked at my renewal application.
Bloody useless.
4 months is a while,
Mine was applied for in February, received Late May.
3 months all up.
You'll get a notification, but mind you this was before every man and their dog dusted off their passport.
Thanks for the replies
I understand fully that the logical and normal thing to do is to contact them for an update, but that doesn't seem to be possible at the moment
I have also heard that as you can't get through on the phone the only way to get an update is to queue up outside the office at 5am
Hence my asking for other peoples experiences
Asking on ozbargain is almost a no brainer for issues like these, especially when you feel you are out of option. You get heaps of reply very quickly and read it in your own time without listening music on the phone. Also enough useful replies to give you the information you are looking for.
It's messed up. People who are paying the extra are getting their passports within a few days while others who are seeing them advertising wait times of 6 to 8 weeks and opting not to pay the extra are waiting months. Phone calls to enquire about the wait are greeted with a recorded message.
Personally I find the whole situation disgusting. Whats next.. pay extra to get your tax return faster? Pay extra so the police come quicker?
If they can't process the applications in the time they promise then they should pause the express service for all except those who have lost their passports.
It's like a few years ago if you paid extra they would do additional tests on your cervical cancer test. So if had more you had a better chance of finding it and surviving. So wrong.
EXACT SAME SITUATION LIKE YOU. NEW CHILD PASSPORT APPLIED IN MARCH.
YOU NEED TO GO TO YOUR LOCAL PASSPORT OFFICE.
Queue up there, show you your ref no. and tell them you are travelling in 2 weeks. They will prioritise your application. I did that and a week later passport delivered in mailbox.
i paid for the express service one morning in January, it was ready the next morning
just 6 weeks to get new child passport. lodged in Perth, WA. processed in Melbourne.
done in 5 weeks and another week spent in AP delivery.
Yep I just got my passport renewed and new passport for child and they took 4 and 5 weeks respectively.
My kids passport has been nearly 2 months (renewal). Spoke to them last week, and they said it’ll would be another 2 weeks minimum BUT they said if I applied now, it would take 16 weeks!!
Well this should be interesting. We submitted my childs renewal last week, they quoted 8-12weeks. Our travel date was exactly 16weeks from lodgement.
Are the delays caused by the high volume of people allowing their passports to expire and not renewing them before expiry?
I renewed mine when it was nearing expiry and there was minimal wait time.
I believe so. With barely any travel the last 2 years peeps just let their passports expire.
I renewed mine 3 weeks ago and got it last week.
Not sure if it made a difference but I did my renewal at the main post office in the CBD
Most of this issues with the huge waiting times for Passports is the pent-up demand from the almost two years of international travel restrictions. The government should have discounted the price from the very expensive $308 to $200 for the period of restriction as people who had passports expired did not renew as there was no benefit in doing it.
It was very short sighted as I knew when the borders opened again their would be a mad rush (Which is why I renewed last year)
Whilst travel restrictions were in place, some people were able to obtain exemptions and travelled during that time.
Similar to our drivers license being valid during a time when restrictions prevented many of us from driving (or at least driving very far).
That was only some, not the vast majority, which is where the problem lies.
Adult renewal 13/6 in large CBD APO business centre. Sent out 30/6, with confirmation email and AusPost dispatch/tracking event scan 1/7. Didn't pay for priority.
Sounds like luck of the draw/random though. Probably will be 4-5 weeks all up for me with AusPost snail mail included.
Whats going to happen by joining 8 hour queue at the passport office??
As if you will go to the office and are going to issue the passport yourself.
Wait for another few weeks and you will get it eventually. This is the new normal processing time now.
This would be normal if they said that the wait time is >3 months at the time when I applied in April. It is NOT normal to state 6-8 weeks when your application is pushed and you have to manually escalate to winn the draw and get anything done.
One of my friends applied later than me and already got his, how's that?
I am just worried that the dopey person who did my application at the post office didn't submit it properly and I am not even in the queue.
I have not heard of many people who have been waiting as long as me.
What makes you say the staff member did something wrong? Did you get a reference number?
I remember when I renewed my passport you could track progress online. Though this was some years ago.
Blaming the staff member for no reason is unreasonable
I am no necessarily blaming the person. The person who served me at my local post office seemed quite uncertain about the process - it took a long time as they had to refer to their instructions and go to the back and ask someone else quite a few times. So looking at all possibilities there is a chance that it was not submitted correctly.
Anyway I have checked with them and according to them it was all submitted
I am no necessarily blaming the person
And yet…
I am just worried that the dopey person who did my application at the post office didn't submit it properly
Perhaps your attitude needs a check.
Did you get an application number?
I've been following the news as I have a new child passport and a passport renewal lodged in early June and I'm supposed to be flying mid Aug…
Apparently more people have been added to the call center to actually answer calls. Have you tried within the last week? Please report back if you have and what happened.
Also I read the Sydney office has implemented a new queuing system, so the pickups aren't mixed in with the other complaints which should help those who just need to pickup. But not sure what the queues are like now, if they have died down or not. Please let us know what you do!
The most annoying thing is how arbitrary the waiting times are. The same passport application type lodged on the same day can have vastly different processing times.
Update: husband's renewal came through. Now ready for pickup after 4 weeks from lodgement. Been 5 weeks from new child passport app and no word yet.
Final update: got email about the new kids passport being ready. So 5 weeks for adult renewal and 6 weeks for new kids one. Guess I got lucky. Was only going to panic in Aug for travel in mid Aug.
You should be calling the passport office as a first step instead of OzBargain customer service.
If you are applying for kids passports depending on your circumstances it could take a while if you don't have both parents consent or there are special circumstances so there is also that.