Passport Renewal / Application - Time Taken?

[prozac]

Update.
...
So Passport Renewal lodged at local post office on 13 Aug.
New passport in hand on 26 Aug. Intervening period included 3 public holidays, and was also school holiday period. So just under 7 business days all up.

August!

 

[MH_fan]

I think it's meant to be April.
Anyway, I don't understand why there is such inconsistency in processing passport renewals.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

August!

Yep sorry. April. Mid-August is when we fly back. We fly out mid-June in just over 7 weeks time.

 

[MH_fan]

I'm also flying in mid June. Submitted my renewal application 2 weeks before you, lovetravellingoz, and I'm still waiting...

 

[Melburnian1]

I think it's meant to be April.
Anyway, I don't understand why there is such inconsistency in processing passport renewals.

For a start, they're lodged at larger Australia Post offices Australia-wide so must firstly arrive at the Passport Office for processing.

Inevitably despite checking by postal officers, some forms have mistakes.

Others may be an attempt at fraud. We don't know how often, but despite checks and balances, including new passport designs that strike me as extremely difficult to replicate, never underestimate crims.

On some, writing may be difficult to discern. If you had a pile to process, I'd guess they'd suffer a delay as they should because our job when completing the form is to be clear with the fine detail.

And even when processed and sent, a passport to a Sydney or Melbourne suburb is going to take less time to be delivered than one bound for a Rural Mail Delivery in remote Queensland or Western Australia.

From recent use, I was very satisfied with the speed. Far better than I'd expected, given that a fair number of previously regular overseas travellers must be applying for passports even if some won't use them for a few months.

 

[YSSY]

6+ weeks since I applied for my Australian Passport, I submitted an online application for my UK passport at exactly the same time and sent the old one off to the UK. The UK one has already been approved (despite purported delays in the UK also). It'll be interesting to see which one lands on our door step first.

 

[I love to travel]

Got it. 7 weeks and 2 days. Very relieved.

 

[offshore171]

Looks like NZ seeing similar issues

Stuff

i.stuff.co.nz

 

[MH_fan]

Officially 4 weeks today and still nothing...

 

[Monya Meow Meow]

Lodged my 10 months' old passport application back in early April, received the passport 3 days ago
So all in all, took around 3 weeks which was way way shorter than 6~8 weeks.

We got lucky maybe...

 

[SydneySwan]

The youngest cygnet submitted passport application on April 6 at post office in downtown Sydney. It was a renewal but his old passport was a child one and his new passport will be adult. Just over 4 weeks passed and status is still ''under assessment''. Since then he has booked to travel overseas on May 18. Whenever he rings they are too busy to take calls and suggest he calls later.

Website says you should allow 6 weeks to receive passport which in his case would be May 18. Any ideas to try and hurry the process up?

 

[I love to travel]

Your only hope is to beg Minister Payne's office to intervene.

 

[YSSY]

Looking at DFAT twitter, there are people waiting 8-10 weeks without receiving their passport. It’s bizarre why some are processed quicker than others, even family members submitted together.

 

[MH_fan]

Officially 5 weeks now and still nothing!

 

[MH_fan]

Officially 6 weeks today since I submitted my renewal application and still nothing...

 

[andye]

I was witnessing a friend's UK passport tonight
I was a smidge surprised that doctor is on a second tier of acceptable professions (below chiropodist, professional photographer, union official, journalist and 40 others)

 

[I love to travel]

Officially 6 weeks today since I submitted my renewal application and still nothing...

Contact Minister Paynes office tomorrow

 

[MH_fan]

I'm hearing from friends and work colleagues that passport renewals are taking up to 8 weeks now! I have 4 weeks to go before my overseas trip but would ideally like to have my new passport at least 2 weeks before so I can do all the necessary documentation for vaccination certificates and entry passes for the different countries!

 

[RAM]

Looks like NZ seeing similar issues

Stuff

i.stuff.co.nz

Curious, a friend of ours lodged their renewal on Apr 22nd for their expired NZ passport - totally online, which he boasted provides an online automatic check of the photo you provide. They are planning to fly late May, and he rang the helpline which went through to NZ in a few minutes. Questioned what time for processing was, told 22 business days for new passports sent out that day.

Told he may want to consider 'expedited' processing. Apparently after a few minutes of chatting about the process, the CC guy checked his application for the photo & said it might still get rejected... Take a few additional ones just in case, if rejected then you do not lose place in processing queue, you get emailed for replacement.

Sure enough three business days later, he got an email.

"Passport dispatched"

Received his new passport April 29th in Sydney. Just 5 business days from lodging to receiving, seems it paid off handsomely to call after lodging to check.

Then, he added, you save around NZD 100 for lodging online and not using paper.

Bah humbug!!!

 

[RAM]

I was witnessing a friend's UK passport tonight
I was a smidge surprised that doctor is on a second tier of acceptable professions (below chiropodist, professional photographer, union official, journalist and 40 others)

Recent drop in status? If so, perhaps a Covid adjustment?

Who does the UK Govt want to thin the ranks of....unions officials, photographers, journalists...