Passport Renewal / Application - Time Taken?

[DC3]

Yes. Oz Post will deliver to all locations, including Passport Offices and Post Offices, from the Melbourne area. Now it seems that almost everyone wants a replacement passport and they want it now. Well, that’s not going to happen for most, is it?

 

[kallinch]

So following my previous post (noted below), I emailed the following once, each on same day:

[email protected] <- Instant auto reply; acknowledging receipt of email
[email protected] <- No reply
[email protected] <-Instant auto reply; acknowledging receipt of email
[email protected] <- No reply

My local MP for Macnamara, VIC:[email protected] <- Reply from Debra 'Electorate Officier' within ~12hours requesting:
Full Name
Date of Birth
Application Number
Application Date
Date of Travel

After submitting above back to Debra, confirmed forwarded onto “internal DFAT contact” same day
[email protected]

My passport did end up getting posted to me via regiserted mail, about 2 days after, (no email or phone reply though), I collected in person at my LPO this past Wednesday.

So I'm not sure which one of these emails "worked" or is best contact....

But clearly one of them did and was actioned quickly....my guess given response is that it was the MP email, so chase down your local MP! Maybe it helped that I'm in the topical electorate of Macnamara! (Noting no verification was requested to see if I actually am in Macnamara...)

As a side note calling the Passport office was useless - hung up on each time during IVR.

So I submitted my renewal last Friday 3rd June at Melbourne GPO post office (before midday as that’s when collection occurs). Emailed ready to pickup from Melb passport office today Tues 7th June. I paid priority fee. So within 2 day turnaround.

Catch being, I explicitly requested postal for delivery to avoid queues.….phone number not being answered so have tried email mentioned above in this thread.

tbc….not looking forward to the wait in rain for 3hrs….

 

[DC3]

Yes. New passports in the fullness of time. Now everyone wants one, when 6 months ago many couldn’t be bothered.

 

[PlutekPlutek]

Just curious why people need to line up, instead of having it courier delivered ?
If you apply outside of Sydney, do you have to drive to Sydney and line up ? Seems a bit pointless. What's the advantage ? If it can be mailed/couriered to regional addresses, can't it be mailed to Sydney/Melbourne ? Or does it save time ? Where is the bottleneck ? It seems the printing shouldn't take weeks - so it must be some manual checking, or binding, mailing , or what do people think?
I need my passport renewed by late July - considering paying the $200+ rush fee - no big deal - it seems there's a few reports these get turned around within a week.

 

[stm1sydney]

Really have little sympathy with ppl who expect a govt service that usually handles a steady monthly renewal volume to then switch to processing apparently around a million applications (think thats right) and to have done them by yesterday.

I don't think you can blame people for leaving it to when they know they are confirmed to travel. Given the very substantial cost of passports, it's a big expense for some people to have to renew their passport in 2020 knowing that it might be years before they can use it.

 

[DC3]

I don't think you can blame people for leaving it to when they know they are confirmed to travel. Given the very substantial cost of passports, it's a big expense for some people to have to renew their passport in 2020 knowing that it might be years before they can use it.

My renewal fee was nothing compared to the cost of the trip, and half the cost of my travel insurance. These are all just part of the costs for me.

However, we all see these things differently. And some are more pro-active when planning ahead.

 

[Julesmac]

Both our passports expired late last year (no planned trips so didn't give it a thought). There will be no more o/s trips for MrMac anyway due to restrictions on insurance cover. To be prudent though a 'just in case' scenario happened I thought we'd better renew. Clearly the universe has a sense of humour - all those poor angry/upset/plans-stuffed-up people who desperately need new passports urgently - versus us with no travel plans whatsoever. New passports received by registered mail in Melbourne 16 days after lodgement. Go figure

 

[RooFlyer]

Friend lodged a 'renewal' for a recently expired passport at local post-office in suburban Hobart today (Friday), with priority processing. Will report back when it comes back.

Lodged Hobart suburb June 10. Four business days later, sent notification that it was 'about to be' dispatched via registered post. Delivered Hobart suburb four business days after that (from Melbourne, I assume)

Edit: Express processing was paid.

 

[Lemon_Party]

Applied for daughters first passport in BNE at local Auspost. Received in registered mail around 3.5 weeks later. Standard service.

 

[Hvr]

Being reported that the passport printer in MEL has broken down. May not be operational until next week.

 

[prozac]

Being reported that the passport printer in MEL has broken down. May not be operational until next week.

Maybe he will feel better after the weekend.

 

[RooFlyer]

 

[SydneySwan]

View attachment 282800

I hadn't realised the printer had been upgraded. Thanks for posting.

 

[SCM]

Does anyone know, if you renew your passport before expiry date, do you get any of that remaining time added to your new passport? I know in some countries they will do it for up to 6 or even 9 months, but not so sure about AU.

 

[I love to travel]

Does anyone know, if you renew your passport before expiry date, do you get any of that remaining time added to your new passport? I know in some countries they will do it for up to 6 or even 9 months, but not so sure about AU.

No there isn't any carry over of additional time.

 

[Babesofy]

Contributing to a data point - Adult passport renewal, lodged at post office for standard service on Fri 3rd June. When I lodged, PO staff told me processing time is 8 wks.
I have been checking the online portal periodically to see if 'status' has changed.
On Mon 6th June, status changed to 'Lodged'
26th June, status changed to 'Under assessment' (though the status may have changed earlier, I haven't been checking very often)
Not sure how many more 'statuses' there are?

 

[SydneySwan]

Under assessment seems to be the default status once the passport application has reached a processing office. It does not seem to be updated in real time. After my youngest son had received his passport (collected in Sydney after local MP's office had given DFAT the hurry-up) the status was still UA.

 

[Port Power]

Just curious why people need to line up, instead of having it courier delivered ?
If you apply outside of Sydney, do you have to drive to Sydney and line up ? Seems a bit pointless. What's the advantage ? If it can be mailed/couriered to regional addresses, can't it be mailed to Sydney/Melbourne ? Or does it save time ? Where is the bottleneck ? It seems the printing shouldn't take weeks - so it must be some manual checking, or binding, mailing , or what do people think?
I need my passport renewed by late July - considering paying the $200+ rush fee - no big deal - it seems there's a few reports these get turned around within a week.

It seems many people chose the option to collect from a Post Office (or GPO for city workers) rather than have the passport mailed to their home address. They did not have to line up, but chose that option. Not that people expected to queue, as obviously they were the only few who were renewing their passports!

I hope you have lodged your renewal application by now? And chose the express mail option?

 

[jastel]

Can somebody who got a new passport tell me if it is still a P series, or are they onto the new R series ones yet?

 

[dylarr]

Can somebody who got a new passport tell me if it is still a P series, or are they onto the new R series ones yet?

They are still doing P series.

Someone sent a request to DFAT through Right To Know earlier this month and got a response a few days ago:

"A specific date for the release of the next generation Australian passport, the R Series, has not yet been set however it is anticipated to be this calendar year (2022)."

R Series Passport - a Freedom of Information request to Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Can you please provide a specific and updated timeline of when the new R series passports are expected to be available and issued for new applications? Yours faithfully, Jay

www.righttoknow.org.au