Passport Renewal / Application - Time Taken?

Australia's highest-earning Velocity Frequent Flyer credit card: Offer expires: 21 Jan 2025
- Earn 60,000 bonus Velocity Points
- Get unlimited Virgin Australia Lounge access
- Enjoy a complimentary return Virgin Australia domestic flight each year

AFF Supporters can remove this and all advertisements

$427.00 for a 5 years kid visa including express fee...
On the positive side it did arrive in just a couple of days.
 
Renewal lodged 21 June and received 2 July.

No curling like some previous posters have experienced, but the cover does not sit neatly shut like my old passports. Maybe some time in the passport holder will fix that up.
 
Applied 27 June (just before the $50 price increase), received passport today 10 July. Gotta say, for the extortionate cost (most expensive passport in the world now I believe, even eclipsing Mexico since the price rise on 1 July), it is a real let down and singularly unimpressive. It's worth about $40, not $400. Remarkable for what you don't get for all that money. Mine appears to have about 16 pages only, it won't close by itself without being jammed between something to hold it closed. Both covers front and back are permanently curled up like I've been swimming with it and just in general design aesthetic terms, it is a dreadfully cheap looking thing. I thought I might be looking back with rose tinted glasses retrospectively, so I pulled out my past four passports to compare and nup… I was completely right. All my previous passports back to Sep 1987 are much more impressive.

That, and it came with no holder sleeve or jacket protector or basically anything. It wasn't even wrapped in plastic of any kind in case the envelope got wet (which was definitely on the cards). Basically a complete rip-off when weighed against the ludicrous cost of the thing!
 
$427.00 for a 5 years kid visa including express fee...
Ouch! That's insane. I wish I could claim NZ citizenry. If I had any way of claiming NZ citizenship, I would forget the Australian passport altogether and happily use a NZ one instead. NZ passports are circa $80 only and they're a good deal more powerful than Australian ones too requiring visas for fewer places than Australia. $80 for a more accepted passport vs $400 for the cough that DFAT foist upon us is a slightly better deal
 
Renewal lodged at my local Brisbane PO on 18 July.
E-mail today 5 August that it's ready for collection.

The application status was showing as "under assessment" as recently as yesterday 😅
Noted they were doing some system upgrade over the weekend so maybe the statuses were not reflecting the process.
 
Renewal lodged at my Post Office last Friday October 4.
SMS that it's been sent via Registered Mail, Thursday October 10.

Much faster than I was expecting!
 
Passport received, doesn't seem to have the front page curve issue. Will see how long that's the case.
Find my NZ passport does that. I have to keep it in a pocket or between books to keep it flat! Usually keep it in a pocket in my laptop office trolley bag so OK. My GO-bag for travelling!
 
Ordinary renewal (not really, but...)

25 Sept - Lodged at suburban Sydney PO
14 Oct - Status still showing as 'Lodged' so I call the Passport Office
15 Oct - Receive a phone call in response to case raised by customer service officer. Phone call and email to confirm that original application most likely lost. Advised to complete check list again and relodge.
There's no way I'm relodging at a PO and crossing my fingers, so I arrange to complete at the Passport Office, seeing as it's closer to home than work.
16 Oct - Attend Sydney Passport Office at 8.31am, application processing begins, and I'm advised to wait for the email.
16 Oct - I'm barely at my desk less than an hour after leaving the Passport Office when the email comes through to advise my passport is ready for collection!
17 Oct - 8.31am - straight to the collection counter for my brand new R Series.
31 Oct - Use my new passport for the first time (to NZ, no less)
 
Last edited:
Priority application

Lodged in Auspost RAPID prior to 12pm
Received by passport office for processing by 2pm
Processed the same day and sent for printing by 5pm
Ready for collection 9am the following day from Passport Office.

Paid the priority fee for this though.
 

Become an AFF member!

Join Australian Frequent Flyer (AFF) for free and unlock insider tips, exclusive deals, and global meetups with 65,000+ frequent flyers.

AFF members can also access our Frequent Flyer Training courses, and upgrade to Fast-track your way to expert traveller status and unlock even more exclusive discounts!

AFF forum abbreviations

Wondering about Y, J or any of the other abbreviations used on our forum?

Check out our guide to common AFF acronyms & abbreviations.
Back
Top