How to get an Australian Passport

Step 1: Pick up your passport application form(s) from the Post Office.
Step 2: Complete the eight page application form(s), which is actually four pages of instructions and four pages of information about how to fill it in. There are two extra pages for children’s applications in case you need to get a passport for a minor.
Step 3: Get a passport sized photograph and have it endorsed by somebody who already has Australian citizenship and a current valid passport.

ApplicationStep 4: Gather some additional documents; birth certificates, utility bills, driver’s license, UK passport, in any combination as detailed in the application form to prove your ID.
Step 5: Put all these documents in one envelope or even a supermarket carrier bag, jump in your car with it and drive to the Post Office.

Drive 1 Drive 2 Drive 3

Drive 4Step 6: Arrive at the Post Office, park sensibly and take your envelope or supermarket carrier bag of documents into the Post Office.

Post office 1

Post office 2Step 7: Hand over the documents and pay the Post Office $233 for each 10 year adult passport and $117 for each 5 year child’s passport.

“When will you be travelling?” We were asked.

“In about a month or so.” said Mrs BobinOz. I said nothing, as you know, I wasn’t travelling anywhere.

“Okay, that’s good; passports are taking about 2 weeks to process right now.”

Step 8: Wait 2 weeks for the postman to arrive.

Amazingly, exactly 2 weeks later, 3 passports arrived by registered post. Here is mine…

Aussie Passport 1

Aussie Passport 2Oh, sorry, I should mention that these steps only apply to Australians, if you weren’t born in Australia you have to do some prep work. This is what I had to do…

Once you have your new Australian passport, the world’s your oyster. Me, I put my passport in a safe little box along with my UK passport. Not sure when I’ll use it, but nice to have it anyway.

Dual nationality.

Yes, I officially have dual nationality. My UK passport describes me as a British Citizen and my Australian passport describes me as Australian.

Fantastic!” says the Brit.
Beauty!” says the Aussie.

It’s pronounced “bewdy” by the way; well I have to get it right now, don’t I?

Visa Assessment Service
{ 19 comments… add one }
  • Chris May 24, 2022, 4:55 am |

    Hi My wife was born in Australia but moved to the UK when she was 4, and is now wanting to apply for a dual passport, can this be done from the UK?

    • BobinOz May 25, 2022, 6:31 pm |

      I think so, but I suggest you telephone or visit your nearest Australian Embassy in the UK. I think they would be able to help you with this.

  • Susan Karemeri January 23, 2019, 7:15 pm |

    Hallo, i am a Kenyan and really wish to come to Australia. I am a library clerk and passionate about my work. I also desire to work for care giving services.
    Kindly advice whether it can be viable since am in my own country and getting documents to enable me to achieve my dreams is not easy.
    Regards,
    Susan

  • anjila boghosian February 12, 2018, 3:30 pm |

    i want document passport australia

  • daruosh September 15, 2015, 5:29 am |

    I want to leave Australia

  • ifeetugga May 20, 2014, 9:08 pm |

    I was just curious, and I hope that I don’t sound like an idiot for asking, but doesn’t Australia have anything like a “Citizenship Card”?
    See, Canadian citizens(mainly those who have been naturalized) can enter the country using the passport of their country of origin as long as they show the Citizenship Card and/or(if I’m correct) the Certificate of Citizenship. So if you are, say, the holder of an Indian Passport(Indians need visas to travel to Canada) but have received your Canadian citizenship, the Citizenship Card will suffice(you’re no longer the holder of a valid Permanent Residency Card once you become a citizen) in order to enter Canada from a trip overseas.
    Is an Australian passport the only means to enter Australia and to prove that you’re an Australian citizen?

    • BobinOz May 21, 2014, 9:42 pm |

      Nope, pretty sure we have nothing like that here in Australia and I’m also pretty sure we didn’t have anything like it in the UK either. I do have a certificate to prove I am an Australian citizen though, but I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t help me through customs.

      I think the only way in and out of this country for Australian citizens is with an Australian passport, although with everything being held on computers, I’m sure there are other ways in but there will be a few hoops to jump through.

      • ifeetugga May 22, 2014, 3:07 pm |

        Thanks for the reply Bob. I believe Australian passports cost around A$230+, whereas Canadian passports these days cost around C$160(for a passport that’s valid for ten years). Given the higher costs involved, don’t you guys feel that a cheaper Citizenship Card (or their Citizenship Certificate)could be an option for some Aussies to travel to, say, New Zealand, even by using the passport of their country of origin?
        Just a thought! I can understand that nothing makes you feel more Australian than your passport, but nothing wrong with being allowed other options without having to jump through hoops, is there? Any thoughts?

        • BobinOz May 22, 2014, 7:03 pm |

          As far as I know, I believe it is possible to enter this country with the passport from your country of origin as an Australian citizen up to a given period of time after your citizenship. I’m very hazy on the facts, I haven’t looked into it. I think even after that period has expired, it’s still possible, but it’s messy.

          Records have to be checked on the computer and you will be put into a holding room until it’s all sorted. Citizenship cards are a bit alien to me, so I don’t have an opinion.

          But I do have two passport 🙂

  • Shane Todd December 13, 2013, 9:31 pm |

    Oh yeah I could go on and on about how much of a bad wicket the Aussies get while living here on an Aussie passport from an Immigration point of view and how non-English speaking EU nationals get an open goal haha.

    At least I can sit here in work all smug that we’re dominating in the cricket! 🙂

    • BobinOz December 16, 2013, 1:49 pm |

      Oh, I don’t know anything about the cricket; what cricket? 🙂

  • Shane Todd December 13, 2013, 9:27 pm |

    Wish I could move back, but seriously you can’t beat the cost of living in the North of England compared to any capital city in Australia where are the only places that have any meaningful jobs in my industry! Managed to bag a 4 bed house in Manchester for under £100K.

    Yeah I got British Citizenship last year. Apparently the official line was it’s to prevent fraud etc. but what gets me is if they do these interviews, why don’t they ask for the documents then and there in the interview…. makes sense.

    Anyways enough about me ranting, every cloud the passport office is going to pay me compo for the lost passport, pay for my train travel down to Australia House, any additional supporting documents the Aussies may need for a lost passport and £150 quid so I can take time off work,all if they don’t find it in 7 days… seems fair and would probably save me money on a renewal as well 😉

  • Shane Todd December 13, 2013, 9:55 am |

    So much more simpler doing Brit becoming Aussie, doing the reverse Aussie becoming Brit is a bloody nightmare. Not only don’t you have to send all your ID in the post, they ask you to come for an interview to interrogate the life out of you and have the privilege of waiting 6 weeks to finally get my 1st Pommy Passport!! No other way apparently, no chance of going into an interview with the supporting documents which is more sensible, they only do things 1 way! Also the halfwits have lost my Aussie passport in their office!!! How’s that for form!!!

    • BobinOz December 13, 2013, 4:14 pm |

      That sounds a bit excessive, why the interrogation? I assume you have British citizenship? Doesn’t really make sense.

      And losing your Aussie passport, that’s just plain bad. Come back to Australia Shane, you know you miss it 🙂

  • Geraldine October 19, 2012, 6:53 am |

    Excellent news, perhaps a toast is in order . Geraldine

    • BobinOz October 22, 2012, 7:03 pm |

      Oh, don’t worry, we’ve had a toast or three 🙂

  • Doris October 18, 2012, 11:08 pm |

    Congratulations Bob and your family. That is fantastic. Hopefully this will happen to us one day .

    • BobinOz October 22, 2012, 7:02 pm |

      Thank you Doris, it’s been a long road, but well worth it. I hope it does happen to you one day too.

Cancel reply

Leave a Comment

If your comment doesn’t get answered, find out why…..
FAQs and Comment Policy.