The days of trudging to the post office with passport application and supporting documentation in hand will soon be a thing of the past.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is planning a major change to how Australians apply for first-time passports that eliminates the current requirement to lodge in person at Australia Post.
DFAT is launching a fully online application system that is anticipated to go live within the next year or so, according to reports.
Traditional in-person lodgment will still be available for those who prefer it.
The reform applies only to new or first-time passport applications.
The changes mean Australians seeking a new passport will be able to submit everything online – including identity documents, photos, and payment – without visiting a post office.
Renewals are already offered as an online submission for many applicants.
DFAT’s new system aims to streamline the process using digital identity verification tools, such as facial recognition, auto complete and document upload to replace manual checks.
All applicants must continue to meet existing requirements for citizenship and secure documents as in the current system.
Passport processing issues
DFAT is responding to longstanding issues by implementing an online processing system for new passports.
It is part of its ongoing effort to modernise passport issuance.
According to a report published by the Australian National Audit Office in February last year, DFAT has not been efficiently delivering passport services.
While the department has timeframe targets for processing applications, those targets are not customer focused and are not being consistently met, the Auditor General found.
“There are no resource efficiency targets; the average cost to produce a passport has increased more than the increase in the price of labour; and staff efficiency, which was improving up until the COVID-19 pandemic, has deteriorated since the international border was reopened,” the report said.
Of the 3.1 million passports issued in 2022-23, 24 percent of applications processed between June 2022 and June 2023 took longer than six weeks, the report found.
The report made nine recommendations aimed at improving the measurement of time efficiency, installing greater focus on resource efficiency, improved complaints handling and improving the department’s time and resource efficiency.
What next
If you are applying for a child’s or your first adult passport, watch the Australian Passport Office’s website over coming months for access to the full digital application portal.
Otherwise, you can still apply via the existing process (online form and in-person lodgement) or wait until the new option launches.
If you are renewing, it is likely you are already eligible to complete it fully online.
Digital passenger card pilot
In other travel related news, travellers on select Qantas flights (QF144 and QF122) arriving into Sydney Airport from New Zealand will be eligible to participate in a pilot of the digital incoming passenger card, which was first trialled a year ago.
After completing the declaration prior to travelling, passengers receive a digital pass with a QR code through the Qantas app to their nominated email.
This can then be shown to Australian Border Force (ABF) and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) officers for a streamlined clearance through biosecurity and border controls.
The pilot of the program was introduced at Brisbane International Airport in October 2024.
More than 70,000 passengers have taken up the digital Australia Travel Declaration since it began.
The ABF said it expects to expand the trial over the coming months to include additional Qantas flights.
