Australian passports ‘taking six months’ to be renewed in huge backlog

Passport wait times are causing massive headaches for Aussies wanting to travel overseas for the upcoming school holidays. 

Delays have been at an all-time high since international borders reopened, with some citizens waiting more than three months, and some claim up to six months, to get their first passport or have their passport renewed. 

The Australian Passport Office has worked overtime to try and keep up with the ‘unprecedented demand’.

The APO receives more than 15,000 applications a day and is experiencing around six weeks of work in the processing queue, reports The Guardian. 

More than 160,000 applications have been lodged in September alone. 

Delays have been longer for adults and children applying for their first passport due to extra security checks and the supporting documents that need to be verified. 

Australia Post has a $225 priority service for a passport to be priority processed in two days, but those who can’t afford the priority fee have expressed concern they’ll be pushed further down the queue if they don’t pay it. 

Some tried to contact the Australian Passport Office about the issue directly, and others took to social media to vent.

One user wrote: ’23 weeks and 2 days, still nothing. Called the passport office countless times, no issue with the passport, just in a massive queue.’

‘Why is it taking longer than 10 weeks to get an Australian Passport renewed. Might miss our trip as we won’t have time to all get visas. This is poor show Australia!’ another commented.

‘Really bad experience at the APO. 3 month wait for my daughter’s passport and it was a real cliffhanger!’ a third added.

‘We were calling the hotline for a month, only to be told the passport is still in processing.’

One complained they got their passport after ’10 weeks from application, calls to the APO every day for the last two weeks. Two emails to my local MP. A previous trip to the NSW APO last Wednesday’.

More than 160,000 passport applications have been lodged to the Australian Passport Office this month alone. The APO is experiencing around six weeks of work in the processing queue

Would-be travellers have contacted the APO directly while others have taken to social media to share their concerns over passport wait times (pictured, passengers waiting in line at Sydney airport) 

Numerous complaints have been filed to the Commonwealth Ombudsman about the issue over the past year.

The Ombudsman received 649 complaints about passport delays from July 2021 to June 2022.

They received 42 complaints in August alone.

With 2.4 million passports expiring over the course of the pandemic, processing times have doubled since October 2021.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade advised holidaymakers to allow six weeks for their new passport in a statement released last week.

Travellers with concerns are advised to call the Australian Passport Office for a status check (pictured, police greeting passengers at Perth airport)

‘If you’re thinking of travelling overseas during the summer break, plan ahead,’ DFAT said.

‘Like many countries, Australia is experiencing unprecedented demand for passports.

‘If you need a new passport, you should lodge your application now. Where possible, don’t book flights without a valid passport.’

DFAT advised would-be travellers who couldn’t wait ‘at least six weeks’ to use the priority passport processing service, which costs an additional $225 on top of the $308 application fee.

Travellers with concerns are advised to call the Australian Passport Office for a status check.