[NM]

I was very impressed with the Australian Passport Renewal process. My passport was due to expire in April 2007, so really needed to be renewed now (you need 6 months validity after your planned return date for a trip departing Australia).

So I looked on-line and after following in the links to renew an existing passport I found it was very easy to enter the info and then receive a PDF file of the personalised application form. Just print it out on plane white paper and take it along with two passport photos to a Post Office.

I went to my local post office, but they don't do Passports there. They told me of three nearby ones that do, and as I was going to a shop very close to one of them it was not problem for me. They took the application form on the spot, cut the machine readable strip off my old passport and gave me a receipt for the application. That was lunch time last Friday.

Today (Tuesday) I received an email from passports.online.service@dfat.gov.au stating:

This email is to advise you that your passport application has been processed and your passport has been produced.

Applications lodged in Australia

If you lodged your passport application in Australia and asked for it to be mailed to you, it is now being despatched by registered post and you should receive it within 4-5 working days from the date of this message. If you are unable to receive your passport in person when it is delivered by Australia Post, a card will be left in your letterbox letting you know from which post office it should be collected.

Now that was quick and simple. A very efficient process and good service. I am very impressed.

I wonder how long it would have taken if I had asked for it to be expedited!

[acampbel]

Originally Posted by NM

....
I wonder how long it would have taken if I had asked for it to be expedited!

I arrived back from the UK some years ago to start a new job in Sydney on Monday the 25th of Jan. My new boss said to me "Don't forget we have a holiday tomorrow, and re-pack your bags with some summer clothes - we're going to Bali on Friday for a work conference!"

It was then that I remembered my UK passport had barely 4 months left on it - OK for Aus but not for Indonesia. I quickly got my renewal underway on that day and had a brand new one from the High Commission in Canberra by Thursday. A co-worker (Aussie of course) turned up at Melbourne Airport for the same Bali trip with an about-to-expire passport, and got a new one the same day (though he missed his flight and was bumped to Saturday).


Cheers,

Andrew

[serfty]

Originally Posted by NM

I was very impressed with the Australian Passport Renewal process. My passport was due to expire in April 2007, so really needed to be renewed now (you need 6 months validity after your planned return date for a trip departing Australia). ...

The serfty's are off to HKG next month and went through this renewal process for mrs serfty last month and I too was very impressed with the on line facility. Also needed a new PP for mini serfty.

Filled out and submitted the renewal form online Wed 2pm 15th August; received an email 4:30pm that afternoon due to incorrectly supplying a PO box number for the address. (Interestingly the email was from a Centerlink Employee in Tassie.) We replied that afternoon and received the preprinted pages on the Friday. (Optional Preprinted pages we requested as my printer's on the blink).

The email was received 2 days after the PostOffice interview and the PP arrived via Registered Post Two days after that!

As for mini serfty, her 5year Child PP expired 3 years ago so had to do a full application.

Again, we did this on line; with pre-printed PP form arriving within two days requiring only endorsment from her, us as parents and her Guarantor.

In both cases it was 4 working days from Post-Office to PP arriving.

[simongr]

That is amazing. I still dont see the need for a Post Office interview but 4 days turnaround is great. I need to get mrs sim's UK passport renewed (she is Oz Citizen with dual residency on her fathers side - but her UK passport has expired and her name has changed so its a challenge for changing) and I dont think it will be so quick

Good work to immigration - a few success stories recently (my perm residency was done in 6 weeks from date of first application)

[NM]

Originally Posted by simongr

That is amazing. I still dont see the need for a Post Office interview but 4 days turnaround is great. I need to get mrs sim's UK passport renewed (she is Oz Citizen with dual residency on her fathers side - but her UK passport has expired and her name has changed so its a challenge for changing) and I dont think it will be so quick

Good work to immigration - a few success stories recently (my perm residency was done in 6 weeks from date of first application)

The only involvement from the Post Office for the renewal is that they check the form if properly completed, signed and dates. They check the photos against their jig to ensure they are correct size, exposure etc (and of you!), and check the old passport details and photo to ensure it is yours. They cancel the old passport by cutting off the machine-readable strip and return it to you.

So it was hardly an "interview". Just an application collection and verification process. No booking needed, just walked up to the counter.

Now for a new passport application, the process is more involved, and requires you to have the photos endorsed by someone who has know you for a certain period of time etc. The new passport process does require an appointment be made at most post offices as they only do those "interviews" between certain hours. But the renewal process is slick.

[simongr]

Ahh that makes more sense - mrs sim had to have an interview - but that was I think when she changed names after marriage.

[serfty]

I guess it helps that we used the Online portal. With this we would have done almost ALL of the Data Entry.

I guess all they needed to do once they received the stuff from the Post Office was match the allocated reference numbers, scan the photos and "flick a switch".

[clifford]

Originally Posted by NM

The only involvement from the Post Office for the renewal is that they check the form if properly completed, signed and dates. They check the photos against their jig to ensure they are correct size, exposure etc (and of you!), and check the old passport details and photo to ensure it is yours. They cancel the old passport by cutting off the machine-readable strip and return it to you.

So it was hardly an "interview". Just an application collection and verification process. No booking needed, just walked up to the counter.

Now for a new passport application, the process is more involved, and requires you to have the photos endorsed by someone who has know you for a certain period of time etc. The new passport process does require an appointment be made at most post offices as they only do those "interviews" between certain hours. But the renewal process is slick.

Not sure about that NM.

My kids (who are in their late 20's) had to renew their passports recently and told me that the post office personnel at Kippax ACT were not that helpful. Not a very pleasant experience at all.

As for me, I'll be renewing my passport in person at Gareth's Gazebo, not a post office. I'm a retired DFAT senior executive, and really don't want to get the runaround from a bunch of middlemen.

Like many things in life, for every report of a good experience, there may well be an offsetting report of a bad experience. Caveat emptor.

[garyjohn951]

To those who have recently renwed when you received the passport by post, did you have sign an AR [Advice receipt pink form].

[NM]

Originally Posted by clifford

Not sure about that NM.

My kids (who are in their late 20's) had to renew their passports recently and told me that the post office personnel at Kippax ACT were not that helpful. Not a very pleasant experience at all.

You should tell them to visit the Post Office at the Asply Hypermarket in Brisbane's northern suburbs. The Post Office counter staff there could not have been more friendly or helpful. The whole Post Office visit was less than 5-6 mins, including queuing behind two other customers.