How to Apply for Your First Australian Adult Passport

Who is eligible to apply for an Australian adult passport?

You can apply for an Australian passport if you are an Australian citizen. Being born in Australia does not automatically prove that you are an Australian citizen, so a first passport application must include the citizenship evidence required for your circumstances.

If you are applying for an adult passport for the first time, you use the new adult passport process rather than passport renewal. If you already have an eligible Australian adult passport, see how to renew an Australian adult passport instead.

A standard adult passport is available to people aged 16 or over and has 10-year validity. People aged 75 or over can alternatively choose a 5-year adult passport.

How do you get your first Australian adult passport?

The Australian Passport Office process for a new adult passport has four practical stages: gather your citizenship and identity documents and photos, arrange a referee or guarantor, complete the application form, and lodge the application with the required originals and fee.

1. Confirm that you can prove your Australian citizenship.
2. Gather your original citizenship, birth and identity documents required for your circumstances.
3. Get 2 passport-sized photos that meet Australian Passport Office standards.
4. Arrange an eligible referee for an online form or guarantor for a paper form.
5. Complete the new adult passport application online or obtain the green paper adult application form from a post office.
6. If you complete the form online, download and print it.
7. Take the completed application, photos and original supporting documents to a participating Australia Post outlet.
8. Pay the applicable passport fee when you lodge the application.
9. Keep your application number and use it to check the status of your application.

What documents do you need for your first Australian passport?

The exact citizenship evidence depends on where and when you were born and how you acquired Australian citizenship. You must bring original supporting documents when lodging a new passport application. Documents must be in English or translated in full by an approved translation service.

If you were born in Australia

You need a full, original Australian birth certificate issued by the relevant state or territory Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, plus the citizenship and identity evidence required for your circumstances.

If you were born in Australia before 20 August 1986, the Australian Passport Office states that your full Australian birth certificate is sufficient to prove citizenship. If you were born in Australia on or after 20 August 1986, additional evidence is required to establish Australian citizenship. Depending on your circumstances, this can include an Australian citizenship certificate, a qualifying Australian passport previously issued in your name, or evidence establishing citizenship by birth through a parent.

If you were born outside Australia

An adult applicant born overseas must provide an Australian citizenship certificate. You also need evidence of your gender and place of birth. This may be shown by your citizenship certificate if it contains those details, an original foreign birth certificate translated into English, a foreign passport or another accepted official document.

If you need evidence of Australian citizenship before applying for your passport, you may need to obtain or replace your citizenship evidence first. Helpydo also has a guide to getting or replacing an Australian citizenship certificate.

What identity documents do you need?

In addition to citizenship evidence, you need documents establishing your current photo, signature and address. For an application lodged in Australia, the Australian Passport Office's preferred combination is one Category A document and one Category B document. If neither shows your current address, also provide one Category C document showing that address.

Category A documents

Category A includes a current physical or digital driver licence issued by an Australian state or territory and an Australian state or territory proof of age card or Photo Card. These documents must be original and current.

Category B documents

Category B includes a Medicare card, Centrelink card, Department of Veterans' Affairs card, credit card or bank account card, foreign passport and certain previous Australian passports. These documents must be originals and generally current, subject to the Australian Passport Office's specific rule for qualifying previous Australian passports.

Category C documents

Category C includes documents such as motor vehicle registration or insurance papers, property rates notices, property lease agreements, home insurance papers, utility bills and bank or credit card statements. Category C documents must be no more than 12 months old when you apply.

If you cannot provide the preferred Category A and Category B combination, the Australian Passport Office publishes alternative identity combinations. Do not substitute documents without checking the applicable combination.

How many passport photos do you need?

You need 2 passport-sized photos that meet Australian Passport Office photo requirements. The photos form part of the evidence used to establish your identity, so non-compliant photos can prevent the application from being treated as complete.

Do you need a referee or guarantor?

Yes. A new Australian passport application requires someone to confirm your identity. Which role you need depends on how you complete the application.

If you complete the application online, you need a referee. The referee does not sign your form or photo but must be willing to confirm your identity if contacted by the Australian Passport Office.

If you complete a paper application, you need a guarantor. The guarantor must complete section 11 and sign the back of one passport photo in black pen with the required declaration.

Who can be your referee or guarantor?

Your referee or guarantor must be an adult Australian citizen who has known you for more than 12 months. They must also have a current Australian passport with at least 2 years' validity remaining or be listed on the Australian electoral roll at their current address for at least 12 months.

They cannot be related to you by birth or marriage, be in a de facto or registered relationship with you, live at the same address as you, be an Australian Passport Officer or be an Australia Post employee.

Your application must include their full name, date of birth, daytime phone number and either their Australian passport details or their address as it appears on the electoral roll.

Can you apply for your first Australian passport online?

You can complete the application form online, but a first adult passport application is not completed entirely online.

Use the Australian Passport Office application portal to start a new application. Once you complete the online form, download and print it. The Passport Office specifies A4 paper, portrait orientation, black ink and the fit-to-page or printable-area printer setting.

You then take the printed application, 2 passport photos and your original supporting documents to a participating post office to lodge the application and pay the fee.

The AusPassport system currently gives you 14 days to complete an online form after you start it. If it is not completed within that period, the form is deleted and you need to start again.

Can you apply using a paper form?

Yes. You can collect the green adult passport application form from a post office and complete it by hand. A paper new-passport application requires a guarantor rather than the referee used for the online form.

Where do you lodge your first Australian passport application?

Whether you prepare the application online or use the paper form, a new adult passport application made within Australia must be lodged at a participating Australia Post outlet.

Bring your completed application, passport photos and original identity and citizenship documents. You pay the passport application fee when you lodge.

If you are physically unable to lodge the application in person, the Australian Passport Office instructs you to contact it for assistance rather than simply mailing the standard application.

How much does an Australian adult passport cost?

From 1 January 2026, the standard fee for a 10-year adult passport is AUD $422 for a person aged 16 or over.

People aged 75 or over can choose an optional 5-year adult passport for AUD $213.

If you are eligible for faster processing in Australia, Priority service costs an additional AUD $308 and Fast Track costs an additional AUD $107. These are additional processing charges, not substitutes for the standard passport application fee.

How long does it take to get your first Australian passport?

The Australian Passport Office advises applicants using routine service to allow at least 6 weeks from lodgement to receive their passport. Its published routine service estimate is up to 6 weeks.

The routine estimate includes up to 5 business days for the lodged application to reach the Passport Office, up to 20 business days for processing and up to 5 business days for postage. These are service estimates rather than a guarantee that every application will be completed on a particular date.

You can check the progress of the application using the Australian Passport Office status tracker and your application number.

Can you get your first passport faster?

Eligible applicants lodging in Australia can pay for Priority or Fast Track processing. If urgent travel is the reason you need the passport quickly, see the separate guide to faster Australian passport processing.

Priority processing

Priority processing costs an additional AUD $308. The Australian Passport Office processes a complete application within 2 business days after receiving the application and all required supporting documents.

Its end-to-end estimate for Priority service is up to 11 business days when the normal transmission and postal delivery allowances are included.

Fast Track processing

Fast Track costs an additional AUD $107. The Australian Passport Office processes a complete application within 5 business days after receiving it and all required supporting documents.

Its end-to-end estimate for Fast Track is up to 14 business days when the normal transmission and postal delivery allowances are included.

Faster processing is not available to everyone. The Australian Passport Office states that Priority and Fast Track are only available to eligible customers in Australia. You are not eligible if you apply from outside Australia, have difficulties proving your identity, are applying for a child passport without full parental consent, or have had 2 or more passports lost or stolen in the previous 5 years.

Australia Post Passport RAPID

Selected Australia Post Passport RAPID locations can transmit applications to the Australian Passport Office faster. For eligible faster-processing applications, an application lodged before 12:00 pm on a business day is received by the Passport Office the same day. An application lodged after 12:00 pm or on a weekend is received the next business day.

How do you receive your new passport?

When the passport is ready, the Australian Passport Office normally sends it by Registered Post. It emails you when the passport is sent and sends an SMS with the Registered Post tracking number. Once posted, the Passport Office says it should arrive in about a week.

If you need the passport sooner, you can choose collection from your nearest passport office instead of waiting for postal delivery.

What if you are applying from outside Australia?

The procedure on this page focuses on applications lodged within Australia. If you are overseas, check the Australian embassy or consulate responsible for your location for its local lodgement and payment arrangements.

The Australian Passport Office advises allowing at least 6 weeks for overseas applications, but processing and delivery arrangements can vary by location. Priority and Fast Track processing are not available for passport applications lodged outside Australia.

What should you check before lodging?

Make sure your citizenship and identity evidence matches your circumstances, your documents are original and in English or fully translated by an approved service, and your passport photos meet the official standards. Confirm that your referee or guarantor meets every eligibility rule and that their details are complete.

If your name or gender details have changed, check the additional evidence required before lodging. See the guide to Australian passport name or gender changes for the related rules.

If an existing passport has been lost, stolen or damaged, use the appropriate lost, stolen or damaged passport procedure rather than treating it as an ordinary first-passport application.