How to Change Your Name or Gender on an Australian Passport

How to update your name or gender on an Australian passport

Changing the name or gender on an Australian passport is not simply an amendment to the existing passport. You need to apply for a replacement or new passport and provide evidence supporting the identity detail you want changed.

The route depends particularly on how much validity remains on your current passport. If it has more than 2 years validity remaining, you may be eligible for a replacement passport. If it has less than 2 years validity remaining, you need to apply for a new passport. A replacement passport keeps the same expiry date as the passport it replaces.

What documents do you need to change your name on an Australian passport?

The Australian Passport Office requires documents proving your Australian citizenship and identity and documents linking your new name to your old name. The exact evidence depends on why your name changed.

Name change after marriage or another change in marital status

If you have taken your spouse or partner's family name, or added it to your family name, you can generally link the names using your Australian birth certificate or Australian citizenship certificate showing your previous name together with an Australian RBDM marriage certificate, registered relationship certificate or Australian RBDM name change certificate.

A separate marriage, registered relationship or name change certificate is not required where an amended Australian birth certificate or Australian citizenship certificate already shows the family-name change.

An Australian RBDM name change certificate is specifically required in certain circumstances, including when you have changed your given name, entered or left a de facto relationship, were born in Australia and married or entered a registered relationship overseas, or formally registered a name change in Australia after marriage or a registered relationship and are now reverting to a previously used name.

Name change because of gender transition

If you changed any part of your name because of a gender transition, you generally need a name change certificate issued by an Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages. An Australian RBDM name change certificate is not required where your new name is already shown on a re-issued Australian birth certificate or Australian citizenship certificate.

There is also a limited exception for a person who was born and lives overseas, changed their name overseas and does not meet Australian residency requirements to register the new name in Australia. A foreign name change certificate is accepted for this route only where the Australian Passport Office requirements are met, including that the name change occurred after the person became an Australian citizen. The foreign certificate must be legalised and, if it is not in English, translated in full by an approved translation service.

Name change for personal preference

If you changed your name for personal preference, you generally need an Australian RBDM name change certificate unless your new name is already reflected in a re-issued Australian birth certificate or Australian citizenship certificate, or you meet the Australian Passport Office's limited overseas exception.

If you have a current passport, you can choose a replacement passport for this type of name change, but the relevant replacement fee applies. A personal-preference name change does not receive the fee waiver available for qualifying marital-status or gender-related changes.

What documents do you need to change gender on an Australian passport?

The Australian Passport Office records your preferred gender in the passport's Sex field. The available markers are M for male, F for female and X for non-binary, indeterminate, intersex, unspecified or other.

To receive a passport in your preferred gender, provide one of the accepted documents: a gender recognition certificate issued by an RBDM, a revised RBDM birth certificate showing your new gender, an RBDM recognised details certificate, an identity acknowledgment certificate issued by the South Australian RBDM, or a statement from a registered medical practitioner or psychologist on form B14 confirming your gender.

If you changed your name as well as your gender, you must also provide the relevant evidence supporting the name change.

Can you renew a passport when changing gender?

No. If the gender you want in your passport is different from the gender in your previous Australian passport, you are not eligible to use the standard passport renewal process. Depending on the remaining validity of your current passport, you may instead qualify for a replacement passport or need to apply for a new passport.

When is the replacement passport fee waived?

The 2026 replacement passport application fee is AUD $265, but the fee may be waived for certain eligible name and gender changes. Your current passport generally needs to have more than 2 years validity remaining and you must meet the other replacement and waiver requirements.

Potential fee-waiver circumstances include changing your family name because of a change in marital status, changing or transitioning to another gender, and changing your name because of a change in gender.

Fee waiver after marriage, divorce or relationship change

For a family-name change resulting from marital status, evidence can include a marriage or registered relationship certificate, a finalised divorce order or certificate of divorce, a revocation of registered relationship certificate, or accepted evidence of the death of a spouse or partner.

If your family name changed because you entered or left a de facto relationship, the Australian Passport Office requires an Australian RBDM name change certificate, a completed B11 general declaration explaining the relationship circumstances and evidence of the relationship or its ending.

If you changed only your given name and not your family name, you are not eligible for the marital-status replacement fee waiver.

What if you cannot prove eligibility for the fee waiver?

If you cannot provide the required supporting evidence for a marital-status or gender-related fee waiver, you may need to pay the applicable replacement fee or apply for a new passport and pay the applicable full application fee, depending on your circumstances and the validity remaining on your passport.

How much does it cost to change passport details in 2026?

From 1 January 2026, the Australian Passport Office lists the replacement passport application fee as AUD $265. A standard 10-year adult passport for a person aged 16 or over costs AUD $422. An optional 5-year adult passport for a person aged 75 or over costs AUD $213. The fee for a child passport is AUD $213.

Eligible customers who need faster processing can pay an additional AUD $308 for Priority processing or AUD $107 for Fast Track processing. These faster-processing fees are separate from the passport application fee.

Foreign name change, marriage and other documents

The Australian Passport Office accepts foreign name or relationship documents only in specified circumstances. For the underlying name change, foreign certificates may be accepted where you cannot obtain an Australian equivalent because, for example, you were born overseas, live overseas, or married or entered the relationship overseas, subject to the specific requirements for your type of name change.

Where the Australian Passport Office requires legalisation of a foreign certificate, legalisation must be completed. Documents that are not in English must be translated in full by an approved translation service.

How to translate foreign passport documents

If you are in Australia, the Australian Passport Office directs applicants to the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters to find an accredited translator. The translation must be complete and stamped by an accredited translator. The Passport Office also accepts qualifying translations from specified government agencies using NAATI translators.

If you are overseas, contact the nearest Australian embassy or consulate for a list of approved translation services in that country. The embassy or consulate checks translated documents when you lodge the passport application.

How to apply for the updated passport

For an adult replacement passport in Australia, you apply in the same way as for a new adult passport. You can complete the form through the Australian Passport Office application portal or obtain the applicable paper form.

Completing the form online does not mean the passport application is lodged entirely online. You need to print the completed form and lodge it with the required photos, current passport and original supporting documents.

If you completed the replacement application online, or qualify to have the replacement application fee waived, you can generally lodge at a participating Australia Post outlet. If online application is not an option and you have to pay a replacement fee, the Australian Passport Office directs you to lodge at a passport office by appointment.

If you are overseas, contact the nearest Australian embassy or consulate for the applicable lodgement process.

What happens to your current passport?

When applying in Australia, a current passport will generally be cancelled when you lodge the application. Once cancelled, it cannot be used for travel or identification. If you need to travel before receiving the replacement or new passport, contact the Australian Passport Office for advice before lodging.

A replacement passport has the same expiry date as the passport it replaces. By contrast, when you are required to apply for a new passport, unused validity from your old passport does not transfer to the new passport.

How long does it take to change passport name or gender?

Allow at least 6 weeks from lodging the application to receive a replacement or new passport under routine service. After lodgement, you can use your application number to check progress through the Australian Passport Office status tracker.

Eligible applicants in Australia can request faster processing. Priority service processes a complete application within 2 business days after the Australian Passport Office receives it, while Fast Track processes a complete application within 5 business days. These processing periods do not include postage or delivery time.

What happens when the updated passport is issued?

The Australian Passport Office sends passports by Registered Post and provides dispatch information. Once posted, the Passport Office advises that the passport should arrive in about a week. You may also be able to arrange collection from a passport office if you need it sooner.

After receiving the updated passport, make sure future travel bookings and visa applications use the name, gender and passport details shown in the new document.