How to Get Faster Processing for an Australian Passport for Urgent Travel

What are the faster passport processing options?

The Australian Passport Office offers two faster processing services to eligible applicants lodging in Australia: Priority processing within 2 business days and Fast Track processing within 5 business days.

The clock does not simply start when you hand an application to Australia Post. The relevant processing period starts after the Australian Passport Office has received your completed application and all information and supporting documents it needs to confirm your identity, eligibility and entitlement to a travel document.

If you are making a standard adult application for the first time, see how to apply for your first Australian adult passport. If you already hold an eligible adult passport, use the separate guide to renew an Australian adult passport.

How does Priority passport processing work?

Priority is the fastest standard processing service offered to eligible applicants in Australia. It costs $308 extra on top of the applicable passport application fee.

The Australian Passport Office processes an eligible, complete Priority application within 2 business days after receiving everything required. Postage, delivery and the time taken to collect the passport are not included in those 2 business days.

The Australian Passport Office's current timeframe estimator shows that when ordinary transmission and postal delivery are included, Priority can take up to 11 business days: up to 4 business days for the application to reach the Passport Office, 2 business days for processing and up to 5 business days for posting. You can reduce those surrounding delays by combining Priority with RAPID lodgment and passport-office collection.

How does Fast Track passport processing work?

Fast Track costs $107 extra on top of the applicable passport application fee. An eligible, complete application is processed within 5 business days after the Australian Passport Office receives everything required.

Again, this is a processing period rather than a door-to-door delivery guarantee. The Passport Office's timeframe estimator shows up to 14 business days when ordinary transmission and postal delivery are included: up to 4 business days for the application to reach the Passport Office, 5 business days for processing and up to 5 business days for posting.

Priority therefore costs more but shortens the Passport Office processing stage from 5 business days to 2 business days.

Who is not eligible for Priority or Fast Track?

The Australian Passport Office says Priority and Fast Track are available only to eligible customers in Australia. You are not eligible for ordinary faster processing if:

• you are applying for a passport from outside Australia
• you have difficulties proving your identity
• you are applying for a child passport without full parental consent
• you have had 2 or more passports lost or stolen in the last 5 years.

For an ordinary child passport, faster processing is available only when the application is complete and lodged with full parental consent. If you need a child passport, see the requirements to apply for an Australian child passport and obtain parental consent.

Applications involving a child without full parental consent are assessed under separate rules and can take longer. Australian Passport Office guidance for these cases says Priority can only be requested after the office has advised that a passport will be issued and where a compassionate or compelling reason for urgent issue is demonstrated.

How does Passport RAPID make lodgment faster?

Priority and Fast Track determine how quickly the Australian Passport Office processes an eligible complete application after receiving it. Passport RAPID addresses a different delay: how quickly your lodged application reaches the Passport Office.

You can lodge at a selected Australia Post Passport RAPID location and pay the additional Australia Post service fee. If you lodge before 12 noon on a business day, the Passport Office receives the application that day. If you lodge after 12 noon or on a weekend, it receives the application the next business day.

Current RAPID locations listed by the Australian Passport Office include selected Australia Post outlets in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. Check the official RAPID location list before travelling because participating locations can change.

The Australian Passport Office's RAPID page confirms that an additional fee applies but does not publish the Australia Post RAPID fee amount, so check the current charge with Australia Post when arranging lodgment.

Can you collect the passport to save delivery time?

Yes. When lodging your application, you can request to collect the finished passport from your nearest passport office if you are aged 16 or over. This can remove the time required for Registered Post delivery.

The Australian Passport Office says posted passports should arrive in about a week after dispatch. By contrast, once a passport selected for collection is ready, you receive an email advising you that it can be collected.

You cannot collect a passport from a post office. Collection is from a passport office. For an urgent application, request collection when you lodge; the Passport Office says a request to switch to collection after lodgment is accepted only in exceptional circumstances.

What if you must travel urgently for a serious reason?

The Australian Passport Office has arrangements for people with a compassionate or compelling need for immediate travel. Examples it gives include:

• death, serious illness or injury of an immediate family member
• personal carer obligations
• an urgent business commitment or meeting
• unforeseen circumstances requiring you to attend somewhere in person.

If this applies, call the Australian Passport Office on 131 232 and make an appointment at your nearest passport office. You must provide evidence of the compassionate or compelling need for immediate travel and may be required to pay the Priority processing fee.

For compassionate travel, supporting evidence can include documents such as a death certificate, funeral notice or letter from the treating doctor of the immediate family member. The Passport Office states that you may be eligible for a refund of the faster processing fee for compassionate travel, assessed according to the circumstances and supporting evidence.

Can you upgrade after you have already lodged?

Yes. If you already lodged your application using Routine processing, the Australian Passport Office says you can contact it to request Priority or Fast Track processing. Eligibility requirements still apply.

If your travel has become urgent after lodgment, contact the Passport Office rather than submitting a duplicate passport application.

What happens if Priority or Fast Track takes too long?

You can apply for a refund of the faster processing fee if the passport or travel document is not issued within the applicable processing commitment: 2 business days for Priority or 5 business days for Fast Track.

The commitment starts only after the Australian Passport Office has received all information required to confirm identity, eligibility and entitlement. It excludes postage or courier delivery, collection time, delays while the Passport Office waits for additional information or documents, and time required to obtain parental consent for a child application.

What if you are already overseas?

Priority and Fast Track are not available for passport applications lodged outside Australia. Contact the Australian embassy or consulate responsible for your location about processing and delivery.

If you are overseas and have an urgent need to travel, an emergency passport may be available through an Australian embassy or consulate. Emergency passports are issued only overseas, can be valid for up to one year and do not contain a passport chip, so restrictions can apply in some destination or transit countries. See how to get an Australian emergency passport while overseas.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Assuming the 2-day or 5-day period starts when you hand the application to Australia Post. It starts when the Passport Office receives a complete application and everything it needs.
• Forgetting that Priority and Fast Track processing times exclude postage and delivery.
• Choosing Priority but using ordinary application transmission and postal delivery when RAPID lodgment and passport-office collection could remove additional waiting time.
• Assuming every application qualifies for faster processing.
• Trying to use Priority or Fast Track for an application lodged overseas.
• Requesting faster processing for a child application without checking the parental-consent restriction.
• Waiting until after lodgment to request passport-office collection; request collection when you lodge whenever possible.
• Assuming an urgent flight booking alone changes passport eligibility requirements. Your application must still satisfy the passport issue requirements.