How to Replace a Lost, Stolen or Damaged Australian Passport

What to do if your Australian passport is lost, stolen or damaged

The correct process depends on what happened to your passport. A lost or stolen passport cannot use the standard replacement or renewal process. You must report it and apply for a new passport. A passport with minor physical damage may qualify for a replacement if it has more than 2 years validity remaining, while major damage requires a new passport.

How to report a lost or stolen Australian passport

If your passport is lost or stolen, you must report it to the Australian Passport Office as soon as possible. If you are outside Australia, contact your nearest Australian embassy or consulate.

Make sure the passport is genuinely lost or stolen before reporting it. Once the report is made, the Australian Passport Office cancels the passport and notifies border authorities in Australia and overseas. The cancelled passport cannot be used again, even if you later find or recover it.

What to do if your passport was stolen

The Australian Passport Office recommends reporting a stolen passport to police and keeping a copy of the report. If the theft happened overseas, report it to local police and, after returning to Australia, to Australian police.

When you apply for the new passport, provide as much information as possible about what happened and include the police report or police report number where available.

Can a lost or stolen Australian passport be replaced?

No. The Australian Passport Office specifically states that a passport cannot be replaced if it is lost, stolen or cancelled. You must apply for a new passport and are not eligible for the standard passport renewal process based on the missing passport.

This distinction matters for fees. The reduced replacement passport fee applies to qualifying replacement situations such as minor damage, not to a passport that has been lost or stolen.

How much does a lost or stolen passport cost to replace in 2026?

Because a lost or stolen passport requires a new passport, you pay the applicable new-passport fee rather than the replacement-passport fee. From 1 January 2026, a standard 10-year adult passport for a person aged 16 or over costs AUD $422. A 5-year child passport costs AUD $213.

The AUD $265 replacement passport fee applies to eligible replacement situations such as qualifying minor damage. It does not convert a lost or stolen passport into a replacement application.

What counts as a damaged Australian passport?

The Australian Passport Office distinguishes between minor and major damage. This determines whether you may use the replacement process or must apply for a new passport.

Minor passport damage

Damage may be considered minor where you can still be identified as the passport holder, there is only some damage to the photo page, stitching or visa pages, and the document has not been tampered with or altered.

If a passport with minor damage has more than 2 years validity remaining, you may be eligible for a replacement passport. The replacement keeps the same expiry date as the passport it replaces.

Major passport damage

Major damage includes situations where you cannot be identified as the passport holder, the document cannot be identified as an Australian passport, the passport number cannot be read, there are major tears or major damage to the photo page, stitching or visa pages, or the document has been tampered with or altered.

A passport with major damage cannot be renewed or replaced. You need to apply for a new passport and pay the applicable new-passport fee.

What if the damaged passport has less than 2 years validity left?

If the damage is minor but the passport has less than 2 years validity remaining, the Australian Passport Office directs you to apply for passport renewal and pay the applicable fee. Passport renewal costs the same as a new passport.

Documents needed for a damaged passport application

If you are applying because your passport is damaged, you must provide the damaged passport when lodging the application. You must also complete form B11 General Declaration explaining when, where and how the passport was damaged.

If the damage is too severe for the replacement or renewal process, you will need to meet the requirements for a new passport application, including the relevant identity and citizenship evidence, passport photos and identity confirmation.

Do you need a guarantor or referee?

A new passport application requires someone to confirm your identity. If you complete the passport application online, you need a referee. If you use a paper application form, you need a guarantor.

The Australian Passport Office states that the guarantor or referee must be an adult Australian citizen who has known you for more than 12 months, or since birth for a child under one year, and must meet the other published eligibility requirements.

How to apply in Australia

You can start the relevant passport application through the Australian Passport Office online application portal or obtain a paper form from a participating post office. Completing the application online does not mean the entire passport process is completed online because the application must still be lodged using the applicable lodgement process.

For an eligible damaged-passport replacement, you apply for a replacement in the same way as for a new passport. If you complete the replacement application online, you lodge it at a participating post office. If you use a paper form and a replacement fee applies, the Australian Passport Office directs you to lodge at a passport office by appointment.

What happens to a damaged passport when you lodge the application?

You must provide the damaged passport when you lodge the application. If you are in Australia and it is still a current passport, it will generally be cancelled when you lodge the application, meaning it can no longer be used for travel or identification.

Replacement passport fee for minor damage

The replacement passport application fee is AUD $265 in 2026. A replacement passport retains the expiry date of the passport being replaced. For example, if the damaged passport has 3 years validity remaining, the replacement normally expires on the same date.

If a passport was lost or damaged in a declared natural disaster, you may be eligible to have the replacement application fee waived. The Australian Passport Office assesses eligibility based on the circumstances and declared disaster area.

How long does a replacement passport take?

For a replacement passport, the Australian Passport Office says to allow at least 6 weeks from lodging the application. You can use your application number to check the application status.

Eligible applicants in Australia can request Priority processing, which processes a complete application within 2 business days after the Passport Office receives it, or Fast Track processing within 5 business days. In 2026, Priority costs an additional AUD $308 and Fast Track costs an additional AUD $107. Postage and delivery time are not included in those processing periods.

When faster processing is not available

Priority and Fast Track processing are only available to eligible customers in Australia. You are not eligible for these faster processing services if you apply from outside Australia, have difficulty 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.

What changes if you lose your Australian passport overseas?

If your passport is lost or stolen while you are overseas, contact your nearest Australian embassy or consulate. You cannot use the ordinary Australian post-office lodgement route from overseas.

Passport application fees overseas are generally charged in local currency based on the Australian-dollar fee. In 2026, the Australian Passport Office also lists an overseas surcharge of AUD $189 for an adult passport and AUD $92 for a child passport.

Overseas passport processing and delivery arrangements vary by location, so the relevant embassy or consulate will advise you about lodgement, processing time and collection or delivery.

Can you get an emergency Australian passport overseas?

If you are overseas and have an urgent need to travel, you may be able to apply for an emergency passport at an Australian embassy or consulate. Emergency passports are available only to applicants overseas, are valid for up to one year and do not contain a passport chip.

The emergency passport fee is AUD $265 in 2026. Because emergency passports do not have a chip, some countries may restrict their use. Check the passport and visa requirements of every country you intend to enter or transit through.

You can also apply for a full-validity passport at the same time as an emergency passport, but both application fees apply.

What happens if you repeatedly lose passports?

Repeated loss or theft can reduce the validity of your next passport. If your passport is lost or stolen twice within 5 years, your next adult passport will normally be valid for only 5 years instead of the standard 10 years, although you still pay the 10-year passport fee.

If your passport is lost or stolen 3 or more times within 5 years, the next passport may be valid for a maximum of 2 years, or the Australian Passport Office may decide not to issue a passport. The 10-year passport fee still applies.

If you can prove that the loss or theft occurred because of exceptional circumstances beyond your control, the Australian Passport Office may decide not to count that incident. Provide full details and supporting evidence such as police reports.

What if you find your passport after reporting it lost?

You cannot use a passport again after it has been reported lost or stolen because it has been cancelled. Even if you recover it later, it remains invalid for travel.

If you find a passport and show it to the Australian Passport Office, the Office may decide not to count the loss or theft against your record. You need to explain what happened using form B11.