If your passport is due for renewal then you shouldn’t hesitate to start the process and fill in a renewal form. The obvious conditions you have to fulfill include being over 18 years of age and of course holding Australian citizenship.
Eligibility conditions for passport renewal:
- Besides having attained the majority age and being an Australian citizen there are other conditions you need to fulfill in order for you to renew your Australian passport.
- For one you need to provide the Australian passport you are currently using and which was issued when you were sixteen years old. If such a passport was issued when you were 16 it is likely to have a validity period of two years. The passport should have been issued in the name you are currently using(meaning that you can’t have changed your name in the intervening period). If it has expired it should not have been more than 3 years ago.
- When a passport has been cancelled you cannot apply to renew it. And in cases where the passport has been reported lost or stolen to the Australian authorities, renewing the passport is not acceptable either. What you will be required to do is apply afresh for a passport.
- Prior to issuing children with passports, parents or guardians, or anyone else with the parental responsibility of the child or children in question, will be required to provide a written consent authorizing the passport application.
- Falling into the group of people who are not permitted to renew passports or are not eligible for passport renewals are minors. Instead they will be required to submit an application for a passport and not renewing.
Application forms for renewing the Australian Passport:
- The form you need to complete in order to renew your passport is officially referred to as the PC7. Before proceeding to fill the form ensure you have read and understood the instructions fully.
- By the time you are receiving the form you will get it half-filled or pre-completed since some of the information will have been available from your previous passport.
- When you are submitting the filled form you will also be required to pay some renewal charges which must be paid in full before the process can continue.
- Also you cannot send a friend, family member or any other appointed proxy to represent you in the passport renewal process. You have to submit the application in person. The filling of the form should be done preferably with a black pen or ball pen.
Where to get the Australian Passport renewal form:
- One of the places you can get the pre-completed passport renewal form is the website: www.passports.gov.au. It’s also possible to have the form mailed to you upon request.
- Alternatively if you are residing in Australia you can call the APIS – Australian Passport Information Service ,who can mail the renewal form to you.
- Australia citizens living abroad should get in touch with the Australian embassy closest to them to have the form mailed to them. Upon getting the Australian passport renewal form all you have to do is fill it and submit it accompanied by two full-colour photos that fulfill the set criteria. The renewal application will also need to be accompanied by the old passport.