Australian Passport Application — First Adult Passport, Guarantors, Child Passports and Parental Consent

A step-by-step guide to applying for an Australian passport after you become a citizen. It covers the documents and guarantor (or referee) for a first adult passport, parental consent for a child's passport, and reporting a lost or stolen passport.

Overview — Citizens Apply for an Australian Passport

An Australian passport is a document that an Australian citizen applies for through the Australian Passport Office. The first passport a new citizen gets after receiving citizenship is not a renewal but an application for a new adult passport, so you submit your citizenship certificate and identity documents and have your identity confirmed by an Australian citizen guarantor (or referee) who knows you. For a child under 18, as a rule the consent of everyone with parental responsibility is required, and there is a separate pathway for when consent is difficult to get. This guide assumes you are applying from within Australia, where the standard way to lodge is to visit a participating Australia Post office in person.

What this guide covers, and other guides

This guide covers the Australian passport only. For renewing a foreign passport and linking your visa details, see the guide on Lost or renewed passport: linking your visa; for becoming a citizen, see the Australian Citizenship Guide; and for the name-change process, see the legal change of name guide. Travel documents for people who are not citizens (Travel document for non-citizens) are explained separately on the official website, and dual citizenship and home-country law are not covered. For how an Australian passport is used for myID Strong face verification, see the myGov & myID Setup guide.

First Adult Passport — Documents, Photos and Lodgement

The first passport you apply for after getting citizenship is a new adult passport. The steps are: (1) prepare your documents and photos; (2) arrange a guarantor or referee; (3) fill in the online form and print it, or collect a paper form from a post office (green for adults) and complete it; (4) lodge it in person at a participating Australia Post office with your original documents and pay the fee. The official guidance is to allow at least 6 weeks from the lodgement date (as at November 2026).

Guarantor versus referee

The name depends on how you apply. On the paper form, the guarantor signs section 11 and the back of one photo in black pen, and writes 'This is a true photo of [applicant's full name]'. On the online form, you list a referee, who does not need to sign but must be willing to confirm your identity if the Australian Passport Office contacts them. In both cases, the guarantor's or referee's name, date of birth, daytime phone number, and Australian passport details or electoral roll address, among other details, are written on the application.

Documents — your citizenship certificate and identity documents showing your photo, signature and current address. All must be originals
2 photos — 35–40 mm wide and 45–50 mm high, taken within the last 6 months, white or light grey background, dye-sublimation prints (not inkjet)
Lodge in person — visit a participating post office (no appointment needed). If you cannot go in person because of illness or a physical difficulty, call 131 232

Caution — If you lodge in Australia, the Australian passport you currently hold is generally cancelled, so you cannot use it for travel or identity checks, and its remaining validity does not carry over. Plan your departure for after you receive the new passport, and if it is urgent, call 131 232 before you lodge.

Check guarantor eligibility and renewal conditions

A first adult passport requires someone to confirm your identity. On the paper form this person is called a guarantor, and on the online form a referee; the requirements are the same. For a child's passport, the guarantor still signs in person even if you fill in the form online, and more people are excluded: a person with parental responsibility and their relatives, among others, cannot act. Check your candidate against the three points below. If it is hard to find a suitable person, do not give up — call 131 232.

An adult Australian citizen who has known the applicant for more than 12 months (from birth, if the applicant is under 1 year old)
Holds an Australian passport with at least 2 years of validity remaining, or has been on the electoral roll for 12 months or more at their current address
Excluded: relatives by blood or marriage, de facto or registered partners, people who live at the same address, and Australian Passport Office or Australia Post staff

A renewal does not need a guarantor, but the previous passport must have been issued at age 16 or over, on or after 1 January 2006, with a validity of 2 years or more, must match your current personal details, must not have been reported lost, stolen or cancelled, and must be presented when you lodge. Otherwise it is a new adult passport.

4 types of passport application

The guarantor, consent forms and application form you need depend on the type of application. First decide which of the following matches your situation.

First adult passport (new)

This applies when an adult applies for the first time or does not meet the renewal conditions. You need a guarantor (or referee) and original identity documents, and you lodge in person at a participating post office. Validity is usually 10 years.

Adult renewal

If you meet the renewal conditions (issued at age 16 or over, on or after 1 January 2006, with validity of 2 years or more; details unchanged; no report of loss, theft or cancellation), you do not need a guarantor. You hand in your existing passport when you lodge, and you get the form online or by requesting it by phone.

Child passport (under 18)

Passports for ages 0 to 15 are valid for up to 5 years, and for ages 16 to 17 for up to 10 years. As a rule you need a guarantor and the consent of everyone with parental responsibility; if consent is difficult, the route is a court order or a special circumstances assessment. Children aged 16 to 17 go along in person when lodging.

New application after loss or theft

If your passport is lost or stolen, first report it on 131 232 so it is cancelled, then apply for a new passport rather than a renewal. If it happens repeatedly within 5 years, validity may be shortened or a passport may not be issued.

Application steps and practical tips

Practical tips that first-time applicants often miss. Check the current guidance on the official page once more just before you lodge.

Allow at least 6 weeks. The express options Fast Track (+$107) and Priority (+$308) are limited to certain applicants (as at November 2026; may change).
Print the online form on A4, portrait, in black ink, fit to page. A professional photo provider is recommended; online photo services and apps are not.
If English is difficult, bring an interpreter or use the free TIS National (131 450) interpreting service (book in advance). Documents not in English need an accredited translation.
Your passport comes by Registered Post and arrives about 1 week after it is sent. A Parcel Locker address cannot be used, and you need to report it if it has not arrived within 60 days of the dispatch date.
When lodging for a child, parents should bring ID showing a photo, signature and current address, and children aged 16 to 17 attend too. If you are worried about a passport being issued without your consent, you can request a child alert (PC9), but this does not guarantee a refusal.

5 common mistakes

These are mistakes the official guidance points out. They can delay processing or mean you have to reapply.

Listing someone close to you as your guarantor — relatives, spouses, de facto partners, people at the same address, and Australian Passport Office or Australia Post staff cannot act. Find another eligible citizen.
Signing for someone else, or getting a witness afterwards — each parent must sign personally in ink on paper (digital and scanned signatures are not accepted, per the August 2026 notice), and the witness must watch the signing on the spot.
Trying to travel on your old passport right after lodging — if you lodge in Australia, your existing passport is generally cancelled and cannot be used for travel. Plan your departure for after you receive the new passport.
Applying for a lost or stolen passport as a renewal, or delaying the report — once reported it is cancelled and cannot be used even if you find it, and there are disadvantages to reporting late. Apply for a new passport.
Treating a child's application without consent like an ordinary application — a dedicated team assesses it separately, so the processing time cannot be known in advance, and it is not eligible for express processing. Booking travel before approval is confirmed is not recommended.

Useful official links

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Permanent Residency (PR) holders apply for an Australian passport?▾

An Australian passport is available to Australian citizens only, and not everyone born in Australia is a citizen. If you were born in Australia, the citizenship evidence required differs depending on whether you were born before or after 20 August 1986. If you were born overseas, you submit a citizenship certificate (plus a birth certificate or foreign passport if the certificate does not show your sex or place of birth). Eligibility for the separate travel document for non-citizens is limited, so check the official website.

Who can be the guarantor for a first passport?▾

A guarantor must be an adult Australian citizen who has known the applicant for more than 12 months, and must also hold an Australian passport with at least 2 years of validity remaining or have been on the electoral roll at their current address for 12 months or more. Relatives, de facto or registered partners, people who live at the same address, and Australian Passport Office or Australia Post staff cannot be guarantors. For a child's passport, if the child is under 1 year old the guarantor only needs to have known the child since birth, and the child's relatives, the child's parents or legal guardians and their partners, and people who live at the same address as the child or a parent are also excluded. The 'approved occupations' requirement in the official guidance applies when you apply from overseas and your guarantor lives overseas. If you cannot find a suitable person, call 131 232.

Do passport renewals need a guarantor too?▾

A renewal does not need a guarantor or referee. However, your previous passport must be expired or still valid; must have been issued when you were 16 or over, on or after 1 January 2006, with a validity of 2 years or more; must match your current name, date of birth, place of birth and sex; must not have been reported lost, stolen or cancelled; and must be presented when you lodge your application. If any one of these does not apply, apply for a new adult passport instead.

Is one parent's signature enough for a child's passport?▾

As a rule, every person with parental responsibility must each sign sections 12 to 15 of the form. Signatures are made in ink on paper (official news from August 2026: digital and scanned signatures are not accepted), and a witness over 18 watches you sign on the spot. A witness does not have to be a citizen, but cannot be a person with parental responsibility, a relative of the parent or child, someone who lives at the same address, and so on. Children aged 10 or over also sign. If a parent lives far away, follow the method in the official Parental consent guidance.

What if I can't get the other parent's consent?▾

The Australian Passport Office encourages you to try to obtain consent first if it is safe to do so, and if you cannot obtain it, you must state the reason. If you have an Australian court order that permits any one of passport issue, overseas travel or spending time with a person outside Australia (the complete original order and Form B7), the child is eligible for a passport even without everyone's consent. If you do not, request a special circumstances assessment using Form B9 and supporting evidence. A domestic violence order can be used as evidence but does not change parental responsibility. The time it takes cannot be known in advance, and neither issue of a passport nor a refund is guaranteed. Even if a passport is issued, taking the child overseas without the other parent's consent can be a criminal offence, so get legal advice.

What should I do if my Australian passport is lost or stolen?▾

If you are sure it has been lost or stolen, report it straight away by calling 131 232 (if you are overseas, contact the nearest Australian embassy or consulate). The passport is cancelled, so you cannot use it even if you find it, and you apply for a new passport, not a renewal. Reporting a theft to the police is recommended. If this happens twice within 5 years, your next adult passport is valid for 5 years; if it happens 3 or more times, it may be valid for 2 years at most or may not be issued, but if you can prove the circumstances were beyond your control, that loss is not counted, and if you find the passport you reported and present it together with Form B11, it may also not be counted.

How much does a passport application cost, and how long does it take?▾

Under the fee schedule in effect from 1 January 2026, a 10-year passport (age 16 and over) costs $422 and a 5-year child passport (under 16) costs $213 (as at November 2026; fees may change each 1 January). Allow at least 6 weeks from the date you lodge. A child's application without the consent of everyone with parental responsibility or a relevant court order is not eligible for express processing. In an urgent situation such as a death or serious illness in the family, call 131 232 to ask about an appointment at a passport office (evidence is required, and a Priority fee may apply).