If you’re looking to request or renew an Australian passport after the recent airline sales, now’s the time to do so before the next price rise on July 1, 2024.
A 10 year Australian passport currently costs $346 for an adult. After July 1, this will increase by 15% to $397.90.
The price rise comes after the Australian Government already increased pricing in January in line with inflation. A 10 year passport renewal rose from $325 to $346.
The price hike is even worse if you need a passport renewal processed urgently, as you’ll need to pay an additional $252 for “priority processing.”
Analysis done by Compare the Market found that an Australian passport is now one of the most expensive in the world. Only Mexico outranked Australia in overall pricing, with Australia on track to become the most expensive passport once these price changes roll through.
The price rises come as an audit report released in February showed “passport applications are not being processed in a time and resource efficient manner.”
The report into the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade made 9 recommendations in total, with the aim of improving processing efficiency and accountability.
“In a desperate cash grab the Albanese Government has twice hiked the price of passports with a third to come, yet this report reveals Australians are forking out more just to wait longer for their passports,” the Liberal Party’s Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Simon Birmingham said in February.
For its part, the Australian Government says this is a “relatively modest” once-off price rise that shouldn’t impact most travellers.