2.6 million passports printed in a year as demand continues to eclipse that of pre-Covid

The Australian Passport Office printed a record 2.6 million passports last year but warns there is still a huge backlog to clear.

Australian passports continue to be printed at an elevated rate after millions expired during the pandemic.

A record 2.6 million Australian passports were printed last year but there are still 2 million yet to be renewed threatening to blow out waiting times.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has revealed applications were continuing to pour into the Australian Passport Office, at a rate 25 per cent higher than pre-Covid.

The strong demand follows a record 2022, when 2.6 million passports were printed, up from the previous annual issuance record of 2.2 million in 2019.

Despite the ongoing flood of applications, waiting times have come down from six weeks to ten days after a doubling of staff in the APO.

A DFAT spokeswoman warned those times could fluctuate with 2 million passports that expired during the pandemic when overseas travel was banned, still yet to be renewed.

“These customers are likely to apply in future on top of normal demand and it is difficult to predict when these customers will return,” said the spokeswoman.

“This means processing time frames may fluctuate this year, particularly ahead of peak travel times.”

She said record high demand was expected to continue throughout 2023, and anyone planning to head overseas should prepare well in advance.

“Customers should continue to plan ahead and allow at least six weeks to apply for, or renew, their passport,” the spokeswoman said.

“Wait times may be longer when applying for child passports (because of the extra verification required).”

The cost of a ten-year adult passport jumped 5.5 per cent to $325 at the start of the year, up from $308 last year.

Children’s passports also increased from $155 to $164 for five-years validity, and a replacement passport climbed to $204 (from $193).

Priority processing where passports are needed urgently, will add $237 to the cost and guaranteed delivery within two business days of all documents being received.

Australian Bureau of Statistics data for January showed the number of people heading overseas for a short term trip continued to lag pre-pandemic figures.

Just under 720,000 people left the country in January compared to 904,210 in the same month four years ago, with most bound for either New Zealand, Indonesia or India.

Limited airline capacity was considered the main reason for figures not yet returning to pre-Covid levels.

Latest statistics showed international airline seats in and out of Australia were at 82 per cent of 2019 figures.

Seat availability was expected to climb in coming months with the return of Chinese airlines, and an increase in Qantas international flying with the arrival of three new Boeing 787s.

Originally published as 2.6 million passports printed in a year as demand continues to eclipse that of pre-Covid