Passport Services: Apply by post

Eligibility

You are eligible to use this service if you meet one of the following requirements:

An adult submitting the Australian Passport Renewal Application (PC7) form
An adult submitting the Australian Overseas Passport Application (PC8) form who has been issued a 10 year Australian passport since 2005. This includes:
- Applications to change a name or gender
- Applications to replace a lost or stolen document
- Applications to replace a limited validity passport issued due to COVID restrictions, only if you have been previously issued a 10 year passport since 2005
Submitting a children’s Australian Overseas Passport Application (PC8) form

If you don’t meet one of these criteria, you’ll need to book an appointment to lodge in person. That includes adults applying for their first passport, those who have not held a passport since 2005 or those adults replacing a limited validity passport or emergency passport.

If you’re eligible to apply for an Australian passport by post, you must read this information carefully before starting your application.

Any applications incomplete or incorrect may be returned and will incur a postage fee.

Documents

Depending on which application form you are completing, you will need several documents. At a minimum, you will require:

A completed application form
A completed payment authorisation form
Two standard Australian passport photographs, one with your name written on the back

You will complete your application form at passports.gov.au. You will be automatically directed to the correct form to complete.

You can download a copy of the Payment Authorisation Form, here. Read our fees here.

You can read our strict photograph guidelines, here. It is important to know that the Australian standard for passport photos are different to the United Kingdom standard. We do not recommend using a UK photo booth for this reason. We recommend ID Photoshop (local to the High Commission), otherwise Snappy Snaps (various locations). Ensure you ask the photographer for Australian passport photos and refer them to our photo guidelines.

Supporting documents

Supporting documents differ for each application, click the link relevant to your application to find out what you need and to download a checklist to make sure you have a full set of required documents:

Certification

Document certification should be done according to UK Government requirements. Do not send us original documents.

It is important that the person who certifies your documents does the following:

Sights the original document along with the photocopy
Writes “Certified to be a true copy of the original seen by me” on the photocopy
Signs and dates under the certification (dated within six months of lodgement), and if double-sided, ensures every side/page has been photocopied and certified.
Prints their name under the signature
Adds their occupation, address & telephone number

If you are unable to provide certified copies then you will need to book an appointment to attend our office in person to lodge your application with original supporting documents.

Signatures

It is very important that your signature is included on your application in strict accordance with the guidelines.

Your entire signature must be kept inside the white box provided on the form. If it is not, we can't process your form and your application will be delayed.

Your signature must be dated within six months of lodgement. If it is not, we can't process your form and your application will be delayed.

Do NOT alter your signature or the date. Do NOT use white out on your signature or the date. If there are errors on your application or it was dated more than six months before lodgement, you will need to reprint the form - taking care to sign and date it appropriately.

Processing

It will take approximately three (3) weeks to process your passport. Incomplete applications can’t be processed, and will be delayed.

At the moment, we are unable to offer priority service.

Urgent travel

If you need your passport in less than three weeks, you should mark your envelope with ‘URGENT PASSPORT’ and include:

a covering letter clearly explaining the urgent circumstances for your passport;
evidence of urgency (i.e. travel itinerary, visa appointment confirmation or letter for your employer)

Submission

When you’ve completed your application, send your application by Royal Mail Tracked to:

Passport Office

Australian High Commission

Strand

LONDON WC2B 4LA

It is important that you:

Do NOT send your application by courier service
Do NOT hand-deliver your application to the High Commission
Mark your envelope with ‘URGENT PASSPORT’ if you are eligible for urgent processing
Do NOT fold your application and use an A4 envelope
Do NOT use staples, paper clips or anything else that may damage your photos.