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I went into the consulate the other day to apply for the renewal of my Australian passport as I was born there and haven't renewed it in the past year. I had all the documents in order and the application was approved. The Australian Passports Office website says that it only takes ten days to get a passport but they said at the consulate that it would take six weeks.

Are there any other Aussies who could share with me their experience regarding passport waiting time?

Note: I live in Canada, the regional passport processing centre for Australia is in Washington.

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    Should be in expat.se
    – Vagish
    Nov 2, 2014 at 23:37
  • @Vagish off topic? I've had to renew my NZ passport overseas while travelling as well. Doesn't mean you're an expat. Indeed I have to do it again this month, although this time I'm technically an expat as well as a traveller, the process doesn't care what my status is.
    – Mark Mayo
    Nov 3, 2014 at 0:45
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    (I agree it could be on expats, but it's not off topic on travel)
    – Mark Mayo
    Nov 3, 2014 at 0:46
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    Still the exact same problem can face a traveller under certain circumstances. I think it's on topic on either/both sites as per the Pee-Wee Herman Rule.
    – hippietrail
    Nov 3, 2014 at 4:08
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    I just submitted my passport renewal right here in Sydney and the form and the Post Office told me it takes three weeks. A few days later I rang them and asked if it will be quicker to pick it up in person. The answer was yes but it's still going to exactly two weeks from when I lodged the application to the day I can pick it up.
    – hippietrail
    Nov 3, 2014 at 4:13

1 Answer 1

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Brilliantly, they're not clear on the embassy website for Aussies in Canada. However, after some searching it comes down to two options.

  1. The express service - priority processing fee applies, means that your urgent/emergency application can be processed and ready for collection or dispatch within 48 hours.
  2. The standard service - where it goes via mail through their center in Washington, DC, most likely, takes 10 working days from receipt of all valid documents:

We are equally committed to prompt processing of passport applications made overseas at any Australian diplomatic or consular mission. In most cases an eligible applicant's full validity passport will be available for collection or despatch from the mission within ten working days of a passport interview if all our requirements are met. It will be issued by one of our passport production centres - London, Washington, or Canberra. You should allow extra time for local mail delivery if you have requested that the passport be mailed to you.

They also point out that if you need it sooner, you should resort to option 1.

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