Is your passport still valid?
You think renewing your Australian passport is easy?
Not these days apparently! Gone are the days when you can pop in to your local Australia Post Office and you can easily get a Renewal Form from the shelves without having to queue up to the counter.
Having realised that our passports are expiring this March, I decided to get application forms from our local post office at Stanhope Gardens. Our coming overseas trip starts in April and we need to submit our details to our cruise company two months before we sail so we (barely) have enough time.
After following the queue for quite a while, I was disappointed to learn that Australia Post was not giving them out anymore. I was advised to download forms from the internet. Before this, I did check the shelves of the store and found no forms around.
We normally do not have trouble downloading forms over the net. I even do
internet banking. Our system is safe. We don’t use Microsoft (MS) which is not really recommended for this purpose. We use Linux, a much safer system, trust me! Even the Department of Homeland Security in the United States reportedly do not use MS.
Back to my story on the passport forms. When my husband had to renew his passport in 2008, he made a request for a form to be mailed to him as he had trouble downloading one. It keeps removing the bar code which is very important for tracking down the application. Mind you, he is a computer programmer and Managing Director of his own computer software company. But he didn’t risk fidgeting with the website and just opted for a mailed form which he already filled up via the net.
So this time, to avoid the same problem, we decided to go to the post office. Upon learning they don’t give out forms anymore, I went back home and rang the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT). Of course, I didn’t expect to be talking to a real person. The recording indicated some outlets of Australia Post still do give out forms. As my husband had gone to work that day, I phoned my friend whom I would also need as guarantor and witness for my boys’ passports. She said she was going over to Rouse Hill and kindly offered to get me some application forms. Later I was glad to know she got the forms.
It is important that you have your old passport (either expired or expiring soon) because you will need it if you still decide to get forms from the internet. Also, you must look at the DFAT website to find out more information regarding passport photo requirements and other documents one would need to show upon lodging an application form. The ones for kids are always new applications so you would need your kids’ old passports, their registered birth certificates or their Citizenship Certificates if they were not born in Australia.
I recall that the last time I applied for my passport, I was even asked to
show my permanent visa which was in my old passport! Just imagine my
consternation then having to rummage for my old passport! I thought showing my citizenship certificate was enough! Good thing I still kept it even though it has already been cancelled.
This time, I wasn’t asked for my citizenship nor my old passports, though I had them ready!
We did go back to our local Australia Post, this time with my boys to have
their photos taken. However, after lining up, we were aghast to hear they were not doing them at that time as their camera hadn’t arrived! So we were advised to go to the local Kodak shop in the village. We did try to take our own photos before going there, but upon looking at the specifications, we were not confident they would pass so the best place to get it, was, where else? Australia Post, they process the application forms so we trust them to do the photos very well! But still no luck!
The last time we went to a Kodak shop, my son’s passport photos were rejected by the Australia Post lady doing the interview application. To avoid problems like that, make sure the photos would be according to specifications of the DFAT. For example, no smiling, must have light background, looking straight to the camera, not too close nor too far, according to the right size as shown in the form, etc. To cut the story short, we saw the sign outside Australia Post saying ‘Instant Passport Photos fast!” So we thought we could get them fast!
Anyway, we did pay $10 for a set of four from the Kodak shop manned by a young man who assured us the photos he processed were the right ones, fingers crossed!
So far, so good. We got our guarantor for the kids’ photos. She needed to fill up one part of each form making sure she has known our boys for at least 12 months and not related to us by birth or marriage plus another witness to attest that she saw both my husband and I signing the kids’ forms.
The next Saturday, we went straight to our local post office once again. I was apprehensive as the two occasions we were there, we were “rejected.” But be that as it may, it was the nearest to us so we still went there.
You think I am being a glutton for punishment. Yours truly lined up once again and your guess is as good as mine. Yes, indeed I’ve been asked, “Do you have an appointment?”
Appointment, my ass!! I forgot to inform you my dear readers, when I first went to that post office, I DID ask if I need to make an appointment to lodge our passport application. I was told by the lady beside that “cranky” lady that I DON’T need to!! Grrrrr!!!
As my dejected face stared blankly at my husband, that same lady said: “Hang on. I’ll check the appointment book.” She also told me I would have to wait as only one person was assigned to do the interview for the passport application. Of course, we were happy to wait, at least no more going back. Are you sure? You thought wrong!
To my utter embarrassment and dismay, the kids’ birth certificates were missing among the pile of papers I had with me! I was murmuring to my husband to go get the forms while she’s processing my form first. However, he was adamant. He said, he would never find them based on my description of where they would be, so he wouldn’t budge!
Well, the saving grace was that the nice lady processing our forms was a
breath of fresh air. She said to take our time and she would hold the other
papers with her and we could come back!
I wasn’t really feeling 100% that day and the day before. I was stung by green ants Friday afternoon and had an ice pack on my left foot to numb the stabbing pain till bedtime. The following morning, I got frantic when I saw an email from one of our travel agents that one of our flights has changed! What else can go wrong?
Of course we came back and after being more than $400 poorer, the suspense was still on! The last time I renewed my passport, the Postman did not fully insert my passport into our mailbox. When it rained, it got soaking wet, messed up my photo and took several more days to receive the replacement. So, fingers crossed again!
Now the lessons from this experience? Firstly, do your research as every
Australia Post outlet is different. The DFAT website is helpful and you can get the locations and phone numbers of your local post office there. Another important thing – DO NOT let your passport expire as you will need to show more proofs of your identity while renewing will save you time chasing after original papers like birth certificates, citizenship forms, etc.
So go check your passports, renew ASAP! Good luck!