Frustrated Australians planning to travel abroad are in some cases queuing for more than four hours just to find out if their new passports are being processed.
The Sydney Passport Office has seen long queues unfold before opening time, and many have not received updates to their applications and have been unable to contact the office by phone.
Andrew Barron told 9news.com.au that he planned to travel to the UK with his son next week to reunite with his wife and family, who were already in England.
Andrew Barron arrived at the office at 8 a.m., had waited three hours, and thought he had three left. (new)
He took an annual leave of absence from work to wait in line, which he predicted would involve a six-hour wait.
“I submitted the application nine weeks ago, so I’m just trying to figure out where it touches,” Barron said.
“It simply came to our notice then.
“You can’t call, you’re waiting for two hours and then it disconnects, that’s all you can do.”
Sydney resident Nick Hill has his brother’s wedding in the UK in three weeks.
“It’s very frustrating because you don’t know what’s going on and it’s also very cold. There are a lot of moms here with strollers and stuff, it’s really a joke,” Hill said.
Hill said he was not stressed because he had three more weeks until his trip, but he was frustrated because he had to take a day off to wait in line.
Muneer Ahmad, who was also standing in line, said he applied for his passport ten weeks ago and was still waiting for a result.
Muneer Ahmad had just joined the back of the queue, traveling abroad in late June. (new)
“I’m very stressed because all the tickets have been booked and we’re just waiting for the passports.”
A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was experiencing “unprecedented high demand” for its passport services, following the reopening of Australia’s international border.
“We typically receive between 7,000 and 9,000 applications per business day. We currently receive between 10,000 and 12,000 applications per business day,” the spokesman said.
The office said they currently had four weeks of work in the processing queue and that customers should allow up to six weeks to obtain a passport or renew one.
The long line of the Sydney Passport Office stretches from the office doors to the footpath. (new)
“We continue to incorporate and train additional passport processing and call center staff to meet the increased demand, as well as improving our telephony technology and business processes.
“As a result of these changes, customers will soon begin to see a reduction in current delays over the next few weeks.”