The DFAT website says applicants can get their passports within two business days if they pay $ 225 for “priority process” in addition to the $ 308 application fee.
A DFAT spokeswoman said the office was receiving about 10,000 to 12,000 applications a day, which is 3,000 more than usual, and is currently four weeks behind schedule.
Long queues starting at the Australian Passport Office in Collins Square, Docklands meander outside on the trail and around the block. Credit: Eddie Jim
Most applicants received their passports in six weeks, but some would take longer, he said, especially first-time applications, for which each document had to be verified.
“We continue to incorporate and train additional passport processing and call center staff to meet the increased demand,” he said.
“Customers will soon begin to see a reduction in current delays over the next few weeks. We thank people for their patience.”
Travel agent Peter Alysandratos said there had been some close calls among his clients to Prahran Travel, which was “crazy busy” as many Australians were preparing for their first holiday abroad since beginning of the pandemic.
Jovan Tomic hopes to go to Europe this weekend. Credit: Eddie Jim
One family received their passports on the day of their flight, he said, and another had not yet received their child’s passport after applying three months ago.
“We are telling all our customers right now that they have not received their passport not to make a reservation,” Alysandratos said.
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Jovan Tomic, who is booked to fly to Serbia on Sunday, was one of many travelers who knew his passport was ready, but faced a tough test to pick it up.
The Melbourne Passport Office rejected him on Friday because the collection line was too long, so on Monday morning he skipped college to join the queue.
“It’s chaos,” he said. “I have to get it today or I can’t go abroad.”
Provisional data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that in April there were 611,000 departures from Australia.
This was almost double the number of departures in March, but only a third of the number in April 2019.
Airlines are increasing their capacity in the coming months, and Qantas said its international capacity should reach 50% of pre-COVID-19 levels by the end of June before increasing to 70% in September. .
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