Australians who want to go abroad have been hit hard by major delays and queues as the passport office is flooded with applications.
Some people have been waiting in line today at the Sydney Passport Office for more than four hours while looking to renew their passports.
Joel Green is booked on a flight to Singapore on Sunday and was queued for five hours at the office today only to be told to return tomorrow.
Sydney residents queued for hours at the passport office. (9 News)
“They only have one person at the counter, I’ve been queuing since 10am,” Green said.
“I made sure to find the lady at the desk phone number so I could call her in person, make sure I get it on Thursday, otherwise I’ll run out of money.”
Anas Shoushary travels to Jordan and has paid for the priority process for renewing her passport, but she still has to wait four and a half hours to pick it up.
“I was expecting it to be an hour, half an hour to get out quickly, but everyone was complaining,” Shoushary said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has warned to allow at least six weeks for passport renewal. (9 News)
During the last years of the pandemic, around 1.4 million passports expired and now people are looking to escape the Australian winter.
There is at least a four-week delay in the Australian passport office.
In the first three months of this year, 400,000 passports have been issued, more than double the same period last year.
Some passport applicants told 9News that they have waited up to three months. (9 News)
The Department of Foreign Affairs recommends that travelers allow at least six weeks to renew their passport.
However, some passport applicants have told 9News that they have been waiting for about three months.
It is understood that new passport applications and children’s passports will take even longer to process.
Claude Monet’s masterpiece is expected to sell for more than $ 30 million