Australians looking for a holiday have been frustrated as long delays in renewing or obtaining a passport have ruined their travel plans.
Travelers are advised to allow up to six weeks for passport application, but many customers report balloon waiting times.
For Western Australians Sharnyce Hudson and Ethan Hall, their enthusiasm for a getaway to Bali has turned to disappointment.
For more travel news and videos, see 7Travel >>
“It simply came to our notice then. We’re supposed to fly out at 3.40am tomorrow and right now it doesn’t look like we’re going anywhere, ”Hudson told 7NEWS.
The couple drove five hours from Geraldton to Perth overnight to join the dozens of people waiting for hours outside the city’s Australian passport office.
“We got here at 3 in the morning just to defend our case, it probably won’t do anything, but we’d rather fight,” Hall said.
Western Australians Sharnyce Hudson and Ethan Hall are disappointed that they will have to cancel their trip to Bali tomorrow with their passports yet to arrive. Credit: 7NEWS
Zahra Ghurbanin said she has been waiting for her daughter’s passport for 10 weeks after receiving hers.
“From Monday to today, I come here every day for two hours,” he told 7NEWS.
“We want June 17 … I’m absolutely worried.”
A mother is preparing to travel to the UK to see the family after three years, but the application for her five-month-old child is still pending.
“I have been waiting for three months for his passport and we will travel for a week on Monday. I tried to send an email, the phone line is completely dead, “he told 7NEWS.
Expected travelers are advised to allow up to six weeks for their passport application, but many customers report balloon waiting times. Credit: 7NEWS
Obstacles abroad
Australians who stayed abroad due to COVID-19 border restrictions are also facing long delays in renewing their passports to return home.
Unprecedented processing time and demand disruptions have created month delays for updated documentation, with some Australians abroad waiting more than three months.
The situation is so bad that an Australian in New Zealand with an expired passport who wants to start the process this week could not travel until mid-September, even for emergencies.
“Whether applying in Australia or abroad, customers should allow up to six weeks to obtain a new passport or renew one,” said a spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Do you want to reduce the chances of catching COVID on a plane? Follow this expert advice
The simple trick of the airport baggage handler to ensure that your luggage arrives at its destination first
“Unprecedented demand”
DFAT said it has been “experiencing unprecedented high demand” for passports, with more than 1.2 million issued since June 30 last year, almost double the 2020-21 fiscal year.
It typically receives between 7,000 and 9,000 applications a day, but with an increase in the number of travelers eager to escape the winter cold, this increased from 10,000 to 12,000.
“We currently have about four weeks of work in the processing queue,” a spokesman told 7NEWS.com.au.
“This is leading to longer-than-usual call center waiting times, as well as an increase in the number of customers queuing at our passport offices.”
Passport pain is being felt around the world, and some aspiring UK travelers have to cancel their plans after failing to receive their passports on time.
The UK Passport Office said five million people had delayed their applications due to the pandemic, which caused a delay of about 10 weeks.
Canadians report similar waiting times, with local media sharing images of long queues stretching from passport offices as Service Canada struggles with an “unprecedented volume of applications.”
DFAT apologized to customers affected by the delays, adding that additional call center and passport processing staff are being trained to meet the demand.
As for whether any relief is seen for Australians, DFAT says “customers will soon start seeing a reduction in current delays over the next few weeks”.
– With AAP