An Australian passport is a travel document issued by the Commonwealth of Australia to individuals holding any form of Australian nationality. The document facilitates access to consular assistance from Australian embassies around the world, and are issued by the Australian Passport Office, an agency of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and Australia Post. As of February 2026, Australian citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 182 countries and territories, ranking the passport seventh in the world for travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index.
Since 24 October 2005, Australia has issued only biometric passports, called ePassports, which have an embedded microchip that contains the same personal information that is on the colour photo page of the passport, including a digitised photograph. All Australian passport variants are biometric. SmartGates have been installed in Australian airports to allow Australian ePassport holders and ePassport holders of several eligible countries to clear immigration controls more rapidly, and facial recognition technology has been installed at immigration gates.
Approximately 2.3 million passports are issued annually, with 15 million Australian citizens (about 56% of the population) possessing a valid Australian passport. Ten-year passports cost A$422, making them the most expensive passports in the world.Depending on exchange rate fluctations, the 10-year Turkish passport may be more expensive.
History Before 1901, Australia consisted of six separate British colonies. Passport usage was not common, and if required British or other national passports were used. In the 19th century, paroled convicts were issued a type of internal passport called "ticket of leave", which enabled them to move freely between the colonies. In 1901, the six colonies joined to form the Commonwealth of Australia, although Australians retained British nationality. It was only in 1912 that the first federal passport regulations were introduced, and the passports issued by the Australian government still bore the words "British Passport" on the cover until 1967. During World War I, the monitoring and identifying of those crossing international borders was regarded as critical to the security of Australia and its allies, and the War Precautions Act 1914 required all persons over 16 years of age, on leaving Australia, to possess some passport.
Australian nationality came into existence on 26 January 1950 when the Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948 came into force, and Australian passports began to distinguish between Australian citizens and other British subjects. British subjects, who were not Australian citizens, continued to be entitled to an Australian passport. The term "British subject" had a particular meaning in Australian nationality law. The term encompassed all citizens of countries included in the list contained in the Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948. The list of countries was based on, but was not identical with, those countries (and their colonies) which were members of the Commonwealth from time to time. The list was amended from time to time as various former colonies became independent countries, but the list in the Act was not necessarily up-to-date as far as to constitute exactly a list of countries in the Commonwealth at any given time. This definition of "British subject" meant that, for the purposes of Australian nationality law, citizens of countries which had become republics, such as India, were classified as "British subjects". The words "British Passport" were removed from the covers of Australian passports in 1967.
In 1981, the Commonwealth, Queensland, New South Wales and Victorian governments set up the Stewart Royal Commission to inquire into various drug trafficking and related criminal activities, but which spent much of its time examining how criminals were using and abusing the passport system for criminal purposes. The Commission published its final report in 1983,Stewart Royal Commission 1983, Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Drug Trafficking in Australia, AGPS, Canberra. making recommendations on how to prevent such abuses, most of which were acted upon by the federal government. The report's recommendations included that applicants for a passport attend a Passport Office and that mailed applications cease; that passports be issued only to citizens, so that British subjects would cease to be entitled to a passport; that birth certificates not be accepted as a sufficient proof of identity; that passports cease to be issued through travel or other agents; and that all persons who change their name, whether by choice, marriage or adoption, be required to register the change with State Registrars of births, deaths and marriages. The legal category of British subject was abolished in 1984 by the Australian Citizenship (Amendment) Act 1984, and Australian passports began to be issued exclusively to Australian citizens, though existing passports held by non-citizen British subjects continued to be valid until each expired.
In 1980, large bound book registers were replaced by a computerised processing and registration system, called the Passport Issue and Control System (PICS). Since 1984, to speed up processing of incoming and outgoing passengers and data entry, Australia has been issuing passports with machine readable lines, to ICAO Document 9303 standard. Since 24 October 2005, Australia has issued only biometric passports, called ePassports, which have an embedded RFID microchip that contains the same personal information that is on the colour photo page of the passport, including a digitised photograph. Australia was only the fourth country in the world (after Malaysia, Thailand and Sweden) to introduce biometric passports. All Australian passports are now biometric, all pre-2006 passports having now expired. SmartGates have been installed in Australian airports to allow Australian ePassport holders, and ePassport holders of several other countries, to clear immigration controls more rapidly, and facial recognition technology has been installed at immigration gates to capture and save a biometric profile of passport holders as well as to compare against the immigration database and watchlist. Australia does not use fingerprinting of incoming passengers, as is done by some other countries.
Summary of passport series In 1917, 'X' series passports issued. In 1937, 'A' series passports issued. Passport cover included the Commonwealth Coat of Arms and the words 'British Passport Commonwealth of Australia'. In 1949, after Australian nationality was created, passports began to distinguish between Australian citizens and other British subjects. The passports contained manually inserted photos with wet seals and raised embossed seals over the photo as security features. Two types of passport were issued: 'B' series passports – issued (within Australia only) to British subjects who were not Australian citizens. 'C' series passports – issued to Australian citizens. In 1950, 'E' series passport replaces 'B' and 'C' series. In 1964, 'G' series passport introduced, with the St Edward's Crown at the top of the cover, the word 'Australia' followed by the Australian Coat of Arms, and the words 'British Passport' at the bottom. In 1967, the words 'British Passport' removed from passports but retain the Crown. The word 'Australia' appears below the Crown, followed by the Australian Coat of Arms and the word 'Passport'. In 1975, responsibility for Australian passport functions were transferred to the Department of Foreign Affairs (since 1987, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade), from the then Department of Labor and Immigration. Before 1983, a married woman's passport application had to be authorised by her husband. In 1983, the department partnered with Australia Post to enable the issue of Australian passports at most Australia Post outlets. In 1984, 'T' series passport introduced, with Crown emblem removed from cover. These were the first to have a laminate built into the document. In 1986, single identity passports introduced, so that children could no longer be included on a parent's passport. In 1988, 'H' and 'J' series passports issued with Bicentennial logo. And until 1988, a woman could apply for and receive a passport in her married name, before she was actually married. In 1994, digitised colour printing of photograph and signature on the glue side of the laminate introduced. In 1995, 'L' series passports introduced, with kangaroo motif security laminate. The personal data pages initially included a photograph and a cut out piece of paper with the holder's signature under a sheet of adhesive laminate. From approximately 1998, the personal data page for 'L' series passports colour laser printed under a sheet of adhesive laminate. From 27 November 2003, 'M' series passport issued, which included enhanced security features. The personal data page printed by ink-jet onto the adhesive surface of the security laminate, the laminate itself containing a holographic design. From October 2005, 'M' series passports issued as a biometric or ePassport. Electronic passport logo printed under the passport number on the personal data page. The front cover printed in gold ink. Since May 2009, 'N' series passports issued as a biometric or ePassport. The passport was black instead of blue and had a slight font and case change to the word 'Passport' on the front cover. The front cover printing was in silver. Additional fraud counter-measures were included including a 'Ghost Image' and 'Retro-Reflective Floating Image' on the laminated page. Each page featured images of Australia printed throughout the document making every visa page unique and more difficult to reproduce. In late June 2014, 'P' series passports issued with innovative security features that make it even more difficult to forge. They have an Australian flag blue with gold embossed cover, printed using the same technologies as Australian banknotes. Visible security features include a new security laminate with the world's first colour floating image. From September 2022, 'R' series passports issued incorporate works by Indigenous artists, it has a high security data page made of hard polycarbonate, making the passport harder to forge and less susceptible to damage. The visa pages show 17 Australian landscapes in colour.
Types of passport
The Australian Government issues passports to provide an internationally accepted attestation of their citizens' identity. To facilitate this global recognition, several types of passports are issued.
These are broadly issued in these categories: Ordinary passport Diplomatic passport Official passport Emergency passport
Certain non-passport travel documents may also be issued, with eligibility not limited to citizens: Convention Travel Document Certificate of Identity Document of Identity Provisional Travel Document
Beyond these, other documents for travel are issued in limited circumstances: ImmiCard, PLO56 (M56), Document for Travel to Australia (DFTTA). These are issued to protection or humanitarian visa holders, or persons in similar circumstances warranting their issue.
Passports and Documents of Identity are ordinarily worth 70 points in the 100 point check system, and can be used as an authoritative identity document throughout Australia. Passports issued with full validity can be used as an identity document for up to two years after their expiry.
Ordinary passport These are the passports most commonly issued to Australian citizens. An applicant must satisfy the identity and citizenship requirements. When they are unable to meet these requirements, a Limited Validity Passport (LVP) or Document of Identity may be compassionately issued. LVPs are identical to ordinary passports, but are valid for up to 12 months.