Australians will soon be able to pay less to have their passport applications fast-tracked under a new system.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers unveiled the changes as part of the 2024 Federal Budget on Tuesday night.
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Currently, an eligible applicant can pay a priority processing fee of $252 to have their application processed within two business days, however, a new middle-tier option will be available from July 1.
From mid-year, Australians can skip the queue and have their passport processed in five business days for a $100 fee – or wait, on average, six weeks for normal processing.
The measure is expected to generate $27.4 million over five years and be reinvested into the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) portfolio.
The federal government said it had already provided funding and recognised revenue for this measure.
The new system will become available the same day passport prices will increase, as announced in the mid-year budget update in December.
Australian travellers will be hit with a 15 per cent cost increase for passport applications on July 1 – so an adult 10-year passport will go from $346 to around $397.
In comparison, New Zealanders pay $192 for a decade-long passport, while Canadians pay about $179.
At the time of the announcement, Chalmers said the increase was “relatively modest” considering the extra security benefits the cash would bring.
“The funds from this one-off increase are all about making sure we can resource our passport systems and make them modern and fit for purpose, especially at a time where there are ongoing threats to people’s security and their identity,” he told reporters.
“What is a relatively modest change to passport fees … will mean the new cost of an ordinary Australian adult passport is still less than $40 a year over that 10-year period.”
The Foreign Affairs Department said the extra fees would be used to modernise passport systems, pointing out that Australian passport holders get visa-free access to more than 100 countries.
– with AAP