Thousands of eager travellers have been forced to wait in line for up to eight hours for a new passport amid unprecedented demand.
Australians across the nation have joined large queues exterior passport places of work in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth to renew their expired paperwork.
The demand for new passports follows two years of worldwide border closures, with holiday-starved Aussies lastly trying to make an escape.
With 2.4million passports expiring over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, processing instances have doubled since October 2021.
Australians across the nation have joined large queues exterior places of work in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth to renew their expired paperwork (pictured, strains in Sydney on Monday)
The Division of Overseas Affairs and Commerce (DFAT) has suggested holidaymakers to permit six weeks for their new passport, nevertheless many say they’ve waited longer.
Residents can select to pay an additional $225 on prime of the $308 utility payment for their passport to be precedence processed in two days.
Nevertheless, it seems a four-week backlog has additionally brought on these wait instances to soar.
Whereas Sydney’s passport workplace usually receives round 7,000 to 9,000 purposes throughout a standard working week, requests have ballooned to 10,000 to 12,000.
It stays the same story on the Melbourne workplace, the place determined Aussies – together with moms with youngsters – have spent three hours ready in the chilly.
Footage of the prolonged queues exterior the Sydney passport workplace have brought on uproar on social media with others taking to Twitter to complain.
‘If you would like to go abroad subsequent yr, order your passport in the present day on the newest,’ one man tweeted on Tuesday.
‘How are some folks getting passports again and others of us are ready nicely over eight weeks,’ one other girl requested.
Residents will pay an additional $225 on prime of the $308 utility payment for their passport to be precedence processed in two days (pictured, a inventory picture of an Australian passport)
With 2.4million passports expiring over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, processing instances have doubled since October (pictured, strains exterior the Sydney passport workplace)
‘I’m not speaking about those that opted for the fast turnaround service. Cease placing folks on maintain for hours then chopping them off.’
‘I visited passport workplace Sydney to expedite my son’s passport on 2nd June, as a result of my father in regulation handed away and we would have liked to journey instantly,’ one other wrote.
‘They stated they will expedite the appliance after paying the precedence payment, however can’t get it till seventh. As a result of there may be 10 instances regular load it appears.
‘What ought to folks do in case of emergencies? There isn’t any assist on telephone. Completely no care or compassion.’
Sharnyce Hudson and Ethan Corridor from Western Australia have been trying ahead to a vacation in Bali, but they’re nonetheless ready for their passports after 9 weeks.
Whereas Sydney’s passport workplace usually receives round 7,000 to 9,000 purposes, requests have ballooned to 10,000 to 12,000 (pictured, arrivals at Perth airport in March)
The pair stated they drove 5 hours via the evening from Geraldton to Perth to get to the Australian passport workplace a day earlier than they’re due to fly out.
‘We’re supposed to be flying out tomorrow at 3.40am and at this level it doesn’t appear like we’re going anyplace,’ Ms Hudson advised 7News.
One mom has plans to journey to the UK along with her five-month-old child, however has had to wait months for her youngster’s passport to be authorised.
‘I’ve been ready three months for his passport and we journey per week on Monday. I’ve tried to e-mail, the telephone line is totally lifeless,’ she stated on Friday.
A DFAT spokeswoman has since apologised for the delays and stated ready instances ought to degree out ‘over the approaching weeks’.
CEO of the Australian Federation of Journey Brokers, Dean Lengthy, warned it is perhaps the tip of the yr earlier than passport wait instances eased (pictured, Melbourne’s Division of Immigration)
‘We proceed to onboard and practice further passport processing and name centre employees to meet the elevated demand,’ she stated.
‘Prospects will quickly begin to see a discount in the present delays over the approaching weeks. We thank folks for their endurance.’
Nevertheless, CEO of the Australian Federation of Journey Brokers, Dean Lengthy, warned it is perhaps the tip of the yr earlier than passport wait instances eased.
‘There’s about two million passports expired in the final two years and there’s simply not sufficient capability in that system to course of the quantity of purposes they’re making an attempt to,’ he advised Neil Mitchell on 3AW Radio.
‘We’re advising our prospects … it’s about eight to 12 weeks.’
