IIf you need a new Australian Passport, due to it being lost, stolen, about to expire or expired or you are about to apply for your first Australian Passport, you might like to take some time to read the following information about submitting your application.

Our Aim, Your Rights and Obligations

Our Client Service Charter sets out the standard of service you can expect from the Passports Office staff at the Australian Consulate-General. Our aim is to provide high quality passport services to Australians visiting or living in Peru. Our role is to issue Australians with new and replacement Passports in accordance with the provisions of The Passports Act 2005 and other relevant legislation. In certain circumstances, we may issue other types of travel documents.

The Passport Charter of Service requires that an Australian Passport be issued, if all requirements of the Passport Act are met, within 10 days of applying. We ask that you provide us with original documentation proving your Australian citizenship and identity, to fully complete the Passport Application form and to pay the necessary fee for the issue of a Passport. Full and accurate information will help us to provide you with a new or replacement Australian Passport in the least amount of time possible.

The Application Form

The first thing you need is an application form. These are available for collection from the Australian Consulate-General. Please note that new Application forms have been introduced for Australian Passports issued overseas and these must be used. If you have difficulty coming to the Consulate-General and cannot send someone on your behalf, forms can now be downloaded from www.passports.gov.au.

When you obtain your Passport Application Form, please take a moment to read all the information contained in the form and the accompanying instructions carefully. We often see clients come to the Passport Office to submit their application without the proper information or supporting evidence. If you don't provide all necessary documents a passport cannot be issued and you will have to return with the additional information before it can be issued.

The form must be completed in black ink pen. As forms are scanned into a computer database for record keeping and this database only recognises black ink, we will not accept forms completed in any other manner. If you have changed your name or want to use another name than that shown on your birth certificate or Australian Citizenship certificate, you will need to provide us with legal proof of that change (eg a Deed Poll Certificate).

The Identifier Section on page 3 of the Application form must be completed either by an Australian Passport holder who has known you for at least 12 months and is not related to you by birth or marriage and is readily contactable by telephone. This person completes section A on the form. If you do not know another Australian Passport holder (or if the person you do know is related to you by birth or marriage), you can have someone who is currently employed in one of the recognised categories of employment, sign section B of page 3. The categories are listed on the information sheet enclosed with the application form available at the Consulate-General. Once again, this person must not be related to you by either birth or marriage, must have known you for at least 12 months and is readily contactable by telephone.

Photographs

Two identical photographs must be provided. Your Identifier must notate the photographs on the back, "This is a true photograph of [full name of applicant]" and sign their name. Please note that for photographs taken with a digital or video camera, the paper must be of high photographic quality. The skin tones must be natural and the contrast and resolution must be clear. If the photographs do not comply with the standards listed on the application form, we will require you to obtain two new photographs and have them notated on the back again by the same person who originally signed the identifier section on page three.

Submitting Your Application

Applications may be lodged in person at the Australian Consulate-General between the hours of 9:00am and 4:00pm, Monday to Friday. Please bring along the completed application form and all supporting documentation required (this is detailed in the enclosed instructions), your old Passport and proof of your current name and signature together with the appropriate fee. Unfortunately, there is currently no exemption possible to the statutory requirement to attend a personal interview when lodging an application for an Australian Passport overseas.

The cost of an Australian Passport is set in United States dollars and varies periodically according to the prevailing exchange rate. The Australian Consulate-General can only accept payment in US dollars and payment can only be made in cash.

My Passport is Full, but it hasn't Expired. What do I do?

The security features of the Australian Passport make it extremely difficult to forge or tamper. To maintain this security it is not possible for us to insert additional blank pages. Therefore, if your Passport is full, it will be necessary for you to apply for a replacement. If you travel frequently, you may wish to consider applying for a frequent traveller's Passport which contains 64 pages, double the ordinary Passport, which contains 32 pages. A higher fee is applicable to the issue of a frequent traveller's Passport.

Passports for Minors - Additional Requirements

For the issue of an Australian Passport to a minor (someone under the age of 18 years), please see the next page on our website entitled Issue of Passports to Minors.

Questions?

If you have any questions relating to lodging an application for an Australian Passport, please call us on 222 8281 during business hours, or send us an e-mail to info.peru@austrade.gov.au.
Alternatively, click on the following address to look at some frequently asked questions concerning lodging an application for an Australian Passport: www.dfat.gov.au/passports/faq