Passports Just Became More Expensive for Aussies

An Australian passport pictured in Brisbane, Australia, on July 25, 2013. (AAP Image/Dan Peled)

Overseas travel just got more expensive, and it has nothing to do with the cost of flights or hotels.

The Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) included the announcement that the price of a new passport will henceforth be indexed annually to increases in the consumer price index, and that a 15 percent increase to passport application fees will apply from July 1, 2024.

With the current CPI rate at 5.4 percent, that would mean Australians will have to spend nearly $70 more, with the price of an adult 10-year passport going from $325 to around $394 next year.

New Zealanders pay the local equivalent of A$192.00, while Canadians pay around A$179.00.

Extra Revenue Will Allow Government to Deal with Security Threats: Chalmers

The price rise is expected to bring the government an extra $349 million across three years, which will be spent on other priorities in the Foreign Affairs and Trade portfolio.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers, who called the increase “relatively modest” said the additional funds would “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.”

This was echoed by a Foreign Affairs Department spokesperson, who 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.

“This will ensure that Australia can stay ahead of the game in addressing rapidly evolving and more sophisticated threats to identity security,” he said.

2nd Rise in a Year

Opposition tourism spokesperson Kevin Hogan pointed out that this was the second passport fee rise in a year, and came on top of a $10 rise in departure tax, and higher airfares.

“Tourism and trade are critical for our economy, employing thousands of Australians particularly in regional and rural Australia,” he said. “This reinforces the fact that Labor doesn’t care about our regions, is increasing costs for consumers and damaging critical sectors in the economy.”

According to Statista, in the financial year 2022, approximately 1.39 million Australian residents travelled from Australia overseas, up from around 201,000 in the previous year.

Most (173,000) were headed to New Zealand, 156,000 to the United States, 121,000 to India, and 117,000 to the UK.

Before the pandemic, 9.9 million Australians went overseas.

Should travel return to those levels, the price hike could bring the government an additional $638 million a year in revenue.