Embassy of Australia
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Also accredited to the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Sultanate of Oman, and the Republic of Yemen

Passport FAQs

 
Passports FAQ\'s

Q1 - Under what circumstances does a passport application have to be lodged in person?
 

From 1 July 2015 the Australian Embassy in Riyadh will only be able to accept passport applications lodged in person, subject to the limited exceptions which will apply in extreme circumstances, such as war or natural disaster. Children do not have to attend the lodgement interview. However, at least one person with parental responsibility for the child must lodge the application in person and provide proof of their identity.

You are encouraged not to bring children if possible. Children\'s applications may be submitted on behalf of the child by a parent or legal guardian and must be lodged in person.


Q2 – I live outside of Riyadh. Can I apply for my passport by courier?
 

From 1 July 2015 the Australian Embassy in Riyadh will only be able to accept passport applications lodged in person, subject to the limited exceptions which will apply in extreme circumstances, such as war or natural disaster. Children do not have to attend the lodgement interview. However, at least one person with parental responsibility for the child must lodge the application in person and provide proof of their identity.


Q3 - Do I have to provide a full length birth certificate?

The child\'s full length birth certificate, showing the parents\' names, must always be provided regardless of whether the child was born in Australia or overseas, or whether the child has been issued with an Australian passport previously. Any foreign language documents submitted must be accompanied by an official English translation.
All applicants who are providing a citizenship certificate as proof of citizenship which does not detail date and place of birth, must provide original birth certificate, officially translated where necessary.



Q4 - Does my passport have a Machine Readable Zone (MRZ)?

Australian machine readable passports feature a two line machine readable zone (MRZ) at the bottom of the biographical data page, consistent with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards.



Q5 - Will my previous passport be returned to me after applying for a new passport?

Your previous passport will be cancelled and returned to you.


Q6 - Will the visas in my previous passport still be valid after it has been cancelled?

You should check the status of the visas with the authority which issued them, i.e. the relevant Embassy or the Saudi Ministry of Foreign affairs for Saudi visas as we are unable to provide any information about the status of the visas.

 
Q7 - My visa is about to expire; can you get me a new one?

The Passport Office is unable to provide any assistance with obtaining visas.



Q8 - I have an Australian passport and a foreign passport; which passport do I use when entering Australia?

To avoid delays at airline check-in and again at the border entry point, Australian citizens who are dual nationals are required to depart and enter Australia on their Australian passport. An Australian citizen cannot be granted a visa for Australia in a foreign passport.

When entering Australia, all Australians, including those who hold dual nationality, must be able to prove that they are an Australian citizen. An Australian passport is conclusive evidence of a person\'s identity and citizenship, and provides the holder with unfettered right of entry to Australia.

International airlines have an obligation to ensure that they only carry appropriately documented passengers to Australia. In the absence of an Australian passport, airlines are unable to assess a person\'s claim to Australian citizenship at the time of check-in and may decline to carry the traveller.



Q9 - I am an Australian citizen but as I did not obtain an Australian passport before departing Australia, I am using my foreign passport whilst I am overseas. Do I have to apply for an Australian passport in order to return to Australia?

As noted above, Australian citizens must enter Australia on an Australian passport so you must apply in person for an Australian passport to enable you to return to Australia.

 

Q10 - I am an Australian citizen and I\'ve just had a baby. What do I have to do to get Australian citizenship and an Australian passport for him/her?

Before you can apply for an Australian passport for your child, he/she must first obtain Australian citizenship by contacting:
Citizenship Section
Department of Immigration and Citizenship
Australian Embassy
Riyadh

Phone (+966) 11 250 0900


Q11 - I have recently been married. How do I change my name on my passport?

You will need to apply for a new passport by completing the Application for an Australian Passport Overseas form (please note that you do not qualify for a renewal form in these circumstances).

If you were married in Australia, you must provide the marriage certificate issued by the Australian Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages (RBDM). A marriage certificate issued by a celebrant or religious leader is not acceptable for passport purposes.

If you were born in Australia but married overseas, you will need to register a change of name with the Australian Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages in the state or territory of your birth and obtain the relevant certificate which must accompany your completed passport application. You must also provide your original overseas marriage certificate.

If you were born outside Australia and married outside Australia, you must provide your overseas marriage certificate. Any foreign language documents submitted must be accompanied by an official English translation.

A gratis (free of charge) passport will only be issued if you apply for your new passport within 12 months of your marriage and have at least 2 years validity on your current passport. The new passport will be issued with the same validity as the passport which is being replaced.



Q12 - I have recently married a foreign national; how can I obtain an Australian passport for my spouse?

We can only issue an Australian passport to an Australian citizen. When you marry a citizen of another country, it does not entitle your spouse to hold an Australian passport (unless they also hold Australian citizenship). If you and your spouse would like to live in Australia you should contact the Department of Immigration and Citizenship. http://www.immi.gov.au/



Q13 - My passport is nearly full but is valid for another x years, is it possible to add extra pages?

Unfortunately, it is not possible for pages to be added to Australian passports so you will have to apply for a new passport by completing a passport renewal form.

 

Q14 - Can I get my child/ren added to my Australian passport?

A child who is an Australian citizen must have their own Australian passport as it is not possible to include a child on a parent\'s passport.


Q15 - My child\'s mother/father is overseas - how do I get consent?

A number of legal requirements must be met before a passport may be issued to a child. Specifically, each person listed on the full birth certificate or each person who has legal caring responsibility for the child must supply his or her consent.

If the non lodging parent is overseas, he/she can provide their consent at an Australian Passport Office in Australia or at an Australian High Commission or Embassy in the country in which they reside.



Q16 - I am unable to obtain the consent of my child\'s father/mother as I am no longer in contact with him/her; what can I do?

Every effort should be made to gain the consent prior to lodging an application form for your child\'s passport, however if you are unable to provide consent from all parties, please contact the Passport Office to discuss the matter and obtain additional forms for completion. If the consent has not been obtained, the processing of the application can take from 4-6 weeks and if the application is not approved, you will not be entitled to a refund of the application fee. You are therefore strongly urged not to book travel until you know the outcome of the application.



Q17 - I washed my passport, do I have to apply for a replacement passport?

If your passport is damaged, you are required to apply for a replacement passport in person by completing an Application for an Australian Passport Overseas form and submitting the relevant supporting documents. If the passport is badly damaged, it will not be accepted as proof of citizenship and you will be required to submit an original Australian full length birth certificate (if you were born in Australia), an Australian citizenship certificate or a previous passport issued after 20 August 1986 which was issued with a validity of more than two years. In all cases, you must also provide the damaged passport.



Q18 - I am Australian, but my partner is not; can they lodge our child’s passport application?

Either parent may lodge the childrens application.


Q19 - Do you accept notarized/certified copies of documents?

No, you must provide the originals of all documents required. There is no exception to this rule.

If you need to obtain original documents from another country, we can accept faxed copies from certain authorized sources, e.g. a Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages in Australia, an Australian Passport Office in Australia or an overseas Australian diplomatic mission.



Q20 - What is meant by the “crown of the head” which is referred to in the passport photo requirements?

The “crown of the head” is where the top of your skull would be if it were visible. It is not the top of your hair or the start of your hairline.



Q21 - Can I travel on my passport if the name differs to the name on my airline ticket?

Any specific questions regarding what an airline will accept as proof of identity should be directed to the airline.


Q22 - I made a mistake when I was completing the passport application form; should I use white out/correction fluid/correction tape?

Never use correction fluid or similar products on a passport application form as it will invalidate that section of the form. You will have to complete another form.

Q23 - I put the wrong date on the declaration on the passport application form; how can I correct it?

If you completed the application form online, you can amend the form and re-print the relevant page. If you completed a hard copy form which was sent to you by this office, you can request that a replacement page be sent to you or if you are under a time constraint to submit the passport application, you may cross out the incorrect date, complete the correct date and initial next to the change.



Q24 - I have just completed my passport application online, did you receive it?

All passport applications completed online must be printed by the applicant and lodged at a passport office together with relevant supporting documents, fee, etc. There is currently no way to lodge an Australian passport application electronically.

Q25 - Why can’t I use the one page Adult Renewal form?

You can only use this form if your current Australian passport is an adult passport, issued with a validity of more than 2 years and is either current or expired in the last 12 months.

Alternatively you may be answering the security question incorrectly. The answer to this question must exactly match what is on your passport records in order for you to proceed. If you have exhausted all of these possibilities and still believe you are eligible for a renewal form, please contact the Riyadh passport office.

Q26 - I am completing the form online and whenever I enter my current address (which is an overseas address) I get a message advising that my address cannot be verified. What do I do?

The Passports Australia website cannot verify overseas addresses. This message is just a warning. As long you are satisfied that the address you have entered is correct, you can proceed by pressing the next button.



Q27 - I am trying to complete the application form online but I keep going around in circles/getting error messages. What do I do?

If you are going around in circles, it is likely that you have made an incorrect choice at some stage. The most common problem is that you are selecting the wrong answers to “Are you residing in Australia?” (the answer should always be “no” for someone applying overseas) or “Do you wish to renew an Australian passport “ (“Yes” if you qualify for a renewal form (PC7) and “No” if you have to use an Application for an Australian Passport Overseas form (form PC8).

Q28 – I do NOT have a valid Australian Drivers Licence or NSW Birth Card to complete the “proof of identity documents” section on the Application for an Australian Passport Overseas form?

Leave this section blank as is not applicable to you. However please be aware you must still provide a section of ID documents when lodging the Application for an Australian Passport Overseas.


Q29 – RE: Section 3b – What is my Citizenship Certificate number?

If your citizenship certificate has a client number, use the client number for this section. If not continue to your the certificate number e.g. ACC12345678 or ROC0123456.

Applicants who provide a citizenship document as proof of citizenship which does not detail date and place of birth, must provide original birth certificate, officially translated where necessary.
 


Q30 – My passport is with another Embassy or another government department and I need to travel; what can I do?

We are unable to contact the other Embassies or other government departments or any other authority on your behalf in order to expedite the return of your passport. You will need to liaise directly with the relevant authority concerning the return of your passport as we are unable to issue a further travel document to you.

On those occasions where you may need to travel urgently for compassionate reasons, e.g. serious illness or death of a family member or friend, and you require your passport back from another Embassy or Government department etc., you will need to liaise directly with the relevant authority.

If you report to us that your Australian passport has been lost at or by another Embassy or other government department, before we accept a passport application from you, you will be required to obtain a letter from the relevant authority confirming the loss of the passport.