A lot of people will be focusing on the marketing them of ‘End of Financial Year Sales’, but there is an impending large increase to the cost of an Australian passport!!
Aussie travellers have less than two weeks to go before the cost of getting an Australian passport increases to $373.75 – making it one of the most expensive passports in the world.
The increase is the second time the fee has gone up in the last 6 months. In January passport fees increased to $346 for an adult passport, up from $325 previously.
Travellers who need a fast passport turnaround have also been given a new option. From 1 July the government will offer a ‘fast track’ route to allow passports to be processed in five business days. However, it will cost an extra $100 on top of the standard application price.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the increase was a security measure.
“This one-off increase is all about making sure that 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,” Chalmers told reporters in December last year.
