[Vic] Extremely Long Child Passport Processing Times

kaleidoscope on 13/12/2021 - 22:01

G’day all,
Submitted a passport application for the kid around first week of October.
I did not put in priority processing as I was not expecting to travel any soon and the website stated processing times are around 3 weeks.
It’s now mid December and is still not processed. Tried to get in touch with passport office and they said it has been scanned to the system when i submitted from post office but they cannot give any idea on when it can or will be processed.

Anyone else experiencing this sort of an unusual delay? If I want to prioritise it now is it possible? Should I wait unknown amount of time? There is only phone line contact with really long wait times, so I thought of asking the community for options before I call them again.

Thanks.

Travel

closed Comments

  • oscargamer on 13/12/2021 - 22:42

    When do you need the passport by?

    • SF3 on 13/12/2021 - 22:46
      +1

      ^ The million dollar question…

      • oscargamer on 13/12/2021 - 22:47
        +9

        I bet the answer is 'i don't need the passport by any particular date, I'm just bored of waiting for it'

    • kaleidoscope on 14/12/2021 - 00:22

      I don’t need it in a hurry. But given its been 2 months already it’s concerning and quite frustrating. I still won’t be travelling for xmas but if I have to book flights in advance say mid next year trip I’d need passport details for booking ticket eh.

  • Ugly on 13/12/2021 - 22:50

    Wife & I both put in passport applications about 8 weeks ago. Hers came back within 4 weeks, but mine still hasn’t arrived.

    • jv on 13/12/2021 - 22:51
      +3

      Might be an issue with your photo ?

      • Ugly on 13/12/2021 - 22:55

        I guess you can’t rule anything out, but we had the photos taken at the Post Office, and it would seem strange for my photos to have an issue when they were taken immediately after (and under exactly the same conditions) as the wife’s.

        • jv on 13/12/2021 - 23:07
          +4

          we had the photos taken at the Post Office

          Is it the one in your gravatar?

        • kaleidoscope on 14/12/2021 - 00:28
          +1

          lol 😹. I think JV meant the photo in your profile and perhaps the alias.

  • jv on 13/12/2021 - 22:51
    +1

    Extremely Long Child Passport Processing Times

    We were warned about that months ago…

    • Stopback on 13/12/2021 - 23:26

      First warning was late sep, oct is reasonable.

    • capslock on 14/12/2021 - 07:59

      With WA residents now able to book holidays to Bali in just under two months, they will also join the queue for passport renewals.

      • jv on 14/12/2021 - 09:19

        Isn't Bali domestic?

        • spal on 14/12/2021 - 09:51
          +1

          Thar may be, but WA is foreign to rest of the Australians 😀

  • iNeed2Pee on 13/12/2021 - 23:18
    +1

    Due to Covid-19, we have run out of passport paper.

    • kaleidoscope on 14/12/2021 - 00:31

      Just the child passport paper I recon as adult passports have no issue I hear.

      • spal on 14/12/2021 - 09:54

        Maybe child passports are made with softer paper. We all know what happened to the stocks of a softer kind of paper.

    • mrvaluepack on 14/12/2021 - 07:02
      -2

      Really? Source?

      • coxjon on 14/12/2021 - 08:41

        Panic buying paper

  • Benoffie on 13/12/2021 - 23:36

    You can change to priority. Will have to pay obviously. But there's really no point now if you're not flying this side of Xmas.

    • kaleidoscope on 14/12/2021 - 00:26

      You can change to priority

      Okay, thanks for this. Yeah won’t be flying during xmas. But might need passport details atleast for booking in advance.

      • MrHyde on 14/12/2021 - 05:26
        +1

        Passport details are not required for booking. They just need to be provided a couple of days before flight… At least that used to be the case precovid.

  • Chan-desi on 14/12/2021 - 08:49
    +1

    In the same boat. Applied for passport 2nd week of Oct and been waiting since. Cant even get to the passport office helplines. Any other way to contact them like go office?

  • sharemyhead on 14/12/2021 - 09:19

    Try calling them again and again, tell them that you have to travel urgently and need the passport ASAP. They'll put some note in your application and it should be expedited. When I applied for my son, the processing time was 3 weeks but it still took 5 weeks. Everything is under the guise of "we have so many applications so there are delays". I have a friend who applied with priority processing, paid the extra fees but still got the passport in 3 weeks.

  • pharkurnell on 14/12/2021 - 09:30

    You'll probably find theres 5 million people trying to update theirs all at the same time with the borders opening and everyone wanting to escape, and probably the same team of 5 people processing them

    • kaleidoscope on 14/12/2021 - 10:21

      That’s more like it 🙈

  • TurboTortoise on 14/12/2021 - 09:31

    We applied for 3 passport renewals. Mine was back in 3 weeks but waiting on the other 2 (one is a child). 5 weeks so far. I was surprised how quick the first one was.

    • kaleidoscope on 14/12/2021 - 13:46

      my friend’s passport renewals came back within 3 weeks (including his 2 kids). That made me think the delay is mostly for the new passports.

  • rektrading on 14/12/2021 - 10:22
    +1

    Are the feds delaying with the issuance of passports for children to coincide with a vaccine passport for children?

    • try2bhelpful on 14/12/2021 - 13:21

      That is an interesting point. I wonder if the idea is they hold processing over so that kids can be fully vaccinated before they travel. Would be nothing official but the timing is interesting. However, could just be swamped as people are looking to travel.

  • Chan-desi on 14/12/2021 - 13:32
    +2

    Just an update. I finally got through the help line. The lady put me on priority list as I said I have a travel due within a month. I will have to go to office to collect it as auspost are experiencing delays.

    • kaleidoscope on 14/12/2021 - 13:43

      Great food for you. I’ll keep this in mind if anything comes up and mine’s still not processed

  • pharkurnell on 15/12/2021 - 09:23
    +1

    FWIW the ex-mistake got her US passport renewed and ready to pickup in 5 days.

  • kaleidoscope on 16/12/2021 - 23:05

    Thanks all for the suggestions. ✌️

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