Australian Passport Office

What Australian Passport Office does

The Australian Passport Office (APO) is a Commonwealth of Australia government agency established under the Australian Passports Act 2005 and administered through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). It holds exclusive statutory authority to issue Australian passports and travel documents to Australian citizens and eligible non-citizens, including refugees and stateless persons. The APO operates from its headquarters in Canberra and delivers services through passport offices in every Australian state and territory capital, the nationwide Australia Post network, and Australian embassies and consulates in over 80 countries.

The APO's product portfolio includes standard 10-year adult passports (A$422), 5-year child passports (A$213), optional 5-year passports for adults aged 75+, replacement passports (A$265), emergency passports issued overseas, and travel documents for non-citizens such as Convention Travel Documents and Certificates of Identity (A$265 each). Its technology stack uses biometric passport chips with facial recognition data, the Face Verification Service (FVS) for one-to-one photo verification, and the Document Verification Service (DVS) for passport data authentication, both managed by the Attorney-General's Department. The online AusPassport system is hosted on Microsoft Azure with communications handled by Whispir, and supports form completion, application checklists, and status tracking under Multi-Factor Authentication.

Revenue is generated through fixed application fees collected at the point of lodgement, with surcharges for overseas lodgement (A$189 adult, A$92 child) and premium processing services such as the 2-day Priority service (A$308) and 5-day Fast Track service (A$107). As a non-commercial government entity, revenue is not publicly disclosed and operations are funded through the Commonwealth. The APO maintains a 6-week service standard target, with processing performance above 98% of travel documents delivered within that window as of May 2026.

Name

Australian Passport Office

Legal name

Commonwealth of Australia as represented by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Website

https://passports.gov.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Australian Passport Office is a Commonwealth agency under the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade that holds the sole statutory authority to issue Australian passports and travel documents to citizens and eligible non-citizens, operating nationwide through Australia Post and embassies worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Passport and Travel Document Services

NAICS

International Affairs (92812), National Security and International Affairs (928), Public Administration (92)

akta.pro primary industry

Passport & Identity Document Management (THALAPAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Consular Services & Citizen Assistance (BPAIAIAB), Migrant & Refugee Legal Aid and Documentation Services (BPADAHAE)

Keywords

• Passport issuance services
• Travel document services
• Biometric identity verification
• Citizen identification documents
• Consular passport services

Headquarters

HQ city

Canberra

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Passport Application Fees: The Australian Passport Office generates revenue through fixed fees charged for passport and travel document services. Fees are charged at point of application lodgement and include standard passport issuance, expedited processing services, overseas surcharges, and travel documents for non-citizens.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Australian Passport Office is the sole Commonwealth government authority that issues Australian passports to citizens and travel documents to eligible non-citizens (refugees and stateless persons). It processes new applications, renewals, replacements, and emergency passports through an online portal, Australia Post outlets, passport offices in every state and territory capital, and Australian embassies and consulates overseas.

Product overview

The Australian Passport Office offers a portfolio of passport and travel document products and digital services. Core products include 10-year and 5-year Adult passports, Child passports (validity varies by age), Emergency passports (overseas only), Replacement passports, and travel documents for non-citizens (Convention Travel Document and Certificate of Identity). The service portfolio includes expedited processing options (Priority 2-day and Fast Track 5-day services) and the Australia Post Passport RAPID lodgement service. Digital offerings include an Online Application Portal for form completion and an Application Status Tracker for monitoring application progress.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AusPassport: Online account system for tracking passport applications and managing passport services

Products and services

• 10-year Adult Passport Standard biometric passport for Australian citizens aged 16 and over with 10 years validity, including a chip containing facial recognition data. Priced at A$422 as of 1 January 2026.
• 5-year Adult Passport (ages 75+) Optional passport for Australian citizens aged 75 and over with 5 years validity. Priced at A$213 as of 1 January 2026.
• Child Passport Passport for Australian children under 18. Children aged 0-15 receive up to 5 years validity; children aged 16-17 receive up to 10 years validity. Priced at A$213 as of 1 January 2026.
• Emergency Passport Passport issued overseas for Australian citizens requiring urgent international travel, valid for up to one year and issued without a passport chip. Priced at A$265 as of 1 January 2026.
• Replacement Passport Replacement passport for Australian citizens whose existing passport is damaged, lost, stolen, or was incorrectly issued. Priced at A$265 as of 1 January 2026.
• Convention Travel Document (CTD) Travel document issued to non-citizens recognized as refugees under the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol. Priced at A$265 as of 1 January 2026.
• Certificate of Identity (COI) Travel document issued to stateless persons or non-citizens who cannot obtain a travel document from their country of nationality. Priced at A$265 as of 1 January 2026.
• Document of Identity Travel document for non-citizens who are stateless or otherwise unable to obtain a travel document from their country of nationality. Priced at A$112 as of 1 January 2026.
• Priority Processing Service (2-day) Expedited processing service completing passport applications within 2 business days for eligible customers in Australia. Additional fee of A$308 on top of standard fees.
• Fast Track Processing Service (5-day) Expedited processing service completing passport applications within 5 business days for eligible customers in Australia. Additional fee of A$107 on top of standard fees.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% of travel documents available within 6 weeks of lodgement
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Australia PostcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAustralia Post provides a nationwide shopfront on behalf of the Australian Passport Office by receiving passport applications including renewals, collecting application fees, distributing application forms, and delivering Australian passports and travel documents. Applications are lodged at participating post offices across Australia.
• Microsoft AzurecoreTechnology or IntegrationMicrosoft Azure provides the cloud infrastructure for the AusPassport online account system. Security details for account access are disclosed to and held by Microsoft Azure within Australia.
• WhispircoreTechnology or IntegrationWhispir provides the communications platform for the AusPassport system, handling email and SMS communications with applicants. Email addresses and phone numbers are disclosed to and held by Whispir within Australia.
• Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National)coreTechnology or IntegrationTIS National provides free interpreting services for non-English speaking customers contacting the Australian Passport Office. Customers requiring interpreters can call 131 450 and TIS will arrange an interpreter in their language and transfer the call at no cost.
• Department of Home AffairscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Department of Home Affairs works with the Australian Passport Office for citizenship verification, visa status checks through VEVO, and coordination on travel documents for non-citizens. The Department also manages the Change in Situation process for updating visa details with new travel document information.
• Attorney-General's DepartmentcoreTechnology or IntegrationThe Attorney-General's Department manages the Document Verification Service (DVS) and Face Verification Service (FVS) used by the Australian Passport Office for identity verification. These services allow one-to-one matching of passport photos against government records.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Singapore Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA): Singapore government authority issuing Singapore passports and travel documents. Comparable biometric passport program, online application portal, and integrated identity verification infrastructure.
• U.S. Department of State — Bureau of Consular Affairs: U.S. federal authority responsible for issuing U.S. passports and providing consular services. Comparable in scale of operation, biometric passport technology, and worldwide embassy-based delivery model.
• New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs — Passport Office: New Zealand government agency issuing NZ passports domestically and overseas. Functionally identical to APO — same tiered products (adult, child, urgent), biometric features, and overseas embassy delivery.
• Passport Canada (IRCC): Canadian government unit within Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada that issues Canadian passports and travel documents for refugees. Same passport issuance, biometric, and refugee travel document mandate as APO.
• Bundesdruckerei (German Federal Printing Office): German government-owned entity producing passports, ID cards, and secure identity documents. Comparable in biometric passport technology, sovereign document production, and government monopoly over issuance.
• Irish Passport Office (Department of Foreign Affairs): Ireland's passport-issuing authority under the Department of Foreign Affairs. Directly comparable to APO in terms of parent department affiliation (foreign affairs), tiered fee structure, and overseas embassy services for citizens abroad.
• HM Passport Office (UK): UK government agency under the Home Office that issues British passports domestically and overseas. Closest functional analogue to APO — same core product, same monopoly mandate, same online application model, same embassy/consular distribution.

Others

• IDEMIA: Global leader in biometric and identity solutions, supplier of e-passport chips and identity verification infrastructure used by many national passport agencies. Comparable in the underlying biometric technology stack that powers APO's FVS/DVS services.
• Veridos GmbH: Joint venture between Giesecke+Devrient and Bundesdruckerei supplying passport and identity document systems to governments. Adjacent ecosystem player providing the sovereign identity technology infrastructure that underpins programs comparable to APO.
• Thales (Identity & Security): Multinational providing e-passport inlays, biometric matching, and border management systems for governments worldwide. Directly relevant as an enabling technology provider in the same biometric passport ecosystem that APO operates within.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/AusPassportOffice

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Australian Passport Office