Adult Passport - Applying under a new name

1. Complete your application form online 

• Do note remove any page from the application - we require all five pages during the application submission.
• You cannot download blank forms.

After you have completed your form online, print it and sign inside the white box and date the application form. Make sure there are no alterations to signatures or dates.

2. Prove your Australian Citizenship and Birth Details

You must provide either an original Australian Citizenship Certificate or an original full Australian Birth Certificate to prove Australian citizenship. Extracts, commemorative birth certificate or birth cards cannot be used.

• If you were born in Australia before 20 August 1986, you only have to show us your full birth certificate issued by an Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages
   
• If you were born in Australia on or after 20 August 1986, you must also provide one of the following documents:
  • Your Australian passport issued on/after 1/1/2000 that was valid for 2 years or more; or
  • One parent’s full Australian birth certificate (parent born prior to 20/8/1986); or
  • One parent’s Australian passport issued on/after 20/8/1986 that was valid for 2 years and was valid at the time of the applicant’s birth; or
  • One parent’s Australian citizenship certificate, valid at the time of the applicant’s birth.
     
• If you were born outside of Australia, you must provide your original Austalian Citizenship Certificate or Citizenship Acquisition Letter:
  • ​If you don’t have an Australian citizenship certificate, contact the Department of Home Affairs to apply for evidence of your citizenship before applying for an Australian passport.
  • For citizenship applications which have been granted on or after 31 March 2021, we accept the letter/notice issued by the Department of Home Affairs which has the word "Acquired" in the citizenship status field.
  • If your Australian citizenship document does not show your sex or place and country of birth, you must provide your original birth certificate (not an extract, commemorative birth certificate or birth card) or, if you cannot present your original birth certificate, your foreign passport.
     

 

Foreign Birth Certificates:
If you were born in the Philippines, you need to provide your full, original Philippine birth certificate issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). You may contact the PSA directly here to obtain a birth certificate. 

If you were born anywhere else, please contact that country's civil registry or Embassy/Consulate for further details and steps. 
 

Translation of Foreign Documents:
Any supporting documentation that is not in English will need an original full English language translation provided by a registered translation service.
 

3. Obtaining Compliant Photos

• Two recent identical colour photos, taken less than six months from the application submission with your full name and signature written on the back of one photo. Refer to photo guidelines for more information.
• Your photos do not need to be signed or endorsed by a guarantor.
• Do NOT attach the photos to the form as this may damage them.
• If you are unsure of the quality of the photo provided to you, request a digital copy / .jpeg file from the photo studio. 

Your Guarantor (see Step 5) must endorse one photo in black pen as follows: “This is a true photo of [the applicant’s full name]”, and then sign it below. Do not use paper clips or staples to attach photos to the form as this may make them unusable.
 

4. Nominating a Guarantor

A gurantor is someone who can verify your identity, and must be:

• 18 years of age or over and;
• has known the applicant for at least 12 months (or, for children under one year, since birth) and;
• is not related to the applicant by birth, marriage, de facto or same sex relationship, or live at the applicant's address

You guarantor must:

• complete and sign on Section 11 (page 83F) and;
• endorse one photo in black pen as follows: “This is a true photo of [the applicant’s full name]”, and then sign it below. 

If your guarantor is an Australian citizen, he/she must hold a current (unexpired) Australian passport that was issued with at least two years validity

If your guarantor is not an Australian citizen, he/she must be currently employed in the following approved professional or occupational groups:

• Accountants with membership of an association
• Bailiffs & Sheriffs
• Barrister, Solicitors & Patent Attorneys
• Bank Managers
• Chartered Professional Engineers
• Civil Servants - with at least 5 years continuous full-time service
• Clerk of Courts or Petty Sessions
• Dentists
• Elected Representatives / Officials (i.e. barangay captains, district representatives)
• Judges
• Marriage Celebrants (i.e. parish priests, imams)
• Registered Pharmacists
• Registered Chiropractors
• Registered Physiotherapists
• Registered Optometrists
• Registered Mid-wives
• Police Officers - with at least 5 years continuous full-time service
• Postal Managers
• Registered Medical Practitioners (Doctors and GPs only)
• Registered Nurses
• Registered Veterinary Surgeons
• Registered Teachers - with at least 5 years continuous full-time service
   

5. Obtain Documents to Confirm Name Change

For applicants born in Australia

• Name change due to personal preference
  • An original, revised birth certificate or name change certificate issued by Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (RBDM) in the state you were born. A RBDM name change certificate does not need to be legalised.
• Name change due to marriage
  • If you were married overseas, please contact the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (RBDM) in the state you were born to apply for a RBDM name change certificate. You cannot use a foreign marriage certificate to change your name and must instead register your new name with the RDBM in Australia. A RBDM name change certificate does not need to be legalised.
  • If you were married in Australia, you must present your official RBDM marriage certificate (not the ceremonial certificate you receive on the day of the ceremony). You must apply to the RBDM to receive your official marriage certificate. A RBDM marriage certificate does not need to be legalised.
• Name change due to divorce or death of a spouse
  • If you revert to a former family name after divorcing or following the death of your spouse, you must present document(s) that link your current name and that previous name, such as a divorce certificate or marriage certificate, or the death certificate / death report.
     

For applicants born outside of Australia

• Name change due to marriage
  • If you were married overseas, you must present an original, amended citizenship certificate reflecting your current married name. To amend or obtain an amended citizenship certificate, please contact the Department of Home Affairs here
  • If you were married in Australia, you must present your official RBDM marriage certificate (not the ceremonial certificate you receive on the day of the ceremony). You must apply to the RBDM in the State you were married to receive your official marriage certificate. A RBDM marriage certificate does not need to be legalised.
• Name change due to divorce or death of a spouse
  • If you revert to a former family name after divorcing or following the death of your spouse, you must present document(s) that link your current name and that previous name, such as a divorce certificate or marriage certificate, or the death certificate / death report.
     

Gratis name change

If you have more than two years validity remaining on your current passport, you can replace it free of charge if you are changing your name due to:

• marriage
• divorce
• entering into or ceasing to be in a registered or de facto relationship
• the death of a spouse or partner
• transitioning to a new gender 

The replacement passport showing your new name will be issued with the same expiry date as the passport being replaced.

 

6. Provide additional documents and IDs

To know more about Step 6, you may visit the APO's website

You need specific documents to prove your identity. You must provide the following combinations of original documents:

• One document from category A, and
• One document from category B
• If neither of these documents shows your current address, you must also provide one document from category C that shows your current address.

Category A (All Category A documents should be current/valid at the time of application)

• Current driving licence issued by an Australian or foreign government’s vehicle licencing authority
• Foreign residency cards / IDs
  • Mostly-acceptabled IDs issued by the Philippines include and as suggested:
    • PNP Clearance 
    • NBI Clearance
    • Philippine National ID / Philsys ID / e-Philsys ID
    • Philhealth ID
    • SSS ID
    • Unified Multi-Purpose ID (UMID)
    • COMELEC / Voter's ID
    • PhilPost ID
    • Barangay ID (Barangay Certificate of Residence IS NOT ACCEPTED AS CATEGORY A ID)
    • TIN ID
• Australian Proof of Age or Photo Card

Category B (All Category B documents must be current/valid at the time of application, with the exception of the Australian passport)

• Health card issued by a government authority
• Credit card or bank account card with current signature on the back
• Foreign passport
• Previous Australian Passport (issued on or after 1 July 2000 with more than two years validity that has not been expired for over ten years)

Category C (All Category C documents must be no more than 12 months old at the time of application and show your current residential address)

• Utilities bills
• Bank or credit card statements
• Motor vehicle registration or insurance papers
• Property rates notice or property lease agreement
• Home insurance papers

 

7. Appointment to lodge your application and Payment

To book an appointment, please click on the 'book appointment' button below:

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• All passport applications/renewals will require a face to face interview with the applicant (16 years and over), with the exception of minors (below 16).  A parent or a person with parental responsibility must lodge on behalf of minors.
• For children ages 16 and 17, the child and at least one parent are required to attend the interview.
• Passport fees and payment methods may be found here:  Passport fees

 

Things to bring:

 

1. The completed and signed Australian Passport Overseas Application form.
2. Your most recent Australian passport, if applicable.
3. Proof of citizenship (see Step 2).
4. Two passport photos (see Step 3).
5. Name change documents (see Step 5).
6. Additional documents (see Step 6).
7. A (Mastercard/Visa) credit or debit card to pay your fee.
8. Prepaid self-address envelope from JRS Express courier service (if you wish to have the passport delivered to you)
    

Cancelling or rescheduling your appointment

• You will be sent an email notification through setmore.com each time an appointment is booked – it will contain an appointment cancellation/modification link and will appear as per below: 
• If you want to modify an appointment, click "Reschedule" and you will receive a message on a new tab allowing you to modify the appointment.
• If you want to cancel an appointment, click "Cancel Appointment" and you will receive a message on a new tab asking you to confirm cancellation.
• If you require assistance, please send your email to [email protected]
   

Processing Times:
Processing time is  a minimum of six (6) weeks - you are discouraged from making any travel plans if you do not have a valid passport.
Express options are not available for applications lodged outside of Australia. 
 

Urgent Travel:

If you have urgent travel, please contact us on +63 2 7757 8100 or [email protected]  for further advice.