If you have applied for or obtained an Australian Working Holiday Visa and need to change your passport details before your departure, it is essential to notify Australian immigration as soon as possible. Because your visa is linked to your passport number, you need to contact immigration to update this information or risk being refused entry into Australia. Be aware that in any case, your passport must be valid for the entire duration of your visa. It is also recommended that it be valid for at least 6 months after your visa is due to expire.
Procedure in case of passport loss/theft before your departure
To travel internationally, a valid passport is mandatory. If you have applied for or obtained a visa for Australia and have to get a new passport after your application, you must inform Australian Immigration. This includes when your passport is lost, damaged or stolen, or if you have to get a new passport because your old one was close to expiry. Your visa is linked to your passport number so if you change your passport, it will affect your visa.
If you need a new passport, it is necessary to apply for it as soon as possible and well before your departure for Australia. Once you have your new passport, you will need provide Australian Immigration with your new passport number.
From your IMMI account
You can do this quite easily by logging in to your IMMI Account. You can find your visa application under “My applications”. You should see an option to “Update details”, where you can change details like your address, your email and your passport details. Once you have your new passport, you will have to fill out a form providing your new passport number, date of expiry etc. You will also have to provide a scan of your new passport.
Once you have updated your details, you should receive an email confirming that your passport details have been changed on the system. It can take up to 48 hours for your updated details to show on your account, but this will not affect your travel.
By email
If for some reason you are unable to change your passport details on IMMI, you can send an email to the address 929@homeaffairs.gov.au with the subject line: “Change of passport details + date of your trip”. Include the following documents:
- A copy of your new passport
- A copy of your ID or a copy of your old passport (if still in your possession)
- A filled out copy of Form 929 (note that if you have several first names/any middle names, it is very important to include them all)
Send everything to the email address 929@homeaffairs.gov.au with the subject line: “Change of passport details + date of your trip”. Note that you will not receive any email informing you of the progress of your application.
Two days prior to your departure (not before then, we explain why below) you can call the Australian Embassy in London. Use this number: +44 207 420 4835 to check with an agent that your changes have been updated. IF your details have not been updated, DON’T PANIC. The agent will give you an email address to which you send your documents again. This is an emergency procedure that only triggers 48 hours prior to departure, so don’t bother harassing them before then.
IF it hasn’t been updated, DON’T PANIC. The agent will give you an email address where you will have to send the documents, it’s an emergency procedure that only starts 48 hours before departure so there is no need to harass them (even if it is stressful!).
In case of loss / theft if you are already in Australia
If you are already in Australia and lose your passport or have it stolen, the procedure is different.
In this case, you will have to contact the local police authorities by telephone (131 444) or go to a police station, to report the loss or theft. You will be given a registration number and/or a complaint receipt.
Then you will need to contact the nearest embassy or consulate of the country you are from to ask what your next step should be. You may need to go there in person. They may be able to give you either a replacement passport that will let you finish your trip or an emergency travel document that will get you home. If you are from the EU and there is no embassy from your country in Australia, you should be able to contact an embassy or consulate of another EU member state.
Once you have a new passport, you should still be able to update your details via your IMMI Account via the method described above.
