Australia now has the world’s most expensive passport

Australians will have to pay $412 for new or renewed passports as of this Wednesday, January 1, as the price takes another hike from the current $398.

That this is an annual indexed increase offers little comfort to travellers, who will soon enjoy the dubious privilege of carrying around the world’s most expensive passport.

(For the record, Mexico takes second place at a cost of $371, followed by $263 for a US passport and $165 for the United Kingdom).

Australian passports already experienced a $50 jump in passport fees in mid-2024, which Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers promised would be a “one-off” measure raising $349m over three years to cover the increased cost of producing Australia’s super-secure ‘R series’ passports.

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which processes over three million passports every year, said the January 1 increase was in line with legislation and the Consumer Price Index.

“The Australian passport is respected internationally as a high-quality travel document (with) a high level of technological sophistication, backed by rigorous anti-fraud measures, which ensures its integrity,” the spokesperson said.

“This is a key reason why Australian passport holders receive visa-free access to over 180 countries.”

New to that list is China, where Australians can now stay for up to 30 days without needing a visa.

However, other countries with visa-waiver arrangemens continue to roll out mandatory electronic travel authorisations,

From January 8 that will include the United Kingdom, which will require Australians to register and pay for the £10 (A$20) UK ETA before their flight.

Read more: Thousands of Aussies to be caught out by new UK travel rules

However, there are now two ways to speed the turnaround time if your passport is about to expire, or has less than the six months required by many countries as a condition of entry.

Compared to the Australian Passport Office’s quoted “minimum of six weeks” to get a new passport or renew your old one at the standard rate of $412, travellers will have the following speedier options:

• a $100 fast track payment (on top of the standard fee) will have your passport processed within five business days
• a $252 priority payment (on top of the standard fee) cuts that time to just two business days

However, as Executive Traveller has previously revealed, there are also some simple ways to ensure a quicker turn-around even without any additional fees.

Read: Top tips to speed up your Australian passport renewal

As long-time frequent flyers will recall, the government phased out the 66-page Frequent Traveller passport in 2017, with all Australian passports now containing 34 pages for immigration stamps and visas.

2025 is also expected to see the scrapping of the incoming passenger declaration card for overseas visitors and returning residents, in favour of the new digital Australia Travel Declaration.

Australia’s new-look R Series passports

Australia’s R series passports – named for the first letter in the individual passport number – are packed with advanced security compared to the current P series introduced in 2014, with innovative features responding to touch, movement, ultraviolet and infrared light.

The photo page is made of a tough, high-security layered plastic that’s laser-engraved, not printed with ink – as a result, the photo on the main photo page is in black and white, although it appears in colour on the facing ‘Observations’ page.

Some of the new features on the photo pages of the new R series passport.
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

A tactile raised map of Australia is embedded in the lower-left corner of the main photo, while a radio antenna for the embedded ePassport chip is visible at the far right of the page.

The front cover is more refined than the P series, while the back cover is decorated with two embossed kangaroos in Indigenous design, while inside pages showcase Australia’s natural beauty.

Australia's new-look R series passport.
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

The inside front and back cover pages represent the country’s coasts – rather apropos, as that’s how all travellers enter and leave Australia – the blank ‘visa’ pages are decorated with photo-realistic double-page colour illustrations of iconic landscapes from around the country.

Under ultraviolet light, the sky in each image becomes a unique nightscape, and a local species of native fauna appears.

UV light turns colourful landscapes into night-time images with native fauna.
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Other hidden features: the wattle on the ‘security features’ page changes colour when held at different angle, and under ultraviolet light a red and white wattle appears on the inside front cover, under the Governor-General’s message on the inside front cover.

UV light reveals extra hidden details on the new R series passports.

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Although the first batch of R passports saw the Governor-General’s message still referencing “her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second,” the Australian Passport Office is now issuing passports that reference His Majesty King Charles III on the inside cover.