Passport Renewal

Xavi6

Tried calling the embassy in Canberra but of course it just keeps going to voicemail :rolleyes:

Basically my passport expires in 2013 and I'm heading home for six weeks in December. No problems with the trip but I'm wondering what's the best way for me to renew -

a) Renew it here via Canberra and get it done before I go.

b) Do it when I get home over that six week period.

I know the passport office back home are notorious for delays so I need to allow a while to get the new one so with 11 weeks until I travel back for Christmas, what's the best course of action?

Cheers

hussey

Me personally would get it done now.

does it expire when you are in Ireland, or will you be back in Oz?
Can you let it expire and get it done when you get back

Xavi6

hussey wrote: »

Me personally would get it done now.

does it expire when you are in Ireland, or will you be back in Oz?
Can you let it expire and get it done when you get back

The passport's at home so I'll have to check the exact date after work.

The embassy site says allow eight weeks so going by that I'd be fine to do it now. Luckily I'm a dual citizen so won't be stuck (just have the incovenience of customs in Dublin if I travel on my Oz one).

Feelgood

I renewed mine from here last year. Took just under 6 weeks if that is any use to you.

kdevitt

My wife renewed hers recently - its all gone through apparently, but 12 weeks on, and still no sign of the passport! I'd get it done when back in Ireland if you already have an Oz passport which will get you back in.

Mellor

If you do it in oz it still gets sent to Dublin for processing.

If it was i'd wait. Land in Dublin with your irish passport. Come back on your oz one.
That way it doesn't matter if it expires when away, you get less immigration/customs hassle and you can renew next year with no hurry on it.

Xavi6

Mellor wrote: »

If it was i'd wait. Land in Dublin with your irish passport. Come back on your oz one.
That way it doesn't matter if it expires when away, you get less immigration/customs hassle and you can renew next year with no hurry on it.

This was my thinking alright, and hearing about a 12 week delay like above is my fear.

Feckin passport office at home is useless by all accounts.

hussey

You might want to check if you can leave Ireland on an Australian visa.
In Australia if you are an Australian you can only leave and arrive on an Australian passport.
Not sure if same rules for Ireland

Xavi6

hussey wrote: »

You might want to check if you can leave Ireland on an Australian visa.
In Australia if you are an Australian you can only leave and arrive on an Australian passport.
Not sure if same rules for Ireland

I've done it twice before - leave here on Oz passport but show Irish one on arrival in Dublin. Do the opposite on the way back.

Feelgood

If you have some time at home, you could call to the passport office in Balbriggan and tell them that you are leaving for Australia in a few days and need your passport ASAP. Might take you a whole day of sitting around though. Depends on how important it is to you. Just make sure you have all the right doco together.

3 Linen Court, Harbour Mill, Balbriggan, Co. Dublin
Hours: Mon to Fri 9.00-1.00 & 2.15 - 5.30 Sat 9.00-1.00
Phone: 01-8412608

sponge_bob

Wait till you go home and use AnPost's passport express, has a 10 working day turnaround, have used it my self and havn't had a problem.

brandon_flowers

As someone that travels all the time with just an Irish passport I have had this problem and I can safely say returning to Ireland is the most reliable way of doing it. My passport expired in Feb of this year and I was travelling to Dubai on the 28th December so it needed renewing immediately. I had three weeks at home just before Xmas so had to get it done then, the passport office were more than helpful once you actually present yourself and be nice to them about the whole thing.

It takes maximum 3 weeks to process and I was also getting the larger 66 page one which they only print one day a week. Dropped my old one in with the application on the 7th. The nice lady said to come back on the 21st to collect the new one, went back and it was ready.

Go at 9am and you will avoid the queue.

Bogwarryor

I got it renewed in just under 4 weeks. I explained I was in a rush to get a flight so that probably helped. Sent it to te consulate in Melbourne & they forwarded it to Canberra. Kept cracking the whip via email but got it back fast enough. 2 weeks for processing & 2 for travel. Only thing is i was detained & questioned in Hawaii for 2 hours as they couldnt understand how I was coming from Australia with an Irish passport with no stamps on it, even though I told them straight away....yanks

Xavi6

Thanks for all the tips folks, checked my passport this mornign and it expires in April 2013 so I've a bit of time to play around with which is good.

Slidey

Just a word of warning, a person I know who had dual citizenship was doing what you were doing with the passports. Picking the one that suited them for the country they were entering.

Now it was the states but she got in a lot of trouble as her passport was not showing the same number of exit stamps as entry stamps. They were very pissy about it

brandon_flowers

It is illegal to travel using 2 passports in almost every country, somebody with two passports should know this.

karl bracken

brandon_flowers wrote: »

It is illegal to travel using 2 passports in almost every country, somebody with two passports should know this.

Somebody should have told Howard Marks this

Xavi6

Slidey wrote: »

Just a word of warning, a person I know who had dual citizenship was doing what you were doing with the passports. Picking the one that suited them for the country they were entering.

Now it was the states but she got in a lot of trouble as her passport was not showing the same number of exit stamps as entry stamps. They were very pissy about it

But sure it'll show the same amount of entry/exit stamps for each.

Leave Oz and enter Oz with Oz.

Enter Ireland and leave Ireland with Irish.

So one set of each. Haven't had any problems on three trips so far anyway but if there's regulations then happy for them to be pointed out.

mandrake04

Doesn't make any difference as being a citizen of both countries you don't require a visa for either so why would you need your passport stamped?

If I had lost my Australian passport overseas I can still travel and enter Australia on my Irish passport, DIAC will whinge about it and it may cause you a delay but it's easy enough to prove you are a citizen as long as you have all the details.... they even got your picture on file funny enough.

Since a Citizen can't hold a visa of their own country/countries then stamps in your passport makes no difference, entering Australia on an Aussie passport is the preferred option for a citizen and I imagine it's the same the other way as well.