Faulty passport chip

[Flashback]

My last few entries to the UK my passport hasn't worked at the e-Gate machines.

I had a really helpful agent on the weekend who told me the chip doesn't work, basically.

Damaged and faulty passports

You should replace your passport if it has more than reasonable wear and tear. Even minor passport damage can stop you from travelling. Damage that might require you to replace your passport includes water damage, unofficial markings on the data page, missing visa pages or tears. It's important...

www.passports.gov.au

Looking at the Passport website, it sounds like its rare but can happen and I'll need to contact the consulate in the UK. Hopefully won't cost me anything to fix/replace as the passport was only renewed 6 months ago including the hefty non-Australia-based renewal fee!

Has anyone else had this happen? If so, how was the process to replace/fix?

 

[asterix]

My last few entries to the UK my passport hasn't worked at the e-Gate machines.

I had a really helpful agent on the weekend who told me the chip doesn't work, basically.

Damaged and faulty passports

You should replace your passport if it has more than reasonable wear and tear. Even minor passport damage can stop you from travelling. Damage that might require you to replace your passport includes water damage, unofficial markings on the data page, missing visa pages or tears. It's important...

www.passports.gov.au

Looking at the Passport website, it sounds like its rare but can happen and I'll need to contact the consulate in the UK. Hopefully won't cost me anything to fix/replace as the passport was only renewed 6 months ago including the hefty non-Australia-based renewal fee!

Has anyone else had this happen? If so, how was the process to replace/fix?

My daugher's passport won't work at egates either. She is only 16 (so it is only valid for 5 years, I think it has 2.5 years of validity left on it) and since we don't do more than one overseas trip a year haven't bothered to see if it can be replaced for free.

 

[Flashback]

My daugher's passport won't work at egates either. She is only 16 (so it is only valid for 5 years, I think it has 2.5 years of validity left on it) and since we don't do more than one overseas trip a year haven't bothered to see if it can be replaced for free.

I normally do 1-2 overseas trips a month (sometimes more), and often arrive home via LHR so for me it's a must!

LGW isn't so bad, I've never seen queues there even in the assistance queue; but the LGW routes tend to be more leisure oriented. We do fly out of LGW as much as possible though as it is closer to us.

 

[flyerof]

i haven't had it happen to me but onus and responsibility of fixing it definetely will fall with the department so i would. you can call this number and they should be able to help organise a replacement. 131 232

 

[RooFlyer]

Has anyone else had this happen? If so, how was the process to replace/fix?

My new RA series PP failed its first three outings - exit MEL, arrive SIN and arrival back in MEL. On the latter time, it also failed to be read by the Immigration officer's machine and had to go to another. Thought I'd have to get it seen to, but it has since worked OK - even on arrival at Montenegro!

 

[Flashback]

i haven't had it happen to me but onus and responsibility of fixing it definetely will fall with the department so i would. you can call this number and they should be able to help organise a replacement. 131 232

I live in the UK so it'll need to be the consulate here. Will need to wait until I have a big enough gap between trips to sort so might need to wait till May

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Chips are embedded and the (whole) passport has to be redone.
The chip is wihthin the page of the passport.
I guess its only when you retrun to Aust, can you really test it out.
Personally, I would get it replaced.
So may countries esp Indo have refused entry to people with faulty passports, not chip related, even.

 

[Flashback]

Chips are embedded and the (whole) passport has to be redone.
The chip is wihthin the page of the passport.
I guess its only when you retrun to Aust, can you really test it out.
Personally, I would get it replaced.
So may countries esp Indo have refused entry to people with faulty passports, not chip related, even.

Exactly. The problem in doing so, I've got nearly b2b trips for the next 3 months so can't go without while they replace, so it'll have to wait. That's why I was hoping someone had first hand experience. My renewal from the UK took far too long.

 

[SYD]

Happened to me 3 passports ago. N series. It worked departing Oz but a rather enthusiastic Dutch border guy gave the PP a very hefty thump stamping entry into the Schengen zone. It stopped working thereafter. I thought it might have been a one off arriving back in Oz but didn’t work departing on the next trip…

It was a full replacement BUT not only did I have to pay, the reissued PP had the same expiry as the broken one!

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

They are smart enough to know not to extend validity of said document in tnis instance.
---
I guess you can plead ignorance, unless someone repors you, or they read up on here!

 

[SYD]

They are smart enough to know not to extend validity of said document in tnis instance.

Except the replacement (and I should have said this) had a new PA series number….

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Tee hee!

 

[Flashback]

Happened to me 3 passports ago. N series. It worked departing Oz but a rather enthusiastic Dutch border guy gave the PP a very hefty thump stamping entry into the Schengen zone. It stopped working thereafter. I thought it might have been a one off arriving back in Oz but didn’t work departing on the next trip…

It was a full replacement BUT not only did I have to pay, the reissued PP had the same expiry as the broken one!

Except the replacement (and I should have said this) had a new RA series number….

What did it cost? The same as just renewing a passport normally?

I'm already on an RA passport number

 

[clifford]

It was a full replacement BUT not only did I have to pay, the reissued PP had the same expiry as the broken one!

What if you said that you had lost your passport? Wouldn't they have given you a completely new 10-year passport for the same price?

That happened to me recently with my UK passport (I really did lose it), and I received a completely new 10-year validity passport (but at the regular price of just over AU$200). The UK passport office seems to be pretty efficient, as it only took a couple of weeks from me sending the docs by mail to the UK, to receiving notification of the production of the new passport. A very simple online process.

 

[SYD]

What did it cost? The same as just renewing a passport normally?

I don’t recall. But I have a vague recollection it wasn’t full fare but more than I expected to pay (which was $zero)…

I'm already on an RA passport number

Sorry, that was a PA(!) series PP and I’m now onto a PB that I renewed early to go to China in Apr 2020 …but then actually first used in May 2021 flying SYD-NLK….just because I could….

What if you said that you had lost your passport? Wouldn't they have given you a completely new 10-year passport for the same price?

I’d already gone into the PP office down near Railway Sq expecting a free replacement. They cut up and took away the existing one before my eyes…

 

[Flashback]

I don’t recall. But I have a vague recollection it wasn’t full fare but more than I expected to pay (which was $zero)…

Sorry, that was a PA(!) series PP and I’m now onto a PB that I renewed early to go to China in Apr 2020 …but then actually first used in May 2021 flying SYD-NLK….just because I could….

I’d already gone into the PP office down near Railway Sq expecting a free replacement. They cut up and took away the existing one before my eyes…

I'm not sure I'm so keen on that then, given it is only 6 months into a 10 year stint...... (albeit I usually burn through it in 3.5 years). I'll see how bad it is coming back into LHR next week and decide then I think.

 

[OATEK]

I'm not sure I'm so keen on that then, given it is only 6 months into a 10 year stint...... (albeit I usually burn through it in 3.5 years). I'll see how bad it is coming back into LHR next week and decide then I think.

Looks like a visit to Australia House might be needed - I found them very helpful when i had a passport issue.