Passport renewal and Name change by marriage

[Pushka]

I think I am quite literate and my comprehension is fine. But the renewal of my passport and the wording on the Passport website is very ordinary.

The issue. I have a passport that requires renewal. It is issued in my married name as have the last 3 passports been issued in my married name. I have full birth certificate, and Extract from Marriage Entry which is what I used (for the last 3 passports) plus DL and have my current passport. But the check list is showing I need the Aus marriage certificate. When I check the FAQ it is very ambiguous as such:
ie
The name in your passport must match the name on your birth certificate, Australian citizenship certificate or your most recently issued Australian passport (provided this was issued after 20 August 1986 with at least two years validity), unless you have changed that name through an Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (RBDM) or the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.

Now, obviously the first part (in green) is fine except - marriages automatically come via RBDM - so that 'UNLESS' is also applicable.

Of course, I could apply for the full marriage certificate but it takes TWO MONTHS on the SA Website.

I have been on hold for 24 minutes to the passport office.

So does anyone really know what applies here?

 

[blackcat20]

If you are married in Australia, you have the right to use your married name just by showing your marriage certificate. So you havent actually changed your name via RBDM, therefore you can just show your most recent passport for the renewal.

For me to have a passport issued in my married name, I have to apply to RBDM to have my name changed (deed poll) then use that to get a new passport, as we weren't married here.

 

[Pushka]

Well, 30 minutes and apparently it did not pick up my middle name. So it thinks I have changed my name. And so I start again with a new application. Sigh.

Ok, Lesson today - never trust their system of inserting the correct info. Type it in yourself. Now all I need to present is my current passport.

 

[serfty]

I renewed my PP last November - the only ID I needed was the PP I was replacing.

The 'UNLESS" does not apply as per the bolded red parts: "The name in your passport must match the name on your birth certificate, Australian citizenship certificate or your most recently issued Australian passport (provided this was issued after 20 August 1986 with at least two years validity),"

 

[blackcat20]

The 'UNLESS" does not apply as per the bolded red parts: "The name in your passport must match the name on your birth certificate, Australian citizenship certificate or your most recently issued Australian passport (provided this was issued after 20 August 1986 with at least two years validity),"

If you change your name via deed poll, they issue you a new birth certificate (which seems weird to me), which you then use to get your passport under your new name.

 

[Pushka]

If you change your name via deed poll, they issue you a new birth certificate (which seems weird to me), which you then use to get your passport under your new name.

Gosh, you would think an "official amendment" to the birth certificate might be more appropriate in this case.

The weird thing in my application is that the passport system checks against a database and it refused my Drivers Licence as I inserted both my Given names - when I checked on the Licence it only had my Initial. I always use both names in official stuff so its annoying that the passport system has the message "fill in the details from your account" so you presume it knows who you are.

 

[OzEire]

A renewal is simply a new passport booklet/number with a new & later expiry date. Everything else must remain the same - no change to the bio info, including name.

You just need a paper trail to establish the correct version of your name. The previous passport can be used if it meets those criteria (Still current, originally issued with >2 yrs validity).... if your passport can’t be used there are other options and combos (eg. birth + change) which show the name you are seeking to renew.

If the same differs even by a single character (sorry hyphen and apostrophe people) then it’s not a renewal at all, but a whole new passport.

 

[serfty]

Simply to be clear, such marriage / deed poll / name change stuff is only relevant if it happened since the previous passport was issued.

The drivers license database issue is a different situation.

 

[serfty]

The previous passport can be used if it meets those criteria (Still current, originally issued with >2 yrs validity)....

Actually the previous passport does not need to be current; if expired for no more than three years it can be used.

 

[OzEire]

Actually the previous passport does not need to be current, just expired for no more than three years.

Indeed you are correct. What FF would ever let a passport lapse gotta keep all options avail.

 

[slinky123]

If your passport expired in the last 3 years and you wish to use the same name it can be renewed. Simple process with just the renewal form and the old passport required.

Did you select renewal on the website?
The checklist for renewal shouldn't ask for the marriage certificate. That will come up for a new application.

For a renewal, the only Document that should be listed in your checklist is the passport that has expired.

If your passport expired more than 3 years ago, yes, you can use the name on your most recently issued passport providing there have been no name changes after that. The Docs you will need are your Birth Certificate and the old passport ( along with Drivers licence and ID Docs chosen) You do not need to present any marriage Cert at all. If the checklist has asked for that, and you can't provide the marriage certificate, then grab a Green PC1 form from Aus Post and complete that instead. ( Only difference there is that a Guarantor will have to endorse a photo, whereas with the new checklist no photo endorsement is required)

Sounds like though you just need to do the renewal. You can start again on the website and just be sure to select renewal.

 

[Pushka]

If your passport expired in the last 3 years and you wish to use the same name it can be renewed. Simple process with just the renewal form and the old passport required.

Did you select renewal on the website?
The checklist for renewal shouldn't ask for the marriage certificate. That will come up for a new application.

For a renewal, the only Document that should be listed in your checklist is the passport that has expired.

If your passport expired more than 3 years ago, yes, you can use the name on your most recently issued passport providing there have been no name changes after that. The Docs you will need are your Birth Certificate and the old passport ( along with Drivers licence and ID Docs chosen) You do not need to present any marriage Cert at all. If the checklist has asked for that, and you can't provide the marriage certificate, then grab a Green PC1 form from Aus Post and complete that instead. ( Only difference there is that a Guarantor will have to endorse a photo, whereas with the new checklist no photo endorsement is required)

Sounds like though you just need to do the renewal. You can start again on the website and just be sure to select renewal.

Yep. Good info there. My issue was that on the application the website pre fills info like address. It filled in my name (saying something like ‘use details in your ‘acvount’ And I thought that was their webpage doing it and it didn’t enter my middle name. When it came to drivers licence it didn’t pre type so I typed in my name including middle. That ‘validation’ failed and when I checked my licence it was just an initial. How my name was ‘valudated’ without the name originally is a mystery but that was the answer.

 

[mannej]

Yep. Good info there. My issue was that on the application the website pre fills info like address. It filled in my name (saying something like ‘use details in your ‘acvount’ And I thought that was their webpage doing it and it didn’t enter my middle name. When it came to drivers licence it didn’t pre type so I typed in my name including middle. That ‘validation’ failed and when I checked my licence it was just an initial. How my name was ‘valudated’ without the name originally is a mystery but that was the answer.

Is it the website pre-filling or your computer?

The renewal process if your passport has only recently expired is very straight forward (I.e the renewal page is only like 1 A4 Page).

 

[Pushka]

Is it the website pre-filling or your computer?

The renewal process if your passport has only recently expired is very straight forward (I.e the renewal page is only like 1 A4 Page).

Well, that’s the thing. Normally when Chrome prefills it doesn’t say ‘fill from your account’ but the message that popped up here did so I presumed that the ‘bods in immigration’ knew who I was. So I let it prefill but it then excluded my middle name. I didn’t pick that up until I finalised and printed.

I agree it’s really simple once you put the name in correctly. It does validate an address, and that all the details match your drivers licence. That’s the other thing, I put my middle name in full in the DL section and it was rejected because on my licence it’s only an initial.

 

[slinky123]

Glad to hear everything worked out for you.

 

[Flashback]

Did you need to attend an appointment?

When I renewed mine a few years ago, I was able to just submit a form and it was all done via post.

I'm just reviewing the requirements now and looks like appointments need to be made? PC7

I wonder when this changed!