An Aussie traveler has discovered another problem with the durability of Australia’s new passports after travelers complained that the covers were curling.
The woman took to social media this week to explain that the stitching on the spine of the passports – which underwent a redesign in 2022 – could come loose.
‘Our passports that we bought in May 2023 live in this passport wallet. We take excellent care of them because they are our ticket to travel the world – and this is what they look like when they come out,’ the woman said in a TikTok video.
‘This is just unacceptable. They bend, they twist. The only safe place to keep them is between two gigantic encyclopedias.
“This passport here even has stitching coming up. It’s just awful.
‘Our other passports, the ones that have expired, are in perfect condition.
“It’s clearly a design flaw, and I don’t know what they’re going to do about it, but I doubt we’re going to get 10 years out of these passports.”
A traveler took to TikTok to point out that Australia’s new R-series passport may also have a design issue that causes the stitching along the spine to come loose
Australia’s passport currently costs $398, up from $346 in 2023 and there is likely to be another price increase from January 1 as the fees are revised each year in line with the consumer price index.
Many Aussies have shared similar problems with their passports.
“Double the price and half the quality,” said one.
“Ours is the same, the first time they opened them and the pages started separating from the spine,” said a second.
‘Yes!!! I literally kept mine between books,’ agreed a third.
A fourth shared: ‘Really happy my renewed passport was in my post within the week but it was bent out of the package and didn’t fit in its plastic sleeve. I was disheartened by the cost’.
“An overzealous border agent might reject these because they look tampered with,” noted a fifth.
Natalie Vellozzi, 28, from Sydneyrecently shared a video comparing her old and new passports and accusing the government of skimping on quality.
The new R-series Australian passport is thinner than previous ones and curves outwards (pictured is a brand new passport)
“The quality certainly does not match the price of this passport,” she said.
When comparing both passports side by side, the difference was immediately apparent, with the new one’s cover bending upwards.
‘This is my old passport that I have had for 10 years. It’s definitely better quality,” Ms Vellozzi said.
‘This new one looks like it was literally printed at Officeworks. I’ve had it for a day and it’s already warping, it’s already bending.’
The new R-series Australian passport costs a staggering $398 after a 15 percent price increase in July, making it the most expensive in the world.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) trumpeted the new passport when it was introduced last year, boasting that it was made in Australia.
“The next generation passport is packed with advanced security features designed to keep Australians’ identities safe,” the department said.
