Aussie traveller points out yet another flaw with the new passport

An Australian traveler has discovered another problem with the durability of the new Australian passports after travelers complained that the covers were curling.

The woman explained on social media this week that the stitching on the back of the passports – which will undergo a redesign in 2022 – could come loose.

Many people have complained online that the Australian passport – which at $398 is the most expensive in the world after a 15 percent price increase in July – should have a build quality worthy of its high price tag.

“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.

‘It’s just unacceptable. They bend, they twist. The only safe place to keep them is between two giant encyclopedias.

‘Stitches are even starting to appear on this passport. That’s just terrible.

‘Our other passports, which had expired, are in perfect condition.

“This is 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.”

The Australian passport currently costs $398, which is an increase from $346 in 2023. There is likely to be another price increase from January 1 as costs are reviewed every year in line with the Consumer Price Index.

Many Aussies shared similar issues with their passports.

“Doubling the price and half the quality,” said one.

“Ours are the same, the first time I opened them the pages started coming loose from the spine,” said a second.

‘Yes!!! I literally keep mine between books,” a third agreed.

A fourth said: ‘I was very pleased to find my renewed passport in my letterbox within a week, but it was bent out of the packaging and not in the plastic sleeve. I was ashamed of the price’.

“An overzealous border agent might reject this because it appears tampered with,” said a fifth.

Natalie Vellozzi, 28, from Sydney, recently shared a video comparing her old and new passports and accusing the government of cutting back on quality.

The new R-series Australian passport is thinner than the previous one and curves outward (brand new passport shown)

“The quality absolutely does not match the price of this passport,” she said.

If you compare both passports side by side, you can immediately see the difference: the cover of the new one is curved upwards.

‘This is my old passport that I have had for ten years. It is definitely better quality,” Ms Vellozzi said.

‘This new one looks like it was literally printed at Officeworks. I’ve had it for a day now and it’s already warping, it’s already bending.’

The new R-series Australian passport costs a whopping $398, following a 15 percent price increase in July, making it the most expensive passport in the world.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) trumpeted the new passport at its launch 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 ministry said.