Australia in Switzerland
Bern and Geneva
Switzerland, Liechtenstein

Passport Services

Adult Streamlined Renewal - How to apply by mail

Child Renewal (0-15 years) - How to apply by mail

All Other Passport Applications - How to apply in-person

The below passport applications must be lodged in person:

  • First Adult passport - your most recent passport was issued before you turned 16 years or you have never held an Australian passport
  • First Child passport - your child has never held an Australian passport
  • Adult renewal (old) - your most recent passport was issued before 1 January 2006
  • Child renewal (aged 16 or 17) - you child will be issued with an adult 10-year valid passport
  • Name Change (or other changes) in your passport
  • Replace a Lost, Stolen or Seriously Damaged passport (5-page application) *
  • Replace a Full Visa Pages or Minor Damaged passport (1-page renewal application) *

    * For all damaged passports, please send a photo of the damaged passport by email to determine which application is required. The damaged passport must be brought to the appointment.

Passport Appointments

All passport appointments are held in Geneva only (not Bern) on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The current waiting time for an appointment is 2-3 weeks - please advise us if your travel is urgent.

Appointments can only be made by sending an email to: [email protected]

Please provide the following in your email:

  1. In the subject line of your email: Last name, First Name – Passport Appointment
  2. The number of passports you are requiring, age of children and type of passport application (e.g., Adult Simplified Renewal, First Passport, Child Renewal, Name Change (or other), Lost/Stolen/Damaged, Replacement – Full Visa Pages/Minor Damage)
  3. Contact phone number and email address
  4. For first adult/child applications – confirm you have received either the confirmation email which says ‘Acquired’ or the Australian citizenship certificate
  5. For all child applications - the names of the parents and child applicant attending the appointment
  6. Preferred ‘days’ (Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday) and ‘times’ (morning/afternoon)
  7. Where you will be arriving from
  8. If you require an urgent appointment - provide specific details of your urgency (e.g., evidence of confirmed travel plans).

Passport Processing Times

Currently new passports are taking around 3-4 weeks to process but this can always change. Why is the passport office telling people to allow at least 6 weeks to get their passport?

Passport Photo Requirements

Two identical, high-quality colour prints, less than six months old are required for all passport applications. Please see the APO passport photo guidelines for more information Passport Photo Guidelines. Photos not meeting these requirements will be rejected resulting in passport processing delays.

Many photographers in Switzerland print photos using an inkjet printer which is not acceptable. The photo must be printed using a thermal process of dye sublimation on heavy-weight glossy photo paper.  If your photo was printed using an inkjet printer or not on matt photo paper, then you must provide a digital image (JPEG) in addition to the printed photo.  We recommend sending it to us by email before your appointment or before applying by mail to: [email protected]

Top Reasons Photos Are Rejected:

  • Poor Print Quality - This is usually caused if the photo was printed using an inkjet printer or not printed on heavy-weight, glossy colour photo paper (200 gsm minimum).
  • Blurry - This is usually caused if the photo was taken in 'Portrait Mode' which blurs the surrounds of the face impacting on overall image quality.
  • Editing - Background removal, facial features or skin tone have been digitally altered.
  • Lighting/Brightness/Contrast - Uneven lighting across the face, shadows, or unnatural skin tone. The edges of the face, head, and ears are not visible against the background.
  • Distortion - This is due to the subject being too close to the camera. The image must be taken at a minimum of 1.2m distance from the person.  
  • Expression - We require a neutral facial expression, which can be explained as a relaxed face with closed mouth, no smiling, no frowning, and eyes open.
  • Pose - We require a neutral pose, looking directly at the camera. The head should not be tilted up to, or down to the camera. The head should not be turned, both ears need to be clearly visible.
  • Damaged – Photos have scratches or marks - were glued, stapled or paperclipped to the application form.

Additional Important Information

Do both parents need to attend child application appointments? Both parents are required to attend appointments for all Child First passports, Emergency passports and all Child passport applications from neighbouring countries.

Incomplete applications (including missing documents and incorrectly executed parental consent) will not be accepted. You will be required to rebook an appointment or, if applying by mail, your application will be returned to you. Please download and use the detailed checklists from our website to assist you in preparing your application.

Urgent Travel - If you have confirmed travel plans or need to travel urgently, it may be possible to have an Emergency Passport. Emergency Passports can take up to 2 business days to process and there is a fee. More information can be found at APO Emergency Passports. If you have urgent or confirmed travel plans, please email us to discuss your situation. Please note both parents are required to attend appointments for all child Emergency passports.

Protecting your Personal Information from Scams and Identity Thefts

Are you concerned that your passport or identity may have been compromised by a cyber security incident or an identity theft or scam? Further advice on how you can protect yourself from scams and identity theft is available on the following Australian Government websites: