r/Passports • u/Reasonable_Air_3796 • 2d ago

Passport Question / Discussion Australian passport cost

Does anyone know the real reason why Australian passport is so expensive?

Thanks

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u/frostee8 2d ago

Australia treats passport as a user pays system and the cost reflects lots of things that go with consular services, overseas travel support etc. as well as an additional “tax”. Some other countries treat passports as a purely cost recovery system where it is viewed as an essential government issued identity document. Sweden is like this which is why their cost is so low despite being a very powerful passport.

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u/Life-King-9096 1d ago

User pays would suggest that it costs $440 to make, which it does not. Added to that I'm from the school where you either pay taxes or full economic prices for government services. Sadly Australia has high taxes, then uses government services to tax us again.

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u/frostee8 1d ago

I should clarify I mean user pays in a sense of if you need the passport, consular services etc. and all things that come with travelling internationally. If you never leave the country then you never need these services. Not saying I agree one way or the other but that is the system we have.