Tntaglia Posted August 29, 2017 Report Share Posted August 29, 2017 In October I'm presenting at a conference in Sydney and hubby is coming along so we can turn it into a LSD trip. Neither of us have been in Oz before and we don't have any valid visa to allow entry. So for now we'll apply for a standard tourist visa. My question is this: I just received a new passport but hubby will only apply for his today, his existing passport expires at the end of Jan. Which means he will have 3 months left on the passport when we go to Oz. Will that be acceptable for the short term visa or must we wait with the application until he gets the new one? It will probably be about a week (mine took 4 days) so it's not a huge issue but if the legal requirement is only for 3 months left on the passport I'd rather apply now. Sorry, this seems like a question that Google should be able to answer but I haven't found anything. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monsta Posted August 29, 2017 Report Share Posted August 29, 2017 (edited) If you are only going for 2-3 weeks, then 3 months left on your passport should be fine. There must be a minimum number of days, but I am not surprised they don't tell you what it is. If you are concerned then apply for a new passport. When you walk into Kingsford Smith, they have border agents who are trained to see that you are nervous about something. So its best not to be nervous else you will have to tell your sob story about the expiring passport. They will probably smile and tell you to be better prepared on your next trip to Aussie. You could also try calling the Australian High Commission in Pretoria. Just ask them to explain your options and if they can give any advise. They might just say, "we can't speak for home affairs... but we need up to xxx weeks to prepare your VISA." But remember there are two kinds of Aussies... those who follow the rules and those who try to beat the system. So, come across to them as someone who is genuinely trying to do the right thing. In my experience the staff there are super helpful, if you are trying to follow the rules. Edited August 29, 2017 by monsta 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tntaglia Posted August 29, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2017 Thanks @monsta - that helps. I'm going for 2 weeks, hubby will only be there for the first week and he will still have 3 months left in his passport by the time he leaves Oz. But great advice about calling the high commission, I'm going to do that. Hubby is applying for a new passport anyway (since we hope to make the actual move early 2018 it's high time he applies!) but I'm just a little nervous about the processing time for the visa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monsta Posted August 29, 2017 Report Share Posted August 29, 2017 Remember, Australia spends a lot of money attracting tourists. I am talking about TV adverts overseas, etc.. The last thing they want is to anger a genuine tourist who is coming here to spend money. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mara Posted August 29, 2017 Report Share Posted August 29, 2017 The only problem is, that it is a requirement worldwide, that you have at least six months validity left on your passport, before you commence your journey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedPanda Posted August 30, 2017 Report Share Posted August 30, 2017 I think it's a bit of a storm in a teacup. You need to get him a new passport anyway, and it doesn't take that long to get. Just do it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tntaglia Posted August 30, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2017 I finally heard back from the High Commission this morning - quite an ironic response, really. Oz is officially happy for us to come across as long as our passports expire after our flights back home, no limitation. But South Africa requires us to have 6 months left on the passport to accept us back into the country so they strongly suggest that we do it on the new passport. Anyway - I don't expect there to be much of an issue, as long as the new passport arrives asap. Our trip is in 5 weeks so I don't want to leave the visa application for too long! 11 hours ago, Mara said: The only problem is, that it is a requirement worldwide, that you have at least six months validity left on your passport, before you commence your journey! Not true, actually - America for example only requires 3 months (I had to check because we went to America recently and had just under 6 months left for that trip!) Yeah, I know, we need to move on the passports! I applied for my new one just when we got back from the US and it arrived in a week, so really quick. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mara Posted August 31, 2017 Report Share Posted August 31, 2017 @Tntaglia I stand corrected Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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