Can I get a passport with a criminal record in Australia?

In Australia, a criminal record does not automatically disqualify you from getting a passport. Once you have completed your sentence, including parole, you can apply for one in the normal way. Reportable offenders, however, cannot travel overseas without special permission from a competent authority.

Reportable offenders in Australia cannot travel outside the country without special permission. However, if you were convicted of non-reportable offenses and have completed your sentence, nothing is stopping you from getting a passport and leaving the country.

Quick Take:

• The responsible authority for issuing Australian passports is the Australian Passport Office, part of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
• You may be able to stop disclosing an old conviction under the Commonwealth Spent Convictions Scheme once the waiting period ends.
• Once you have completed your sentence, you are generally eligible to apply for a passport the normal way.
• Travelers with certain criminal records may need a US visa or a waiver instead of the visa-free Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).
• Australia ranks among the world's most powerful passports, with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to roughly 182 destinations as of 2026.
• Reportable offenders cannot travel outside the country without special permission from a competent authority.

Can I get a passport with a criminal record in Australia?

In Australia, once you have completed your sentence, including parole and probation, you are generally free of the legal barriers that would otherwise block a passport application. The main travel obstacles that remain come from other countries' entry rules, visa requirements, and the nature of the crime itself, not from Australia's own passport process.

Under the Australian Passports Act 2005, a competent authority (typically a court, a police officer, or another law enforcement body) can also ask the Passport Office to refuse or cancel a passport where a person has an outstanding arrest warrant, is bound by a court order, or is subject to parole or bail conditions that restrict travel.

In short, a pending court case, an unfinished sentence, or reportable-offender status can each make getting a passport in Australia more difficult, even though none of them is an automatic, permanent bar.

What happens if a reportable offender illegally travels overseas?

A "reportable offender" is a person whose name is on a state or territory child protection offender register and who has current reporting obligations connected to that listing. If a reportable offender leaves Australia without permission from a competent authority, that is a Commonwealth offence punishable by up to five years in prison.

The Australian Passport Office also cannot issue a standard passport to a reportable offender while a competent authority has an active refusal request in place, and it must cancel an existing passport if a competent authority requests it.

How do you get special permission to travel outside the country if you are a reportable offender?

A reportable offender needs an exceptional reason to be granted permission to travel, and the request goes to the same authority they already report to under their state or territory obligations, usually a police officer, a court, or the relevant sex offender registry. Contacting the Passport Office or the foreign affairs department directly will not work, because DFAT relies on the competent authority's recommendation.

The Australian Passport Office advises applying for travel permission at least three months before the planned travel date, since approval and any resulting passport work take time on top of standard passport processing (at least six weeks under normal conditions).

Once permission is granted, the reportable offender can apply for a passport, though it may be issued with a limited validity period.

Reportable offenders: what to remember:

• Permission to travel does not need to be re-explained to passport office or post office staff once it has been granted.
• Passports issued to reportable offenders can carry a shorter validity period, and ignoring the restrictions attached to that permission is itself a violation of the law.
• The Australian Federal Police monitors the international travel of registered offenders and can pass travel details to INTERPOL, which may notify law enforcement in the destination country.

What if you have completed your sentence and reporting requirements?

As mentioned, once you have completed your sentence you are free to apply for a passport the normal way. As of January 2026, a standard 10-year adult passport costs AUD 422, and a 5-year child or senior passport costs AUD 213. Standard processing takes at least six weeks; a priority service (about two business days, for an extra AUD 308) and a fast-track service (about five business days, for an extra AUD 107) are available for urgent travel, though not every applicant qualifies and an in-person appointment is usually required. The remaining question is how you enter other countries.

Can you travel internationally with a criminal record?

Countries generally fall into two categories: those that require a visa and those that do not. Australia currently holds visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to roughly 182 destinations, one of the highest counts in the world. Why does this matter? Getting an entry visa usually involves a background check, and a conviction revealed by that check can lead a country to deny entry. Getting a passport, by contrast, only requires applying locally, so it does not put you through screening by foreign officials.

It is also worth noting that most visa-free countries only waive the visa requirement for stays under 90 days.

So yes, you can generally travel to visa-free destinations with a criminal record. But it is good practice to check with the embassy or consulate of the country you plan to visit before booking travel, since entry rules change and can vary by offense.

Can I travel to the US if I have a criminal record in Australia?

Because of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), Australian, New Zealand, and UK citizens generally do not need a visa for short US visits. That waiver does not extend to stays longer than 90 days, and travelers with certain criminal records do not qualify for it regardless of trip length.

How do you enter the United States?

Eligibility for the Visa Waiver Program is assessed through ESTA, the official Electronic System for Travel Authorization, which asks applicants to provide biographic, travel, and eligibility information online before departure. US Customs and Border Protection has also expanded the criminal-history question in recent years, so even an arrest that did not lead to a conviction can affect an ESTA application.

ESTA weighs eligibility against the offense involved. Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, a criminal record does not automatically disqualify a traveler from ESTA, but a conviction for certain offenses, including most crimes involving moral turpitude, generally will.

If your ESTA application is denied, you may still be able to travel by applying for a regular US visa and, where the ground of inadmissibility allows it, a discretionary waiver under INA 212(d)(3).

Can I travel to Canada if I have a criminal record in Australia?

As in the US, the type of crime committed determines eligibility to enter Canada. People convicted of serious offenses, including violent crimes or drunk driving, can be found "criminally inadmissible", and even some less serious convictions can trigger the same result.

If you have completed your sentence, you may be able to overcome that inadmissibility by applying for a Canadian record suspension (formerly called a pardon) or by showing "deemed rehabilitation," where enough time has passed since the conviction. Check Canada's official guidance on overcoming criminal convictions, or speak with an immigration lawyer, before you finalize travel plans.

Can you get a criminal record expunged in Australia?

Australia does not have a US-style expungement process that erases a conviction from the record. Instead, the Commonwealth Spent Convictions Scheme, under Part VIIC of the Crimes Act 1914, lets a person stop disclosing an eligible conviction once a waiting period of good behaviour has passed, generally 10 years for an adult and 5 years for a young offender, provided the person was not sentenced to more than 30 months' imprisonment and has not reoffended in the meantime. A small number of situations still allow disclosure even after a conviction becomes spent, including some employment involving children and certain law enforcement purposes.

Once a conviction is spent, you generally do not need to disclose it while travelling, though the conviction record itself still exists rather than being deleted.

Check with local authorities or a lawyer to confirm whether your specific conviction qualifies.

Overall, the immigration laws of whichever country you are travelling to determine your eligibility to enter. Because of that, it is worth explaining your situation to that country's embassy or consulate before making firm travel arrangements or purchasing tickets.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a criminal record automatically stop you from getting an Australian passport?

No. Once you have completed your sentence, including any parole or probation, you can generally apply for an Australian passport the normal way. The main exceptions are reportable offenders, people with an outstanding arrest warrant, and people bound by a court order, parole condition, or bail condition that restricts travel.

What is a reportable offender under Australian passport law?

A reportable offender is a person whose name is on a state or territory child protection offender register and who has current reporting obligations connected to that listing. Reportable offenders cannot travel overseas without permission from a competent authority, usually the police, court, or registry they already report to.

How much does an Australian passport cost in 2026?

As of January 2026, a standard 10-year adult Australian passport costs AUD 422, and a 5-year child or senior passport costs AUD 213. Priority processing (about two business days) adds roughly AUD 308, and fast-track processing (about five business days) adds roughly AUD 107.

How long does it take to get an Australian passport?

Standard processing takes at least six weeks. Reportable offenders should apply to their competent authority for travel permission at least three months before their planned travel date, on top of normal passport processing time.

Can I travel to the United States with a criminal record from Australia?

It depends on the offense. ESTA does not automatically disqualify every criminal record, but a conviction for certain offenses, including most crimes involving moral turpitude, generally does. If ESTA is denied, a regular visa combined with a discretionary INA 212(d)(3) waiver may still allow travel.

Can I clear my Australian criminal record before travelling?

Australia does not erase convictions the way US expungement does. The Commonwealth Spent Convictions Scheme, under Part VIIC of the Crimes Act 1914, instead lets you stop disclosing an eligible conviction once a waiting period of good behaviour, generally 10 years, has passed.