NSW Unable to Obtain Australian Citizenship Papers?

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Michaelh1957

Active Member
10 July 2019
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I am an Australian passport holder who was born overseas and had parents born overseas as well. I am now being asked to prove citizenship again when I tried to renew my passport.

I have tried several times to apply for a citizenship certificate, even though I've held multiple Australian passports and renewed them easily in the past.

I have since been informed that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has had a "long-standing law that requires DFAT to be satisfied with a person's citizenship before issuing a passport, including each time it issues a new passport to a person with a current or expired passport".

I have tried to clarify when the policy was implemented or whether its enforcement has been ramped up in recent times.

I was born in Greece, my mother, father and brother came here in 1962. We were naturalised the following year and have been Australian citizens since then. I have applied and been granted an Australian passport 2 times and in the intervening years have travelled abroad with no problem, but when I tried to renew my expired passport recently I was told I must provide evidence of citizenship.

I have been advised that simply having held an Australian passport in the past was no longer sufficient.

This means I am unable to travel abroad and I cannot seek employment in many fields as proof of citizenship is required.

The Australian Passport Office has told me that I cannot use my previous passport.

I feel humiliated by this attitude of the Government questioning my citizenship.

I pay tax, I've got Medicare, everything. I've lived here for 57 years. I came here when I was five years old. There's never been a question.

Now all my plans are jeopardy.

I believe my story is not isolated, many other people in a similar situation both in Sydney and Melbourne and have shared their stories online in frustration at having to prove their citizenship again, despite renewing passports easily in the past.

When I last went to apply they said I had to get my Australian citizenship papers

I have applied several times over the last few years and have come up against a bureaucratic brick wall.

I am now appealing to the government to intervene and help me.

I have exhausted all avenues with the Dept Of Immigration and Passport Office and I need help.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
 

Rob Legat - SBPL

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Michaelh1957

Active Member
10 July 2019
7
0
31
Birth certificate is not an option because it's Greek and although it's translated by an approved translator. They will not accept it because the spelling of the names is different.