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Lost passport and citizenship paperwork - help!

Lost passport and citizenship paperwork - help!

Old Jan 11th 2015, 4:12 am
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Default Lost passport and citizenship paperwork - help!

Help!!

We are leaving for the UK on the 21st and my daughter cannot find her current (Australian) passport OR proof of citizenship!

She has her outdated British passport (Expired 2009) and her birth certificate.

What is the quickest way of ensuring she can travel to the UK, through the US and Canada four weeks after we arrive in the UK for just under a week before coming back to Australia?

I am thinking that she applies for a replacement Citizenship proof, gets that and gets a priority application in for an Australian passport before she leaves, but in the meantime gets her British passport from Canberra using her birth certificate and out-of-date British passport, we should be able to go there on her British Emergency documentation and then have received her Australian passport ready for the next leg of the Journey and return to Australia.

Can she travel around the US and Canada on an emergency British passport, and re-enter Australia on an resident return visa if she already had Australian Citizenship?

Is this sensible, or is there a better way of getting over this?
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Old Jan 11th 2015, 4:21 am
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Default Re: Lost passport and citizenship paperwork - help!

You should verify this further, but as far as I understand an "emergency" British passport isn't acceptable for the U.S. Visa Waiver Program.
Visa Waiver Program
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-ad...y-requirements

Secondly, as an Australian citizen, she needs to enter Australia on an Australian passport. Her previous resident return visa is no longer valid. It's not clear how she could get clearance to board an Australia bound flight. Even if the previous visa still "exists" in the Department of Immigration system, and if it is still valid, the British passport to which it is linked has now expired.

First step - is she absolutely sure she has lost her passport and citizenship document. Perhaps look harder?

Second step - go to the Department of Immigration with a form 119 and apply for a replacement citizenship certificate. Not much is likely to be possible without this.

Third step - her British passport expired 2009, so should still normally be eligible for a renewal (without needing British citizenship to be re-evidenced), but this is still not necessarily possible within a few days.
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Old Jan 11th 2015, 4:24 am
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Default Re: Lost passport and citizenship paperwork - help!

Originally Posted by Seabird
Help!!

We are leaving for the UK on the 21st and my daughter cannot find her current (Australian) passport OR proof of citizenship!

She has her outdated British passport (Expired 2009) and her birth certificate.

What is the quickest way of ensuring she can travel to the UK, through the US and Canada four weeks after we arrive in the UK for just under a week before coming back to Australia?

I am thinking that she applies for a replacement Citizenship proof, gets that and gets a priority application in for an Australian passport before she leaves, but in the meantime gets her British passport from Canberra using her birth certificate and out-of-date British passport, we should be able to go there on her British Emergency documentation and then have received her Australian passport ready for the next leg of the Journey and return to Australia.

Can she travel around the US and Canada on an emergency British passport, and re-enter Australia on an resident return visa if she already had Australian Citizenship?

Is this sensible, or is there a better way of getting over this?

The US can be anal, i'pd suggest posting in the US Immi forum about that bit.

She can't get a RRV as she is an Aus citizen, she'd need to try and get the proof of citizenship at the very least. She'd get held up at check in AND Immigration with only that and no passport but at least she would get back in to Aus eventually. Same with the UK, if she can convince check in to let her on the plane, she would get in to the UK eventually as she has the expired passport.
The tricky bit is getting check in to allow her on the plane, and with the US being her transit point thats where it could get nasty. i'm not even sure she can get an ESTA and VWP without a valid passport.
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Old Jan 11th 2015, 6:47 am
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Default Re: Lost passport and citizenship paperwork - help!

12 hours into house searching and still no sign! Just about to head to garage to go through last dozen unpacked boxes

Does anyone know how quickly she could get her citizenship documents sent? Is there a fast track option?

She has a HECs loan that she could not have got without citizenship. Can she use documentation from her HECs loan as proof of citizenship and use that to get a priority passport? Are there any other forms of proof other than the actual certificate we could use?

Thank you in advance!

Last edited by Seabird; Jan 11th 2015 at 6:49 am.
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Old Jan 11th 2015, 7:07 am
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Default Re: Lost passport and citizenship paperwork - help!

Originally Posted by Seabird
12 hours into house searching and still no sign! Just about to head to garage to go through last dozen unpacked boxes

Does anyone know how quickly she could get her citizenship documents sent? Is there a fast track option?

She has a HECs loan that she could not have got without citizenship. Can she use documentation from her HECs loan as proof of citizenship and use that to get a priority passport? Are there any other forms of proof other than the actual certificate we could use?
It's unusual to lose both passport and citizenship certificate at the same time. So it's recommended to look harder. And going forward, whatever the outcome, your daughter needs to take this as a life lesson in the importance of taking care of civil documentation. Passports, birth certificates, citizenship certificates, etc.

Information on obtaining a citizenship certificate:
Australian Citizenship – Proof of citizenship

And an Australian passport:
http://www.passports.gov.au/

As far as I can see, if she cannot provide her existing Australian passport, she needs to re-evidence her Australian citizenship from scratch. Which means she needs a new Australian citizenship certificate. Processing time service standard is 1 week plus they say around 10 days to receive printed new certificate - but it may be less in actuality.
Citizenship processing time service standards

She may be able to call and ask if they can issue a limited validity passport based on their existing records, but I wouldn't hope for much.

And a word of warning - once her existing passport is reported lost, Passports Australia will likely cancel it. If the passport is subsequently found, it can't then be used and although you may ask, Passports Australia are unlikely to revoke the cancellation.

Last edited by JAJ; Jan 11th 2015 at 7:20 am.
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Old Jan 11th 2015, 7:17 am
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Default Re: Lost passport and citizenship paperwork - help!

I'm with JAJ hard to imagine both documents actually lost.

Rules must have changed on HECS, as PRs used to be able to get that ( under Commonwealth Assistance or something like that).

Good luck with the search!
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Old Jan 11th 2015, 7:18 am
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Default Re: Lost passport and citizenship paperwork - help!

Think given her current state of anxiety, and ours I think the message is very clear!

Thanks for all of this. So plan is:
If garage fails, we have been through every piece of paper in the house. So we send her to Canberra with her birth certificate on a plane on Tuesday to get a British passport to get her there. We also send for the Citizenship paperwork tomorrow and with the Citizenship office to see if there is anyway we can get it fast tracked even if it is only by the kindness of their hearts! We then have to apply for a priority passport the second that arrives back in Brisbane, and when it arrives get it mailed to the UK before leaving at the end of February...

Are there any errors in this thinking that could throw us out?

Thanks, JAJ.
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Old Jan 11th 2015, 7:19 am
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Default Re: Lost passport and citizenship paperwork - help!

Yes, problem was she used both of them for a Centrelink appointment a few months ago when she was out of work. They were together for that reason.
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Old Jan 11th 2015, 7:20 am
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Default Re: Lost passport and citizenship paperwork - help!

And you can only get HECs with Citizenship. Is this not therefore proof?
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Old Jan 11th 2015, 7:27 am
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Default Re: Lost passport and citizenship paperwork - help!

Originally Posted by Seabird
If garage fails, we have been through every piece of paper in the house. So we send her to Canberra with her birth certificate on a plane on Tuesday to get a British passport to get her there.
If you're in Brisbane, there is a British Consulate in that city. Contact them regarding a British passport/travel document:
https://www.gov.uk/government/world/...ssion-canberra

As to the rest, it is possible that the Australian passport + citizenship certificate will be found in an obvious place.
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Old Jan 11th 2015, 7:27 am
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Default Re: Lost passport and citizenship paperwork - help!

Phew, found Consulate office in Brisbane...
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Old Jan 11th 2015, 7:28 am
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Default Re: Lost passport and citizenship paperwork - help!

Originally Posted by Seabird
Yes, problem was she used both of them for a Centrelink appointment a few months ago when she was out of work. They were together for that reason.
Is there any chance she left them there.Would she have left them in the boot of her car under a mat perhaps.In an old handbag that she doesn't use any more.I feel for you.Been there.I often find a quick prayer to St.Anthony helps.(worth a shot)
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Old Jan 11th 2015, 7:29 am
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Default Re: Lost passport and citizenship paperwork - help!

Originally Posted by Seabird
And you can only get HECs with Citizenship. Is this not therefore proof?
Remember - there are usually exceptions to every rule. Also, mistakes happen.

As a result, I doubt that either the Department of Immigration, or the Australian Passport Office, will accept HECS documentation as stand-alone evidence of Australian citizenship.
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Old Jan 11th 2015, 9:53 am
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Default Re: Lost passport and citizenship paperwork - help!

Sounded a good plan, thank you so much for all your help.

Sod's law is alive and Murphy showed his sense of humour. 13 hours into the search, and the very last box in the garage held within it the golden fleece!

Found both the certificate AND the passport in the folder related to the University application associated with the requisite paperwork, which I realised was a very likely place for it to be but the whole folder from the Uni application was on the missing list. Clearly it was not used for the Centrelink application.

The issue was that my step-son had piled a heap of boxes of his stuff on top of the box containing daughter's unpacked items from our move, so I had assumed all the boxes in the pile were his.

So thank you very much. Hopefully if nothing else this thread may help others in the future.
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Old Jan 11th 2015, 10:54 am
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Default Re: Lost passport and citizenship paperwork - help!

Originally Posted by Seabird
Sounded a good plan, thank you so much for all your help.

Sod's law is alive and Murphy showed his sense of humour. 13 hours into the search, and the very last box in the garage held within it the golden fleece!

Found both the certificate AND the passport in the folder related to the University application associated with the requisite paperwork, which I realised was a very likely place for it to be but the whole folder from the Uni application was on the missing list. Clearly it was not used for the Centrelink application.

The issue was that my step-son had piled a heap of boxes of his stuff on top of the box containing daughter's unpacked items from our move, so I had assumed all the boxes in the pile were his.

So thank you very much. Hopefully if nothing else this thread may help others in the future.
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