EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
Passports Act 1938 : Passport Regulations (Amendment)
Statutory Rules 1983 No. 37 Issued by Authority of the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
The purpose of these Regulations is to increase from $10 to $30 the fee payable for the issue of a Certificate of Identity.
A Certificate of Identity is issued pursuant to the Passport Regulations, to an alien who is stateless or is unable to obtain a passport from a consular representative of the country of which he claims to be a national. It is used for travel to and from Australia in the same way as a passport. An applicant for a Certificate of Identity is subjected to the same identity checks as an applicant for a passport but, since the applicant is an alien, procedures are more complex and time consuming.
The fee for a Certificate of Identity has not changed since 1974. In 1981 the fee for an ordinary passport was increased to $30. These Regulations make the fee the same for the issue of either document.