How do I link a new passport to my Australian permanent visa in 2026?

How to link a new passport to an Australian permanent visa in 2026: ImmiAccount steps, the 3 business day wait, and when to use the web form.

Published: 11 October 2026

If you hold Australian permanent residency and have been issued a new passport, you notify the Department of Home Affairs by updating your passport details in ImmiAccount, and the new passport is then linked to your existing visa within 3 business days. According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs "You have a new passport" official page (current as at October 2026), updating passport details in ImmiAccount is the quickest way to have a new passport linked to a visa, a citizenship application, or an existing visa. This article is general information about published procedure, not personalised advice about your own record; if your circumstances are unusual, treat the official pages and a registered migration professional as the authoritative check.

Why a new passport has to be linked before you fly

Your permanent visa is recorded against a travel document, not against you in the abstract. The Department of Home Affairs "Proof of permanent residency" official page states that you prove your permanent residence through VEVO (Visa Entitlement Verification Online), and that you must have an electronic visa record of your permanent visa which is linked to your passport or Immicard.

That is why a fresh passport can leave you temporarily invisible in the system. The visa still exists, but the document presented at the airport does not match the document on the record. The same page also notes that VEVO can be used to check that you have the right to re-enter Australia as a permanent resident before travelling outside Australia — which makes the link a pre-departure task rather than an administrative one to deal with on return.

How do I update my passport details in ImmiAccount?

The Department's "You have a new passport" page sets out the following sequence. Work through it in order:

Log in to ImmiAccount.
Select your application.
Select 'Edit' or 'View details' to open your 'Application home' screen.
Select 'Update details'.
Select 'Change of passport details'.
Select the applicant.
Enter the new passport details.
Enter the reason for the change.
Select 'Submit'.

The Department states that it will link your new passport to your visa within 3 business days of that submission.

What if I have never used ImmiAccount?

Permanent residents whose visa was granted on paper, or through a paper-era process, may have no ImmiAccount history. The Department's page says that if you have not used ImmiAccount before, you can create an ImmiAccount, after which you may be able to import your application in order to use the online change of passport form. The "Import an application" help page is the reference for that step.

If the import does not work, you fall into the web form category below. For an imminent departure, this is the point at which timing stops being comfortable, because the two channels carry different processing times.

How long does the link take, and how close to departure is too close?

The Department publishes two processing times for a change of passport details:

Channel	Published processing time
ImmiAccount	3 business days
New Passport Details web form	14 days

Three business days is a materially shorter runway than most people assume, and it is a processing time rather than an instant update. The practical sequence is to submit the change as soon as the new passport is issued, wait out the published window, and then confirm through VEVO that the record is visible against the new passport before you present it at departure.

When can't I use ImmiAccount?

Some changes cannot be made in ImmiAccount. Per the Department's "You have a new passport" page, you need to use the New Passport Details web form if any of the following apply:

you cannot import your application into ImmiAccount
your travel document is a Titre de Voyage or Certificate of Identity document
you applied for a partner visa and it is not visible in your ImmiAccount
your application ID on your acknowledgement letter begins with 'IRIS'
you have had a change of sex or gender
your date of birth has changed on your passport

Where a change of sex or gender is being notified, the Department requires one of the following as evidence: a statement from a Registered Medical Practitioner or a Registered Psychologist specifying your gender; a valid Australian Government travel document, such as a valid passport, specifying your gender; or a state or territory birth certificate specifying your gender. A document from a state or territory Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages recognising a change of sex, gender, or both, is treated as sufficient evidence.

The Department also states that the New Passport Details web form must not be used if you hold an Australian passport. If you have since become an Australian citizen, your travel document question is answered on the "Travel documents for Australian citizens and permanent residents" page instead.

What if VEVO shows no electronic record of my permanent visa at all?

A missing passport link and a missing electronic record are different problems, and the Department's "Proof of permanent residency" page separates them. Before requesting anything, check VEVO: if you already have an electronic visa record and simply need it linked to a new passport, the direction on that page is to use the "You have a new passport" process described above.

If there is no electronic record at all, the Department notes you may not have one where your last arrival was before 1990. In that situation, there are online forms to request that a permanent visa be recorded electronically, and the selection depends on individual circumstances and immigration history — including a separate form for holders of an Authority to Return or Return Endorsement issued between 1 March 1976 and 31 December 1986 who want it recorded as a BF-111 visa. The Department warns that if none of the forms apply to your circumstances, a submitted request will not be processed.

One related point for long-established permanent residents: if you arrived before 1 June 1959 and have not left Australia since, or arrived before 1 September 1994 as a New Zealand citizen without a permit and can prove you usually resided in Australia before 1 September 1994, you may be considered a former Australian permanent resident eligible to apply for a Resident Return visa (RRV), which you would need to travel and re-enter as a permanent resident.

Does an Electronic Travel Authority work the same way?

No. The Department's "You have a new passport" page excludes holders of the Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) 601 from the update process. An existing ETA cannot be transferred to a new passport; if you obtain a new passport you apply for a new ETA using that passport. This is a separate question from a permanent visa link, but it is the trap for anyone holding both.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long until my new passport shows against my permanent visa?

The Department states that a change submitted through ImmiAccount is linked within 3 business days. The New Passport Details web form has a published processing time of 14 days. Check VEVO after that window rather than assuming the update has gone through.

Do I need to do this if I have no plans to travel?

The Department's guidance frames the passport link as a general notification obligation when you get a new passport, not only as a travel step. The practical consequence is at the border and in VEVO, so leaving it undone usually surfaces later, when you do need to travel or to prove your status.

My travel document is a Titre de Voyage — can I use ImmiAccount?

No. A Titre de Voyage or Certificate of Identity document is listed among the changes that cannot be done in ImmiAccount. Use the New Passport Details web form, and allow for the 14-day published processing time.

What if I have now become an Australian citizen and hold an Australian passport?

Do not use the New Passport Details web form. The Department directs Australian passport holders to the "Travel documents for Australian citizens and permanent residents" page instead, because the passport-link process is built around a visa recorded against a foreign travel document.

I already had an ETA linked to my old passport. Can it move across?

No. An ETA (subclass 601) cannot be transferred to a new passport, and the change-of-passport process excludes ETA holders. You apply for a new ETA using your new passport.

What if my permanent visa does not appear in VEVO even before the passport change?

That suggests there is no electronic visa record rather than a broken link. The Department notes this can occur where your last arrival was before 1990, and provides online forms to request an electronic record, with eligibility depending on your individual circumstances and immigration history.