Head to head · Checked 30 October 2026
Renew the passport before lodging vs Renew the passport after the visa is granted
A visa can be applied for and granted on a passport that will expire, and the visa then needs to be linked to the new passport, so a passport that expires soon is renewed before lodging where time allows, so that the application, the grant and the travel all sit on one document; a passport with years left is renewed when it expires and the Department is told through the account, with the visa re-linked within days in the ordinary case. The thing to avoid is a passport that expires between lodgement and decision with no notification, which leaves a grant linked to a dead document, or travelling on a new passport before the link is made, which leaves the airline unable to see the visa.
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed 30 October 2026
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - Best for
- A passport expiring within the processing time, or within a year · A passport with years left
- What happens
- One passport through lodgement, grant and travel · The visa is re-linked to the new passport on notification
- How
- Lodge with the new passport details · Update through the ImmiAccount or the passport update form, with old and new details
- Travel
- No issue · Do not travel on the new passport until the link is confirmed
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About the CPD →Side by side
| Renew the passport before lodging | Renew the passport after the visa is granted | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | A passport expiring within the processing time, or within a year | A passport with years left |
| What happens | One passport through lodgement, grant and travel | The visa is re-linked to the new passport on notification |
| How | Lodge with the new passport details | Update through the ImmiAccount or the passport update form, with old and new details |
| Travel | No issue | Do not travel on the new passport until the link is confirmed |
| Watch out | Some posts take weeks to issue a passport; lodge before a visa expires regardless, and update later | A visa recorded against a cancelled passport is invisible to the airline and the border |
Charges are the current government application charges (from 1 July 2026, main applicant) — see the fee calculator for your family's total. Checked 30 October 2026.
The honest verdict
A visa can be applied for and granted on a passport that will expire, and the visa then needs to be linked to the new passport, so a passport that expires soon is renewed before lodging where time allows, so that the application, the grant and the travel all sit on one document; a passport with years left is renewed when it expires and the Department is told through the account, with the visa re-linked within days in the ordinary case. The thing to avoid is a passport that expires between lodgement and decision with no notification, which leaves a grant linked to a dead document, or travelling on a new passport before the link is made, which leaves the airline unable to see the visa.
Which side of that line you fall on depends on facts a table cannot hold — your age, score, occupation's lists, and what evidence you can actually assemble. That is consultation territory, not guesswork territory.
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General information only, not migration advice. Settings shown are the general rules; exemptions and stream variations exist. Migration advice is provided by Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536) after a paid consultation under the Migration Agents Code of Conduct.
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Questions we get asked first
Renew the passport before lodging or Renew the passport after the visa is granted — which is better?
A visa can be applied for and granted on a passport that will expire, and the visa then needs to be linked to the new passport, so a passport that expires soon is renewed before lodging where time allows, so that the application, the grant and the travel all sit on one document; a passport with years left is renewed when it expires and the Department is told through the account, with the visa re-linked within days in the ordinary case. The thing to avoid is a passport that expires between lodgement and decision with no notification, which leaves a grant linked to a dead document, or travelling on a new passport before the link is made, which leaves the airline unable to see the visa.
What is the main difference between the Renew the passport before lodging and the Renew the passport after the visa is granted?
Best for: Renew the passport before lodging — A passport expiring within the processing time, or within a year; Renew the passport after the visa is granted — A passport with years left. What happens: Renew the passport before lodging — One passport through lodgement, grant and travel; Renew the passport after the visa is granted — The visa is re-linked to the new passport on notification. How: Renew the passport before lodging — Lodge with the new passport details; Renew the passport after the visa is granted — Update through the ImmiAccount or the passport update form, with old and new details.
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