Flag

An official website of the United States government

Message to U.S. Citizens – Consulate Sydney Relocation
7 MINUTE READ
August 31, 2021

Location: The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), New South Wales (NSW), Queensland (QLD)

Event: Services provided by the U.S. Consulate General in Sydney continue to be disrupted by the ongoing lockdown orders in NSW.  In compliance with current guidelines, the U.S. Consulate General Sydney is providing only emergency services to U.S. citizens at this time.  Routine services, including U.S. passport, Consular Report of Birth Abroad, notary, and visa services, are affected. Additionally, the U.S. Consulate General Sydney is relocating to a new facility shortly which will also affect our ability to provide services.

For all U.S. citizen emergencies (including deaths, arrests, hospitalizations, and destitution of a U.S. citizen in the ACT, NSW or QLD), please contact us directly at SydneyACS@state.gov.

U.S. citizen passport applicants who qualify to renew their passport by mail should click here for instructions.  Processing times may be longer than usual; please be patient and apply early if you have upcoming travel plans.

U.S. passport applicants required to submit their application in person because they are not eligible to renew by mail should apply at either U.S. Consulate General Melbourne or Perth (click here for instructions).  Please note the U.S. Mission to Australia cannot intervene on decisions regarding internal Australian border and travel restrictions made by the Australian state and territorial governments.

Eligible U.S. citizens with recently expired U.S. passports may use those expired U.S. passports to travel directly to the United States until December 31, 2021.  Please click here for more information.

Social Security and federal benefits services are not available at this time.  Individuals in need of services relating to Social Security Administration (SSA) benefits should contact the SSA office in Manila, and individuals intending to apply for a Social Security Number (SSN) must contact U.S. Consulate General in Melbourne or Perth.  U.S. citizens planning to travel to the United States can also receive SSA services during their visit.

Renunciation interviews are not available at this time.  U.S. citizens who are not already on our renunciation appointment waitlist can apply to do so by following the guidance here, or can seek an appointment at U.S. Consulate General Perth or Melbourne.

Notary services are not available at this time.  If you are in need of a notary service, please consider if notarization by an Australian Notary Public and authentication by apostille from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is an acceptable alternative.  Click here for more information about this process.

Applicants seeking U.S. visa assistance should refer to our website information here.

We acknowledge that the ongoing suspension of routine services is disruptive for U.S. citizens and applicants.  We sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding.  As soon as we are able to resume routine services, we will update our website.

Actions to Take:

Assistance: