An endorsement can be printed directly onto the observation page or on a label that is placed on the observation page of a travel document where information is relevant to the identity of the bearer and/or the purpose of their travel.
The following formats for endorsements are routinely used and are preformatted in the Passport Issuance and Control System (PICS).
Note: An observation must not be in conflict with any details on the bio-data page of the travel document.
Subject |
Approved text for endorsement |
Emergency passports |
Valid for one-way travel to {country} only Valid for travel between {country} and {country} only |
Documents of Identity |
Valid for travel between the Australian mainland and Norfolk Island only Valid for one-way travel to {country} only Valid for travel between {country} and {country} only |
Certificates of Identity and Convention Travel Documents |
The validity of this Document has been extended to …./…./…. |
Concurrent Ordinary passports for official travel to Taiwan |
Not to be revalidated or reissued without reference to {issuing office} |
Diplomatic passports |
Bearer is {title as listed in Diplomatic passports table} |
Diplomatic passports |
Bearer is {position*} {name of mission} |
Diplomatic passports |
Bearer is the {spouse/dependant/member of the household} of the {position*} {name of mission} |
Official passports |
Bearer is {title as listed in Official passports table} |
Official passports |
Bearer is travelling on Government business |
Official passports |
Bearer is {spouse/dependant/member of the household} of the {title as listed in Official passports table or travelling on Government business} |
Awards and decorations |
Bearer holds the award of {full name of award e.g. Order of Australia Medal, Member of the British Empire} |
Limited validity passports issued in London, Washington or Australia |
This is a limited validity passport. If you apply in person before this document expires, and meet all requirements on the application, a replacment passport, extended to the full validity will be issued free. |
The following position* designations are approved for use in diplomatic passports:
- Ambassador
- High Commissioner
- Deputy High Commissioner (where this designation is acceptable to the receiving country)
- Minister
- Minister-Counsellor
- Counsellor
- First Secretary
- Second Secretary
- Third Secretary
- Attache
- Consul-General
- Deputy Consul-General
- Consul
- Vice-Consul
Where required by the local Foreign Ministry the following position designations may be used:
- Counsellor and Consul-General
- First Secretary and Consul
- Second Secretary and Consul
- Third Secretary and Vice-Consul
- Attache and Vice-Consul
- Counsellor (xxxxxx)
- First Secretary (xxxxxx)
- Second Secretary (xxxxxx)
- Third Secretary (xxxxxx)
- Attache (xxxxxx)
- Where (xxxxxx) may be Defence, Immigration, Trade, Commercial, Economic, Education, Customs, Police Liaison, Medical, Administrative or ‘Consular and Administrative’.
Passport staff have no authority to vary the text of an endorsement from the standards listed above.