2023 Voice Referendum - Saturday 14 October 2023
A referendum to recognise the First Peoples of Australia in the Constitution by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament will be held on Saturday 14 October 2023.
Voting and Eligibility:
If you will be overseas at the time of the referendum and would like to vote, you will be able to do so by post or in person at some locations. Further information about overseas voting arrangements will be provided here and on the AEC website as soon as it is available.
To be eligible to vote, you must be enrolled. To enrol, check or update your enrolment details, visit https://www.aec.gov.au/Enrolling_to_vote/overseas/index.htm.
It is not compulsory to vote if you are not in Australia at the time of the referendum. If you will be overseas at the time and unable to vote, you can advise the AEC by completing on Overseas Notification Form.
Walk-in Voting and Collection of Mail-in Votes:
The Australian Consulate-General, Shanghai (Level 22, CITIC Square, 1168 Nanjing West Road, Jing’An District) will be open for walk-in voting for enrolled voters and the collection of mail-in votes during business hours from Thursday 5 October to Friday 13 October 2023.
On voting day, Saturday 14 October 2023, there will be a polling place at the Australian Consulate-General Compound (9 Wanshan Road, Hongqiao, Changning District) open from 10:00am until 4:00pm.
**There is no need to make an online appointment for voting services.
**Notarial/passport services must have an appointment as per usual practice.
Updates and all the latest information on the referendum:
Visit the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) website, or call the AEC on +61 2 6160 2600 (charges apply). You can also follow the AEC on Facebook and Twitter.
Appointments for passport and notarial services
Passport appointments are available Monday to Friday. Each passport applicant requires a separate appointment. Families will require separate appointments for each adult/child applicant.
Appointment times are normally booked-out up to 4 weeks in advance. Allow a minimum of 6 weeks to receive your new passport. Please keep this in mind when making your travel plans.
Appointments are not required for passport collection or for emergency consular/passport services. Passport can be collected between 0930 -1130 on a business day.
Notarial services appointments are available Tuesday to Thursday afternoons.
Please book your appointment as early as possible.
Information for foreign passport holders on Medibank Private and other recent data breaches.
Information for Overseas Travellers Intending to Travel to Australia
For the latest information from the Department of Home Affairs, please click on the following link:
https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/covid19
For the latest information from States and Territories, including new security measures, please click on the following link:
https://www.australia.gov.au/states
Travellers to Australia need to comply with requirements of the state or territory of their arrival, and any other state or territories that you plan to travel to. This includes quarantine and post-arrival testing requirements. Restrictions may change at short notice. It is your responsibility to ensure that you meet entry, quarantine and post-arrival testing arrangements for each state or territory that you intend to travel to. You may be responsible for the costs of quarantine if you arrive in a state or territory without meeting entry requirements.
Applying for an Australian Passport
Shanghai Consulate specific passport information – including proof of address requirements for applicants/parents.
Passport appointments are available Monday to Friday, please make your booking at acgsh.setmore.com.
It will take more than six weeks from the day you successfully finalise your application until your passport is ready for collection. For more information, please click here.
Notarial Services
You must bring identification containing both your signature and photograph (ie your passport) so we can verify your identity and signature on any documents you sign.
Bring clear instructions from your lawyer detailing exactly which pages must be witnessed by the Consulate.
General notarial services information (including witness of signature, affidavit, certified copies, CNI, authentication).
Shanghai Consulate specific notarial information.
Notarial appointments are available Tuesday to Thursday afternoons and should be booked more than two weeks in advance using acgsh.setmore.com. The applicant needs to present in person to the Australian Consulate General Shanghai.
Alternative Shanghai notarial service providers can be found here.
Australian Visa and Citizenship Applications
Online Visa and Citizenship applications do not require certified copies.
Visa and Citizenship applications submitted in China and on paper can have copies of documents certified by Chinese citizens whose occupation is listed here.
Visa and Citizenship applications submitted outside Australia do not need statutory declarations to be witnessed at an Australian Embassy or Consulate. If your visa/citizenship application requires a witnessed declaration/form, please read the witnessing instructions on the declaration/form. The Department of Home Affairs (HA) can generally accept statements witnessed according to the legal practices of the country in which you make the statement.
All Australian Visa and Citizenship questions must be directed to the Department of Home Affairs. Online enquiries can be submitted here.
The Department of Home Affairs (HA) are trialling a Digital Assistant to answer your visa and citizenship questions. The Digital Assistant will make it easier and faster for you to find what you need on their website. You can access the Digital Assistant from the Digital Assistant tab on the bottom right hand side of the screen on most Immigration and Citizenship pages.
Travel Advice for China
Visit the Australian Government's Smartraveller website for up-to-date travel advice for China.
You can subscribe to one or more countries or to our official bulletins for information including voting, large sporting events, or widespread health or security issues. We encourage you to subscribe to this service as soon as you are thinking about holidaying, working, studying or living overseas.
Consulate Public Holidays
Year 2023
| Monday | 2 January 2023 | In Lieu of New Year's Day |
| Monday | 23 January 2023 | In Lieu of Chinese New Year's Eve |
| Tuesday | 24 January 2023 | Chinese New Year Holiday |
| Wednesday | 25 January 2023 | Chinese New Year Holiday |
| Friday | 7 April 2023 | Good Friday |
| Monday | 10 April 2023 | Easter Monday |
| Monday | 1 May 2023 | Labour Day |
| Thursday | 22 June 2023 | Dragon Boat Festival |
| Monday | 2 October 2023 | In Lieu of Chinese National Day |
| Tuesday | 3 October 2023 | National Day Holiday (Golden Week) |
| Wednesday | 4 October 2023 | National Day Holiday (Golden Week) |
| Monday | 25 December 2023 | Christmas Day |
| Tuesday | 26 December 2023 | Boxing Day |
| Wednesday | 27 December 2023 | APS Additional Day (Holiday) |
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