Precious Vinnie was born through an altruistic gestational surrogacy arrangement in Queensland. His arrival marked the joyful culmination of a long and meaningful journey shared between our family and our incredible surrogate, Sally.
My husband and I, alongside our everyday roles—also run a not-for-profit Kyokushin Karate association on the Gold Coast. While the heart of our dojo lies in martial arts, it has grown into something far greater. We are proud to foster a community space focused on empowerment, discipline, and inclusion. Through our organisation, we provide self-defence training to women and seniors, deliver anti-bullying programs, and ensure underprivileged children have opportunities to thrive through martial arts.
Sally’s children are part of our dojo family, and our bond deepened as we embarked on the surrogacy journey together.
A Baby on Board to Japan
Shortly after receiving our positive pregnancy test, our international Karate organisation announced an upcoming event in Japan—scheduled just four months after Vinnie’s due date. Excitement buzzed through our community as members began booking flights and accommodation. Sally and her eldest daughter were among them. We were thrilled at the idea that baby Vinnie would be joining us on this international adventure—his ticket was booked before he was even born!
Vinnie arrived three days after Christmas. Sally and I shared a hospital room for five unforgettable days, a rare and special opportunity to support each other during this incredible transition. Once home, we turned our attention to official matters—birth certificates, Medicare cards, and most pressingly, Vinnie’s passport.
The Passport Hurdle
With our travel date set for April 5, we submitted Vinnie’s passport application in late January 2023. Alongside the application, we included his birth certificate, our surrogacy agreement, a parenting plan, and a statutory declaration from Sally confirming she would be travelling with us.
However, in Queensland, post-birth counselling is a mandatory step before applying for a parentage order. At the time of our passport submission, our counselling had not yet been completed, and we had not filed our parentage application. We understood this might delay things but hoped our early submission would help.
Because our case involved surrogacy, we were unable to apply for an expedited passport or pay for urgent processing. The application was sent off through Australia Post, and we waited.
The Mysterious “Special Team”
By late March—eight weeks later—we had received no updates. I called the Passport Office and was told the application had been sent to a “special team” that could not be contacted by phone or email. Sally and I followed up repeatedly, only to receive the same answer: the team existed, but communication was impossible.
We began joking about the mystery team being akin to the CIA or MI6—who, in this day and age, doesn’t have a phone or email?
With just one week left before departure, we still had no passport. Desperate, we drove to the Brisbane Passport Office (an hour away), armed with updated paperwork and another statutory declaration from Sally. We asked again for an update.
The answer? Still with the secret team.
Could we file a new application? No—there was already one in the system.
Could we expedite the existing application? Also no.
Could anyone call the team? Still no.
We were told, once again, to wait. The security guard began inching toward us as though we were causing trouble—but we weren’t. We were simply parents trying to bring our baby on a family trip.
A Twist of Fate
Disheartened, we drove home. I began looking into how to cancel or credit my plane ticket. Then, just as we pulled into the driveway, the phone rang.
Miraculously, the “special team” had a phone number after all—and, within 15 minutes, an email address too! Vinnie’s passport would be ready for collection the very next day.
For anyone facing a similar situation, here’s the contact information that saved the day:
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Complex cases)
Ph: +61 7 3234 7645
Email: complexcases.returns@dfat.gov.au
Australian Passport Office Call Centre: 131 232
All’s Well That Ends in Japan
We collected Vinnie’s passport just in time and flew to Japan as planned. The trip was everything we hoped it would be. Vinnie experienced the beauty and wonder of Japan’s culture, surrounded by the loving arms of his extended Karate family.
In true Vinnie style, he made his presence known. On our flight home, a delay arose due to a miscount—an “extra” passenger. After multiple recounts, the crew realised it was Vinnie, peacefully asleep on his father’s lap, who had been missed. Although his boarding pass had been scanned, he hadn’t been manually counted. Quiet and unassuming, Vinnie still managed to hold up an entire plane—just his way of reminding the world that he had arrived.
