UK Passport price rise goes into effect

Well, it’s the 11 April 2024 – and the price rises for UK Passports have now gone into effect.

How much are UK Passports now?

There are three variables you’ll need to consider for passport cost – how you apply (by paper or online), if it’s an adult or child passport and if it’s a regular 34-page or 54-page jumbo passport).

This is for the regular service, which at the time of writing takes around 3 weeks to process. At peak times, this does get backlogged quickly and has been as long as 10 weeks in the past.

Service	Apply online	Apply by paper form
Adult (16 and over) standard 34-page passport	£88.50	£100
Adult (16 and over) 54-page frequent traveller passport	£100.50	£112
Child (under 16) standard 34-page passport	£57.50	£69
Child (under 16) 54-page frequent traveller passport	£69.50	£81
Passport for people born on or before 2 September 1929	Free	Free

Need your passport faster? Prepare to pay more…

The passport office offers two faster services if you need a passport in a hurry, or there are circumstances that mean you can’t receive your passport at home

One-week Fast Track

The One-Week Fast Track service allows you to apply for an appointment the day after you apply. If it is successful, he new passport will be couriered to you one week after the appointment. You can use this service to:

• renew a passport
• change personal details on your passport (for example your name, place of birth or gender)
• replace a lost, stolen or damaged passport
• get a child passport

The new costs are:

• £166.50 for an adult passport (or £178.50 for a 54-page frequent traveller passport)
• £135.50 for a child passport (or £147.50 for a 54-page frequent traveller passport)

One-day Premium

You will need to apply online for this service. Upon application, the earliest you can get an appointment is 2 days after you apply. You will get your new passport at your appointment.

This service is used for Adult Passport renewals only.

It now costs £207.50 (or £219.50 for a 54-page frequent traveller passport).

Where can I apply for a passport

Online:

By paper:

For postal applications, you can get the form at your local post office and use the check-and-send service they offer too (at additional cost).

Why have the prices increased?

According to the UK Passport Agency,  the new fees will used to meet the costs of delivering passport and associated operations,  whilst reducing reliance on funding from general taxation.

The fees contribute to the cost of processing passport applications, consular support overseas, including for lost or stolen passports, and the cost of processing British citizens at UK borders. The increase will also help enable the government to continue improving its services.

The government and passport office is at pains to say they do not make any profit from the cost of passport applications.

Watch the renewal date, as well as dates you can enter countries

One of the reasons passports have been in the news cycle is that passports issued before 2019 may have extra months tacked onto them to extend the expiry (for example, my passport was renewed in September 2017, with a February 2028 expiry date*.  For some travellers – especially those attempting to enter the European Union, they’ve been denied entry – whilst their passport is valid,

Your passport must meet the following rules to enter the European Union:

• It must be valid for at least three months after the date you intend to leave the EU country you are visiting,
• It must have been issued within the previous 10 years.

This means you should check the date of issue of your passport as well as the expiry date. While it may appear in date, if it wasn’t issued within the past 10 years you could be refused travel and denied entry at the EU Border.

As always, check the entry criteria with your country. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has help with their travel advice service at https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

 

*  – Nope. Not even close to my real expiry date. Good luck in thinking I would dox myself..

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