UK passport application fees are likely to rise again in April.
The cost of renewing a UK passport increased in February 2023 for the first time in five years. Just over a year later, the charge will rise again by £6 (€7).
Better news: wait times are no longer at an all-time high. British tourists are advised to allow three weeks for passport renewal, compared to ten weeks a year earlier.
The government aims to lessen reliance on taxpayer funding by implementing additional levies to improve service quality.In addition to contributing to the cost of processing applications, the fees are intended to assist consular services abroad, such as replacing lost or stolen passports and processing British people at UK borders.
On April 11, the charge for a normal online passport application from within the UK will increase from £82.50 (€93) to £88.50 (€103) for adults and from £53.50 (€60) to £57.50 (€67) for youngsters.
This is an increase from £75.50 (€85) and £49 (€55) prior to February 2023.
Postal applications have risen from £93 (€105) to £100 (€117) for adults and £64 (€72) to £69 (€80) for youngsters.
Increased fees apply to both new passport applications and renewals.
During the application process, you can pick between a regular-sized passport of 34 pages and a jumbo passport of 54 pages, which is beneficial if you travel frequently, especially now that journeys to Europe require a passport stamp.
The administration has not acknowledged the pricing increase for the 54-page edition.
The government aims to lessen reliance on taxpayer funding by implementing additional levies to improve service quality.In addition to contributing to the cost of processing applications, the fees are intended to assist consular services abroad, such as replacing lost or stolen passports and processing British people at UK borders.
On April 11, the charge for a normal online passport application from within the UK will increase from £82.50 (€93) to £88.50 (€103) for adults and from £53.50 (€60) to £57.50 (€67) for youngsters.
This is an increase from £75.50 (€85) and £49 (€55) prior to February 2023.
Postal applications have risen from £93 (€105) to £100 (€117) for adults and £64 (€72) to £69 (€80) for youngsters.
Increased fees apply to both new passport applications and renewals.
During the application process, you can pick between a regular-sized passport of 34 pages and a jumbo passport of 54 pages, which is beneficial if you travel frequently, especially now that journeys to Europe require a passport stamp.
The administration has not acknowledged the pricing increase for the 54-page edition.
In France, an adult passport application from within the nation costs €86. However, if you need to replace your passport because it no longer has blank pages or your address or name has changed, you can do it for free.
Italy’s adult passport fee is €73.50. In 2014, an additional €40.29 yearly stamp fee was withdrawn. It now only needs to be paid once each application, bringing the total to €116.
Spanish passports have a lower renewal charge of €30.
Adult passports in several nations, including the UK, are valid for ten years (five years for people under 30 in Spain).
Since Brexit, UK citizens should be aware of their passport expiration dates.
Previously, Brits could travel within the EU up to and including the expiry date of their passport. According to EU legislation, UK people are considered ‘third country nationals,’ which means their passport must be valid for at least three months after leaving the country they are visiting.
During the COVID-19 epidemic, passport renewals took up to 10 weeks. This was due to the enormous influence that constraints had on processing times.
Long wait times continued into 2023, but they have now been decreased to roughly three weeks.
To renew your passport before a summer holiday in July, submit your application by the beginning of June. Extra time may be required if the government requests further information, interviews you, or you are applying from another nation.
In the UK, this can be done online (cheaper option) or by post with a paper form.
If you require a faster service, you can pay an additional fee for an urgent passport renewal application from within the UK.
The UK government website offers the Online Premium option, which takes one day and requires an in-person appointment at your nearest passport office to receive your new passport.
The earliest you can get an appointment is two days after applying, and the service now costs £193.50 (€226).
You can get your renewed passport sent to your home one week after your visit using the Fast Track option. It presently costs £155 (€181) for adults and £126 (€147) for youngsters.
It is unclear whether priority service rates will increase in April.