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The price of a UK passport will rise on Thursday, for the second time in just over 14 months.
The cost of applying online to get a new or renewed adult passport will go up from £82.50 to £88.50 from midnight.
This 7% rise follows a 9% rise in February 2023. Consumer group Which? said travellers due to renew would “likely be shocked” by the hike.
The Home Office said it did not make a profit from passport applications and the fee rise would improve services.
The cost of applying for child’s passport online is also going up from £53.50 to £57.50. If you apply by post the price rises from £64 to £69.
A postal application for an adult passport will rise from £93 to £100.
It costs more if you apply from abroad, or if you require a passport urgently. Passports are free for people born on or before 2 September 1929.
Prior to last year’s rise, passport fees had not gone up for five years and a standard adult online application cost £75.50.
Guy Hobbs, Which? travel expert, said: “The cost of renewing a passport has jumped significantly in the last few years, with this latest price hike following hot on the heels of a hefty 9% rise just last year.”
He added: “While these price rises may well reflect rising production or processing costs, the UK passport is now amongst the priciest in Europe.”
The online cost of an £88.50 UK passport is among the most expensive in Europe. The UK comes in behind countries like Switzerland (£122), Denmark (£103) and Italy (£99.50). The cost of a US passport, meanwhile, is £103.
Martyn James, a consumer rights campaigner, said: “Just because a business or organisation can raise prices doesn’t mean they should. The starting point with any price increase – and this is 16 percentage points over 14 months – should be what are you doing to make the service better.
“Yet the Passport Office has struggled over the same period with meeting its basic obligations, so many users will question what they are getting for their money.”
The Home Office said: “The new fees will help ensure that income from these applications better meets the cost of delivering passport and associated operations, reducing reliance on funding from general taxation.
“The government does not make any profit from the cost of passport applications.”
11 hours ago
27 March