The cost of a new or renewed UK passport is going up again for the second time in 14 months – rising by 7% to £88.50 for an adult online application from Thursday.
Thursday’s rise follows a 9% price hike to £82.50 in February last year. Before that increase, passport fees had not changed for five years and a standard adult online application cost £75.50, or £13 cheaper than this week’s new price.
Children’s passports will also cost more from Thursday, going up from £53.50 to £57.50 for an online application.
For those applying for the travel documents via a paper form sent in by post, there is an even greater increase, from £93 to £100 for an adult passport and £64 to £69 for a child. Passports are free for people born on or before 2 September 1929.
Which? said the increases may come as a shock to people due to renew these documents. Guy Hobbs, a travel expert at the group, told consumers on Wednesday that if they needed to renew their passport “today is your last opportunity to beat the price hikes”.
Hobbs said: “While these latest price rises may well reflect rising production or processing costs, the UK passport is now amongst the priciest in Europe – and travellers due to renew will likely be shocked by how much these little blue books now cost.
“Travellers should also be aware that from mid-2025 they will need to pay for an Etias [The European Travel Information and Authorisation System] to enter Europe.”
Etias, which is modelled on the US Esta scheme, means non-EU travellers will have to fill in a form and pay €7 (£6) before entering Europe’s passport-free zone. The fee will apply to everyone aged between 18 and 70 and is valid for multiple visits over three years. In most cases, approval is expected to be granted within minutes.
Delays caused by the pandemic meant that 360,000 customers had to wait more than 10 weeks to get their passports in the first nine months of 2022, according to the National Audit Office.
Passengers travelling to Europe are also being warned to watch out for changes that mean their passport could also be invalid even when it appears to be in date. Before Brexit, UK passport holders could travel in and out of the EU if they held a valid passport, even one that expired the day after their return.
However, now UK passport holders travelling to any EU country (except Ireland), plus the others in the Schengen area, could be denied boarding if their passport expires less than three months after their return date.
Post-Brexit rules also mean that EU countries no longer accept passports issued more than 10 years ago.
UK passports issued before September 2018 can have up to nine months added to the 10 years when they are renewed. This means some British travellers have been told they cannot enter the EU even though their passport has more than three months before the printed expiry date, because the document was issued more than 10 years ago.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The British passport is an invaluable document that allows millions of citizens to travel around the world.
“We are increasing the cost of applying for a passport to enable us to keep investing in our efficient and secure passport services and keep improving the quality of service British travellers expect.”
• This article was amended on 24 April 2024 to clarify the concern around travel documents for British travellers entering the EU – which must have been issued within the previous 10 years on the date of return from the EU and not have an expiry date more than three months beyond this 10-year period.
