Almost 700,000 people made the same mistake last year when it came to getting a new passport.
With millions of us expected to apply for a passport in the next few weeks, Money Saving Expert has issued some guidance as to how you can keep the costs down. MSE said that while three million Brits applied for a passport online last year, more than half a million paid £9.50 more (per passport) by applying via post.
A Freedom of Information request showed 674,454 passport applications were made by post between December 1, 2020, and December, 1, 2021. MSE reporter Peter Lekarski said the cheapest way to get a passport - whether it's a first one or you're getting an old one renewed - is via the Gov.uk website.
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Adult passports cost £75.50 when applying online, while one for a child is £49. You'll see both these prices rise by £9.50 when applying by post.
You can also save more money by taking your passport photo yourself. Each new passport requires a new photograph, even if your appearance hasn't changed.
Historically, people would visit a photo booth to pay for these photos. Now, however, you can take these yourself and upload them when applying online.
There is currently a wait of up to 10 weeks for a new passport, according to the Passport Office. A tweet it sent on April 4 said: "Is your passport due to expire? You'll need to allow up to 10 weeks to process your passport application when applying from the UK."
Prior to the covid pandemic, people were advised of waits of around three weeks. The Home Office has said more than five million people delayed applying for a British passport throughout 2020 and 2021.
A spokesperson for Her Majesty's Passport Office told the ECHO: “Due to Covid-19, over 5 million people delayed applying for a British passport throughout 2020 and 2021. In preparation for the demand for international travel returning, since April 2021 we have published clear guidance that our customers should allow up to ten weeks to get their passport.
“In busier periods, call waiting times will take longer. However, we continue to work with our supplier to further recruit and support the effort to return response times closer to normal levels.”
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