UK travellers have been given just three weeks’ warning of another increase in the cost of passports.
On 10 April the fee for a standard online application made from within the UK will rise from £88.50 to £94.50 for adults and £57.50 to £61.50 for children.
The rise is a uniform 7 per cent – more than twice the current rate of inflation.
Postal applications will increase from £100 to £107 for adults and from £69 to £74 for children
The fee for a “Premium Service” (one-day) application made from within in the UK will rise from £207.50 to £222 for adults.
The government says: “The new fees will help the Home Office to continue to move towards a system that meets its costs through those who use it, reducing reliance on funding from general taxation.
“The government does not make any profit from the cost of passport applications.
“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.”
It takes the cumulative rise in barely two years to 25 per cent. There was a 9 per cent increase in February 2023, and a further 7 per cent rise in April 2024.
Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of the Advantage Travel Partnership, said: “It's another financial hit for travellers and comes at a time when ongoing cost of living pressures continue to take their toll. It feels like travellers are continually penalised whenever they choose to travel overseas.”
The Home Office says that all but three in every 1,000 straightforward applications are processed in three weeks or less.
