Passports will cost more from February 2023 after Government announced it is to introduce new fees. The change, which will take effect on February 2, will see the cost of an adult passport rise by £7 to £82.50.
The Home Office says that the move will help the department “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 price hike news also included a change to wait times, with customers now told that passports will be delivered within 10 weeks. Last year, the time to wait for a passport was just three weeks, but in the post-Covid holiday rush, the Passport Office had a backlog of half a million applications.
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How much will a passport now cost?
From February 2, the cost of a standard adult passport online will rise from £75.50 to £82.50, while a child’s passport will rise from £49 to £53.50. Fees for postal applications are also set to increase with an adult application rising from £85 to £93 and a child’s going from £58.50 to £64.
How much will a priority application for a passport cost?
The Home Office announced that priority fees will be aligned so that all customers pay the same amount. At the moment, there are two fast-track services.
The online premium service costs £177 and will take at least two days, you must pick up your passport from a passport office. The north east Passport Office is in Durham.
A second service called the one-week fast-track, which requires you to attend an appointment at a Passport Office, currently costs £142 for adults and £122 for children. It is expected that this fee will be raised to £142 for all customers.
How long will I have to wait for my passport?
The Home Office said that since last January, 95% of standard applications were processed within 10 weeks. This is now the official timeline and passengers are advised to leave plenty of time for their new documents to arrive before they travel.
Previously, customers could expect their passports to arrive within three weeks. However, following the pandemic, many customers delayed their applications until international travel was possible again and as a result, a huge backlog of applications built up.
Travel rules reminder
Passengers are also reminded to check the requirements of their destination before travelling. Many countries require holidaymakers’ passports to have been issued less than 10 years before the date they enter the country and at least three months validity left on their passports from the date they leave.
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