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The price of passports in the UK has gone up from at present (11 April), the second soar in price in 14 months – leaving many questioning the steep enhance in charges.
A brand new or renewed grownup passport when utilized for on-line has risen 7 per cent, from £82.50 to £88.50. This follows a 9 per cent prise rise in February 2023.
The price of making use of on-line for a kid’s passport on-line has additionally gone up, from £53.50 to £57.50.
A postal software for an grownup passport is now £100 (up from £93), with a rise to £69 from £64 for a kid.
Costs are even increased should you apply from abroad or require a passport urgently. However, the journey paperwork are free for folks born on or earlier than 2 September 1929.
The UK passport is amongst the costliest in Europe, with solely Italy, Denmark and Switzerland charging extra.
In comparability, a Spanish passport software prices £25, whereas in Germany it’s £60.
Prior to final yr’s rise, the price to use for a passport had remained the similar for 5 years, with a normal grownup on-line software costing £75.50.
Martyn James, a shopper rights campaigner, advised BBC News that “just because a business or organisation can raise prices doesn’t mean they should”, including that “many users will question what they are getting for their money”.
The authorities says that it doesn’t make a revenue from passport functions, insisting that “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 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. The increase will also help enable the government to continue improving its services.”
According to the personal web site PassportWaitingTime.co.uk, commonplace on-line renewals are at present taking 9 days from software.
HM Passport Office says: “You’ll usually get your passport within three weeks. It may take longer than three weeks if we need more information, or we need to interview you. We’ll tell you this within three weeks. There are different turnaround times if you’re applying from another country.”
When the world’s costliest passports had been revealed final yr, the UK in 12th place.
Australia topped the checklist of nations charging the most, with an grownup passport costing residents £192.
On a separate subject, travellers heading to EU nations (and the wider Schengen space) are being warned to pay attention to the post-Brexit guidelines that require British passports to have been issued with the earlier 10 years – even when they’re nonetheless legitimate.
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