Passport fees set to rise by more than 7%

Passport fees are set to rise by more than 7% next month, the Home Office has announced.

The cost of online applications made within the UK for people aged 16 and above will increase from £82.50 to £88.50 under the proposals.

Passports for children under 16 will cost £57.50, up from £53.50 currently.

There are similar rises in fees for postal applications and those made from overseas.

Approval

The changes, which are subject to parliamentary approval, are due to come into force from April 11.

Passport fees rose by around 9% in February last year.

The Home Office said in a statement: “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 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.

“The increase will also help enable the Government to continue improving its services.”