The price of a UK passport is set to rise again this week in a move the Home Office says will help improve services.
The cost will increase by seven percent on Thursday, April 11, taking the overall price up from £82.50 to £88.50 at midnight.
For those applying for adult passports by post, the fee will rise from £93 to £100.
This follows the nine percent rise that took effect in February 2023, just under 14 months ago.
Before last year’s increase, passport fees had remained unchanged for five years, with a standard adult online application costing £75.50.
Guy Hobbs, travel expert at Which? said: “If you’ve been meaning to renew your passport, today is your last opportunity to beat the price hikes.”
Children’s passport prices are also set to rise, with fees simultaneously varying depending on how a person applies.
Online applications for a child’s passport will rise from £53.50 to £57.50 on Thursday. Meanwhile, the price to apply by post will increase from £64 to £69.
The Home Office says it did not make a profit from the applications. In a statement at the time the price rises were proposed in March, the Government said: “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.”
The online price of a UK passport at £88.50 ranks among the highest in Europe, trailing behind countries such as Switzerland at £122, Denmark at £103, and Italy at £99.50. In comparison, the cost of a US passport is £103.
How to renew a passport
People must renew their passports if it has expired or they do not have enough time left on it.
How much time a person needs on their passport depends on the country they’re travelling to. People can check entry requirements for different countries here.
To renew a passport online, people will need a digital photo of themselves, payment details, and their original passport.
People can renew their passports by a paper application by either going to a Post Office that has a Check and Send service or calling the Passport Adviceline.
People will need their payment details as well as two identical printed photos of themselves.
