The cost of a new or renewed British passport is set to jump 7% on April 10, marking the latest in a series of increases that has seen the cost of getting a travel document shoot up 25% over the past two years.
The price will rise from £88.50 to £94.50 for adults and £57.50 to £61.50 for children in the latest increase, and “Premium Service” (one-day) applications will go from £207.50 to £222. The increases are 7%, or a bit more than twice the current rate of inflation.
A government spokesperson told press that “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.”
On that basis of placing the whole cost on applicants, there was a 9% increase in early 2023, followed by 7% a year ago and now a further 7%.
