How UK’s increased passport fees compare with Europe and US
The cost of UK passports will rise 7%.
The cost of a UK passport is set to rise next week just fourteen months after the last hike.
From April 11 you’ll have to pay £88.50 for adults and £57.50 for children if applying online, compared to £82.50 and £53.50 respectively before.
But it’s not just online going up. The cost of a postal application for a standard passport has risen by £7 for adults to £100.
For children, a postal application will now cost £69, up from £64.
Prices are higher if you apply for your passport while abroad.
The last increase was introduced in February 2023 – the first hike in five years – and saw prices jump by 9%.
The latest rise represents a 7% increase.
For adults whose passports expire before December 17 and children whose documents run out by August 14, it’s worth renewing before prices change on Thursday.
HMPO said the new fees ‘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 passport office said the government does not profit from the cost of passport applications.
With two price hikes in fairly quick succession, you might be wondering how the cost of a UK passport compares to other countries.
Well, it’s not the highest in Europe and is cheaper than the US, but still comes fairly high up the table.
Switzerland has the most expensive passports in Europe, with an adult document costing a hefty £122 (SFR140)
They’re followed by Denmark, where adult passports cost £103 (DKR893), the same price as a US passport ($130).
After Denmark comes Italy at £99.50 (€116), and then the UK at £88.50.
Further down the table are countries such as Norway, where passports cost £55 (NKR750) and Lithuania at £43 (€50).
Most countries, including the UK, issue 10-year passports, but some such as Finland and Sweden offer only five-year documents.
Some countries offer discounts for pensioners, those with registered disabilities and war veterans.
Last month, British travellers with ‘remainer passports’ were warned hundreds of people are getting caught out by a little-known 10-year rule.
Before the UK left the EU, UK passport holders could transfer up to nine months from an old passport to a new one, including on 10-year passports.
However, EU nations do not accept passports over 10 years old, which many people don’t realise until it’s too late.
You can read more about the rule here.
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