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Friday 9 March 2018

Child Passports Fees Confirmed For Huge Rise Before Easter

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Fees for passport applications are set for a huge rise before Easter, with the cost of a child’s one hiking up by 27 per cent.

Currently, for children under the age of 16, the cost of an application is £46, but this will soon increase to £58.50.

For adults, the cost will be increasing from £72.50 to £85, with the price only applying to postal applications.

The new fees are due to come into force on March 27, which means you still have time to beat the price increase if you’re quick.


The rise in cost for an online application is also much less dramatic, with adults costing £75.50 and £49 for children under 16.

It certainly sounds a lot better than paying a shocking £85 or £58.50 for a passport!

The proposal was passed today, (March 7), in the House of Commons with a vote of 317 to 258.
Labour attempted to block the increase in price, warning this could be another burden on struggling families.
In a statement on their website, Diane Abbott MP, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, said:
Labour is urging MPs to put party divisions to one side on Wednesday and do the right thing by voting against this unfair rise in the cost of getting a new passport.
This whopping increase will hit families badly and could see some families being forced to cancel their summer holiday plans as the costs become too high.
She also emphasised if a family of four all had to apply for passports in order to go on holiday, if they did so by post, it would cost a whopping £287.
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If you want to use a ‘fast-track’ application, which means it’ll only take a week for you to get your passport compared to the usual three to renew or six for a new one, it’ll cost £142 for adults and £122 for children under 16.
There’ll also be a top-level ‘premium’ collect service; introduced which means you can get your passport on the same day if you’re happy to pay £177 for an adult or £151 for a child.
After your appointment – provided you completed a form correctly and brought with you two photos and all the right supporting documents – it will take an estimated four hours to receive your passport.
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It’s expected the HM Passport Office will receive an additional income of up to £50 million in the 2018-19 financial year thanks to this price hike.
The office processes an estimated six million passport applications each year.
The price increase is completely unrelated to the announcement made at the end of last year which stated the UK passport will change colour from burgundy to blue after Britain leaves the European Union.
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The British government have said the next design will also come with updated features and technology, making it one of the most secure forms of documented identification on the international stage.
The UK will officially leave the EU in March 2019, however, burgundy passports will still be valid and issued until the following October.
Furthermore, the Home Office has assured British passports holders their current passports are still valid up until their current renewal date.

Diane Abbott on GMB

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