There is just one week left to renew your passport before prices go up by 9%. From next Thursday (February 2) the cost of replacing an expired passport online is set to increase by £7 to £82.50.
The price of replacing a child's passport is also on the rise. The price will increase by £4.50, from the current £49 to £53.50.
It will also cost more to apply for your new passport through a paper form collected from Post Offices. The price for this will rise by almost £10, from £85 to £93, the Mirror reports.
The Government says this is the first time in 5 years that the cost of applying for a passport has increased. It said the proposals - published earlier this month - are subject to Parliamentary scrutiny.
It said: "The new fees will help the Home Office 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 will also 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 cost of applying from overseas is also set to rise. The new fees will also apply for new passport applicants.
Passport charge increases in full
- The fee for a standard online application made from within the UK will rise from £75.50 to £82.50 for adults and £49 to £53.50 for children
- Postal applications will increase from £85 to £93 for adults and £58.50 to £64 for children
- Priority service fees are being aligned so all customers will pay the same
- The fee for a standard online application when applying from overseas for a UK passport will rise from £86.00 to £94.00 for adults and £56 to £61.00 for children
- Overseas standard paper applications will increase from £95.50 to £104.50 for adults and £65.50 to £71.50 for children
The Passport Office has not changed its advice on processing times in response to the change in prices.
The turnaround time to renew the old burgundy EU passport used to be just two to three weeks in 2019. Now, however, you need to allow up to 10 weeks for the turnaround according to an investigation published by the National Audit Office (NAO) in December last year.
The 10-week period is the current target for the Passport office, so you should be aware that it could also take longer so if your passport is expiring in the next three months, the earlier you apply the better.
The Government said that since January last year, 95% of standard applications have been processed within 10 weeks. It is continuing to advise people to apply in good time before travelling.
