A British passport is essential for citizens to travel internationally, and successful payment is one of the decisive steps to obtain your passport. Then, how much is a passport? How should you pay for it? These are what we are going to talk about in this passage.
According to the Her Majesty’s Passport Office (HMPO), new passport fees were introduced on Feb. 2, 2023. Let’s see how they cost in different conditions.
How Much Is a British Passport in the UK?
The UK passport fees for first-time application, renewal or replacement are the same. The difference lies in the passport type and where you apply from. In the UK, one could apply online or by post. British nationals born before Sept. 2, 1929, can apply for or renew a British passport for free. The authority will return your supporting documents by normal second-class post for free. If you want secure delivery, pay extra fees, usually £5.
Adult Passport Price
Applicants aged 16 and above are eligible to get an adult passport with a 10-year validity. The new passport price has increased by about 9%.
Currently, a standard passport book has 34 pages, which costs £82.50 to apply online and £93 to apply by mail.
A 50-page booklet would be more favorable if you travel frequently, which cost£93.50 to apply online and £104 to apply by mail.
Child Passport Price
Applicants under 16 years old need to apply for a child passport with a 5-year validity. The new passport price has also risen by about 9%.
Currently, a standard 34-page child passport book costs £53.50 to apply online and £64 to apply by mail.
A 50-page child booklet costs £64.50 to apply online and £75 to apply by mail.
Passport Check and Send Service Price
Some post offices offer a “Check and Send” service which means to check whether your application is complete and compliant, thus reducing the chance of being rejected. When choosing the “Passport Check and Send – digital” service, you need to pay an extra £16.00 on top of the passport application fee. When choosing the “Passport Check and Send – paper” service, you need to pay an extra £16.00 on top of the passport application fee and photo costs. If you are qualified for a free UK passport, the Check and Send service will also be free.
Please note that there will not be a refund even if the application is rejected, unless the HMPO sends you a letter to verify that the Post Office made a mistake.
How Much Is a British Passport Outside UK?
When applying for or renewing UK passports abroad, you can apply online or in person at a local consulate. Overseas passport fees for an adult are £94 and £61 for a child. Moreover, a £19.86 courier fee is required to send the new passport and supporting documents back to you.
How Much is a British Urgent Passport?
It takes 3-10 weeks to receive a new passport, but there are times when you need to get a passport quickly. There are two ways to obtain an urgent passport.
Online Premium
It allows an adult to renew a passport in hours to 2 days, which costs £193.50 for a standard 34-page booklet, and £204.50 for 50 pages.
1 week Fast Track service
It is available when applying for a first child passport, renewing an adult or child passport, changing details on the passport (ie. name or gender), or replacing a lost/stolen/damaged passport. The new passport will arrive within 7 days of your appointment.
An adult passport with 34 pages costs £155 while one with 50 pages costs £166.
A child passport with 34 pages costs £126 while one with 50 pages costs £137.
If you are outside the UK and want to return UK urgently, you are only eligible for an emergency travel document instead of an urgent passport, and it costs £100.
Why UK Passport Fees Rise
It is the first increase in the past 5 years. According to the HM Passport Office, it
has long been funded by general taxation. The introduction of the new fees aims to reduce its dependence on general taxation support. Fees the applicants pay will contribute to passport application processing, lost or stolen passport processing outside the UK, etc.
Moreover, the worldwide epidemic led to a shortage of hands in the past few years, thus leaving lots of delayed applications. The rise in passport prices will encourage the authority to keep improving its services, such as processing time.
Comparison Between Current and Previous Passport Price
| Passport Type | adults passport price(16 years old and over) | child passport price(under 16 years old) | ||
| previous | current | previous | current | |
| 34-page online application | £75.50 | £82.50 | £49.00 | £53.50 |
| 34-page postal applications | £85.00 | £93.00 | £58.50 | £64.00 |
| 50-page online application | £85.50 | £93.50 | £59.00 | £64.50 |
| 50-page postal applications | £95.00 | £104.00 | £68.50 | £75.00 |
| standard online application (overseas) | £86.00 | £94.00 | £56.00 | £61.00 |
| standard paper applications (overseas) | £95.50 | £104.50 | £65.50 | £71.50 |
| 34-page Online Premium service | £177 | £193.50 | / | / |
| 50-page Online Premium service | £187 | £204.50 | / | / |
| 34-page 1 week Fast Track service | £142 | £155 | £122 | £126 |
| 50-page 1 week Fast Track service | £152 | £166 | £132 | £137 |
How to Pay for British Passport
Acceptable payment methods include bank card, cash, cheque or postal order. The way you pay depends on how you apply.
When applying online, you can only pay by debit or credit card.
When applying by post, you can pay by debit/credit card, cheque or postal order payable to “HM Passport Office”.
When applying with the Post Office Passport Check and Send service, you can pay by debit/credit card, cash, or Postal order payable to “Post Office Ltd”. Cheques are not acceptable.
Summary
Now we can see that the UK passport fees have increased by 8.93% – 9.42% compared with the previous price. How much is a UK passport depends on passport type, methods and place of application, including standard pages or extra pages, online or by post, domestically or overseas. Just pick the proper one according to your situation and pay by debit/credit card, cash, cheque or postal order.
Erin Lo