UK Passport Fee

[The Big Gill]

What was the previous fee for a standard 10-year UK passport? (now �51)

[Buenchico]

You're behind the times!

The current fee is now �66. It was previously �51.

See here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5210042.stm
and here:
http://www.passport.gov.uk/general_fees_passpo rt.asp

Prior to 01/12/05 the fee was �42. See here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4445534.stm

Chris

[The Big Gill]

Thanks.

p.s. What a bloody rip-off.

[Trotbot]

That is the economic cost of issuing a passport. The alternative is skiing in Scotland, paddling in Plymouth and barfing in Bridlington. Suddenly 62 quid seems a bargin!

[The Big Gill]

Really? How do you calculate 'economic cost'?

[Buenchico]

If you take a look at the box labelled 'ePassports around the world', in that first link above, you'll see that the UK fee seems to be at the lower end of the scale. (Just be grateful that you're not Swiss!).

Chris

[The Big Gill]

Well, I may be paying for an 'ePassport', but I'm pretty sure I'm getting a paper one.

[jno]

You should now be getting one with a computer chip in it, replicating the information that's already there in print but in a form harder to forge. They stick it on the back of the photo page (at least they did in mine) and plasticate the whole page heavily.

[Gef]

�66 for 10 years - not bad I think.

[KebabMeister]

Think yourself lucky. I've just sent mine off for renewal in Germany and it's �142 (or �96) over here; I have to send it to the consulate of the country I'm residing in. Damn expensive.

[Trotbot]

The Foreign Office now charges commercial prices for all activities. I live in Thailand and now pay 91 pounds in local currency. Effectively, all services are now charged at an economic rate - KebabMeister and I pay more because fo the extra work of notifying the details to the UK and maintaining staff abroad to handle the applications.

It is the same with registering a birth, I am not sure what the UK price is now, but it just cost me over 100 pounds.

The biggest change is in consular services. It used to be that the FO would help people in trouble effectively for free, but they have decided that subsidising such work is not fair to the taxpayer, mainly because the people receiving the services either don't pay UK tax as they are working abroad or that in many cases it was their own stupidity that got them into trouble. There are of course some genuine cases of tax payers in trouble through no fault of their own.

[KebabMeister]

Trotbot, hehe, my renewal would have been �5 more expensive but because I have a BFPO address they waiver the postage/admin costs. Okay, it's not much but it helps :)