From Thursday 2 February 2023, British passport fees will rise, meaning everyone will have to pay more to renew or get their first passport.
The fee for adults applying for a new passport online will be £82.50 from 2 February, up from the current cost of £75.50. The fee for children will be £64, up from £58.50.
The increase in price will fund improvements in the government’s system of processing passports, speeding up the procedures undertaken when someone applies for a new passport, as well as when British passport holders lose or have their documents stolen while abroad, the Home Office said.
The statement released on Thursday 12 January 2023 added, “The Government does not make any profit from the cost of passport applications.”
It will still be cheaper to apply for a new passport online compared to sending in a postal application. On 2 February 2023, postal applications will go up from £85 to £93 for adults.
The cost of applying for a new passport has not risen for five years, the Home Office said. The cost of a British passport is still far less than the fees that many countries charge – a first-time US passport, for example, costs $165 (about £135).
At the time of writing (Friday 13 January 2023), the government advises allowing 10 weeks to receive your new passport after applying. If you need a passport urgently, you can pay to have your application fast-tracked.
A British passport is one of the most powerful in the world, coming in at number 6 on the 2023 rankings of the world’s most powerful passports.
