How will the proposed UK passport cost increase affect families?
I think we all need a good holiday. With dreary January gone and a few more miserable months of cold and rain to go, now is the perfect time to think about renewing those passports and booking those flights.
But could the price of UK passport renewals be leaving an even larger dent in your wallet?
Passport prices for adults and children could skyrocket by up to 20% under new proposals put forward by the Home Office, if they are approved by parliament.
Passports plans
The price hikes form part of a plan by the Home Office. It wants to inject an extra £100 million to strengthen border security and infrastructure in 2019.
The idea is to shift the cost away from taxpayers, millions of whom do not hold passports, and on to those who need them. The price increase is to set to pay for the costs associated with issuing British passports. And also the availability of consular support for Brits abroad who may find themselves in a spot of trouble.
Immigration Minister Caroline Nokes said that, “These proposals will ensure that those people who don’t travel abroad are not footing the bill for those who do.”
What’s the difference?
Under the current law, the cost of passports for children sits at £49. It is set to rise by almost 20% to £58.50. The rise in costs will sting adults, too. The cost of their passports will increase to a maximum of £75.50 if the proposals go ahead.
For an average family of two parents and two children, a set of new passports will cost a staggering £268 if bought online.
Postal applications for adults could rise to an even higher amount – £85.
When would this happen?
If parliament approve the proposals, the new charges will come into effect on 27th March of this year. This gives us just over a month to take advantage of the lower prices.
You can read more about the proposals here.
