Hike in passport fees from October
The fee for a new adult 10-year passport is to increase from £51 to £66 from October.
The cost of a child’s passport is to jump from £34 to £45, while fast-track and premium service passports will cost £108.
The new biometric passport contains a chip storing an image of the holder’s face and other personal details.
Biometric technology means individuals can be identified by scans of their unique features, such as the distances between eyes, nose mouth and ears.
The government claims the new e-passport will be the most secure ever produced in the UK.
The increased fee will also pay for enhanced background checks on applicants and future face-to-face interviews for first-time adult passport applicants.
But the Conversative party criticised the price rise and said the fee was simply a means for Labour to raise money for future ID cards.
By Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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