Brits renewing passports have just days left to avoid £102 fee | Personal Finance | Finance

Brits applying for a passport or renewing them have just days left to avoid getting hit by a £102 fee. Many households will be looking forward to a sunny getaway in the coming months, but as anyone with responsibility for organising them knows – having a valid passport is a non-negotiable.

Rules brought in after the UK left the European Union mean British nationals travelling to the EU have to ensure that passports are issued less than 10 years before they enter a nation in the bloc. The travel document must also be valid for three months after the planned departure date from that country.

Renewing your passport doesn’t come cheap, and prices are about to increase.

From Wednesday, April 8, the fee for a standard online application made from within the UK will jump from £94.50 to £102 for adults, an increase of £7.50. It marks the first time the fee has exceeded £100, and applies for both new passports and passport renewals.

The price of new passports and renewals is also going up for children’s passports (£61.50 to £66.50).

Other price increases from Wednesday include:

• postal applications
  • will be upped from £107 to £115.50 for adults and £74 to £80 for children
• premium service (1 day) application made from within the UK
  • rising from £222 to £239.50
• standard online application when applying from overseas for a UK passport
  • increasing from £108 to £116.50 for adults and £70 to £75.50 for children
• overseas standard paper applications
  • increasing from £120.50 to £130 for adults and £82.50 to £89 for children

The Government says the hike in fees will “help the Home Office to continue to move towards a system that meets its costs through those who use it, reducing reliance on funding from general taxation”.

They will take effect on Wednesday, meaning Tuesday is the last day you can make a saving by applying at the lower rate.

If you’re using the Online Premium (same day) service, you can save as much as £17.50.

Customers are advised to apply in good time before travelling to avoid disappointment as applications are expected to surge in the coming hours.