UK PASSPORT HOLDERS will have to pay more for passports from 5 October,
but after all it is for ten years. A standard passport will increase
to ”66 for the normal postal service (up from ”51), ”91 for the fast
track option (previously ”77.50), and ”108 for the premium same day
service (up from ”96.50). The cost of the larger frequent travellers
passport is going up too, but at the last enquiry they were not
available. The Passport Office says the increase in fees (a 15% rise
since last December) has been introduced to cover the costs of the new s
tyle ePassport, which includes an embedded secure chip containing the
holder's personal details and a scan of their photograph Over one
million ePassports have now been issued in the UK, and from the end of
the summer all new passports will contain the biometric chip. This is
in line with US requirements for countries wishing to remain within
the US Visa Waiver Scheme. The Passport Service points out that the
increased charges will also fund enhanced background checks on
applicants and face-to-face interviews for first-time adult passport
applicants, which begin in 2007. In its press release the Passport
Office takes the unusual step of comparing UK costs with other
countries. New Zealand citizens pay the equivalent of ”123 for a
ten-year period, while in Switzerland the charge is a ”219. Australia
charges ”72, Belgium ”96, France ”41 and the USA ”54.
http://www.passport.gov.uk