Cost of UK passports to rise for second time in 14 months

[CharlieH]

 

From Thursday, the price of applying online for a new or renewed adult passport will increase from £82.50 to £88.50 - a 7% rise. It comes after a 9% rise in February last year

 

It comes after a 9% rise in February last year.

Before that increase, passport prices had not increased for five years - an online application for an adult cost £75.50.

The cost of applying for a child's passport online is also going up, from £53.50 to £57.50.

Those applying by post will see the biggest hike, with the price rising from £93 to £100 for an adult passport and from £64 to £69 for a child.

Online and paper applications made from overseas are even more expensive.

In a statement when the price rises were proposed in March, the Home Office said the government does not make any profit from the cost of passport applications.

 

Source

[OJAS]

On 4/11/2024 at 7:48 AM, CharlieH said:

Online and paper applications made from overseas are even more expensive.

 

Of particular interest to those of us renewing from Thailand is that the cost of a standard paper application when applying from overseas will increase to £112.50 for adults and £77.00 for children. Added to which are, of course, the costs of the 2 enforced route marches to VFS offices in Bangkok or Chiang Mai.

 

Yet a standard online application when applying from overseas will only rise to £101.00 for adults and £65.50 for children! All the more totally inexcusable for those incompetent clowns in HMPO to steadfastly refuse to make this faciity available to those of us renewing from Thailand for some ridiculous reason or other. I think!!🤬

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/update-on-passport-application-fees

 

Edited April 14 by OJAS

[Kinnock]

The only service that most of us would value from 'our' embassy in Thailand is passport renewal .... and they don't do it.

 

[billd766]

3 hours ago, OJAS said:

 

Of particular interest to those of us renewing from Thailand is that the cost of a standard paper application when applying from overseas will increase to £112.50 for adults and £77.00 for children. Added to which are, of course, the costs of the 2 enforced route marches to VFS offices in Bangkok or Chiang Mai.

 

Yet a standard online application when applying from overseas will only rise to £101.00 for adults and £65.50 for children! All the more totally inexcusable for those incompetent clowns in HMPO to steadfastly refuse to make this faciity available to those of us renewing from Thailand for some ridiculous reason or other. I think!!🤬

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/update-on-passport-application-fees

 

I renewed my UK passport last month using Thai Visa express. 

 

I live about 350km from Bangkok.

 

I paid 11,000 baht to the agency (that included the passport fee in the UK as well) and I sent everything they required by EMS which cost me 42 thb. My new passport was returned in 19 days.

 

My total travel distance was 12 km. I did not need to go to Bangkok at all, let alone twice, a distance of 1,400 to 1,500 km, nor did I need to spend 2 nights in a hotel.

 

IMHO unless you actually live in Bangkok or Chiang Mai, why would go to the trouble, hassle and expense of doing it the hard way.

 

My friend did it all himself from Pattaya. He was missing his residence certificate the .

and was rejected for that. The second try was accepted but then there was a problem with his card and his daughter had to pay for him. He made a total of 3 trips to get it done in the end.

 

Mine took the same prep work, 20 minutes travel time, 10 minutes at the post office plus 42 thb for the EMS.

[OJAS]

11 hours ago, billd766 said:

IMHO unless you actually live in Bangkok or Chiang Mai, why would go to the trouble, hassle and expense of doing it the hard way.

 

It should not be forgotten, though, that agents' fees (typically in the order of 5,000 THB) represent a significant additional cost in themselves - which is the point I was making.

 

Edited April 15 by OJAS

[OJAS]

14 hours ago, Kinnock said:

The only service that most of us would value from 'our' embassy in Thailand is passport renewal .... and they don't do it.

 

Indeed, contrast the ease and grace with which our American cousins, for example, are faced with at passport renewal time, when compared to the cumbersome nonsense which HMPO have, in their infinite wisdom, inflicted on us Brits:

 

https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/passports/adult-passport-renew/

 

[billd766]

59 minutes ago, OJAS said:

 

It should not be forgotten, though, that agents' fees (typically in the order of 5,000 THB) represent a significant additional cost in themselves - which is the point I was making.

 

Very true, taken on its own.

 

However if you compare your cost by doing it yourself in time, hotel and fuel costs, that 5,000 odd baht comes in at a lot less, and a lot less hassle. The agent earned his fee, and don't forget somebody from his staff had to deliver and collect the passport on my behalf, plus pay the passport fees in the UK.

[billd766]

48 minutes ago, OJAS said:

 

Indeed, contrast the ease and grace with which our American cousins, for example, are faced with at passport renewal time, when compared to the cumbersome nonsense which HMPO have, in their infinite wisdom, inflicted on us Brits:

 

https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/passports/adult-passport-renew/

 

It is cumbersome now. The last time I did it was through Hong Kong and that was easy until HMPO refused to accept my Thai KBank debit card and I had to scrabble around on the phone to the UK and find a friend to pay it for me, Then call HMPO back and speak to the same person who OK'ed it. Then I had the hassle of transferring the money back to my friend.

[OJAS]

On 4/15/2024 at 9:59 AM, OJAS said:

 

Indeed, contrast the ease and grace with which our American cousins, for example, are faced with at passport renewal time, when compared to the cumbersome nonsense which HMPO have, in their infinite wisdom, inflicted on us Brits:

 

https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/passports/adult-passport-renew/

 

 

And when it comes to our Irish cousins, it would appear that the only way in which they can renew their passports from Thailand is by doing do online!

 

https://www.ireland.ie/en/thailand/bangkok/passports/how-to-apply-for-a-passports/