How To Save On The New Us $82 Fee For Additional Passport Pages

[danfred]

Given the new US passport fee increases... if you need to add additional pages to your passport more than once it's cheaper to just get a new passport!

I just got my replacement passport in April and it came with 42 usable pages (pages 8-49). This replacement passport with 42 usable pages will now cost you $110. The replacement passport came with 42 usable pages without my asking.

Additional page inserts each come with 22 usable pages (pages C-X) and will now cost you $82.

Why pay $164 for 2 additional page inserts (44 additional usable pages) when you can get an entirely new passport with 42 usable pages for $110?

Not only would you save money getting a new passport... you'd also save the additional trip to the embassy for the 2nd page insert.

Am I missing something here?

Does anyone know why the additional page inserts come at such a high premium? Each additional usable page costs $3.73... while the usable pages in a new passport cost $2.62 each. Not to mention that additional page inserts require far less processing time (onsite and often within minutes) and considerably less administration cost than new passports.

Dan

[BKK03]

GREED!

Excessive desire to acquire or possess more (especially more material wealth) than one needs or deserves.

Reprehensible acquisitiveness; insatiable desire for wealth (personified as one of the deadly sins).

[reefsurfah]

GREED!

Excessive desire to acquire or possess more (especially more material wealth) than one needs or deserves.

Reprehensible acquisitiveness; insatiable desire for wealth (personified as one of the deadly sins).

It used to be free to add visa pages. Luckily, I did all of this while travelling a lot. Definitely would just go with the new passport each time it fills up. The US gov't is trying to find ways to pay for the massive deficit is my guess..

[danfred]

It used to be free to add visa pages. Luckily, I did all of this while travelling a lot. Definitely would just go with the new passport each time it fills up. The US gov't is trying to find ways to pay for the massive deficit is my guess..

Thanks for the agreement that a new passport is the way to go (when you need to add additional pages more than once)...

My next question would be... can one arbitrarily request a new passport?

Let's say I used up all the pages in my new passport after 2 years (and it expires 8 years later)... is there any chance they would 'force' you to add additional pages and deny the request for a new passport?

I'm assuming that as long as you cough up the bucks you can replace your passport whenever you want too... I wouldn't want to say I lost the passport because a police report would need to be produced.

Dan

[avidflyer]

if you need extra pages soon, go for it. If not, wait and pay for a new passport , which you can get any time you want to.

[danfred]

I know this subject has been brought up time and time again... but why shouldn't one be able request additional pages with a new passport? It's literally just a bit of additional paper (less the work)... how much can that cost?

Apparently if you submit your old passport for replacement and it has additional pages added they will automatically return you an upgraded 52 page passport (42 pages usable for stamps/visas)... the passport I recently submitted for replacement had 98 used pages (after visiting the embassy 3 times for additional pages) and as expected the new passport returned had 42 usable pages...

Why can't they offer a 100+ pages option with a replacement passport... even at additional cost? Surely the passport holder and the passport agency would save money and hassle providing an adequately supplied passport right from the start.

The more I sink into this... the increase from $0 to $82 for additional passport pages is really a completely NEW revenue stream for them and it has no basis on the cost of adding additional pages to passports... and it really pisses me off they got away with it without offering the opportunity to add additional pages with a new passport.

Enough venting for now... I know this is all old news... but it was just today that this message from "Bangkok ACS" arrived in my Inbox...

From: "Bangkok ACS" <[email protected]>

To: "Bangkok ACS" <[email protected]>

Date: 07/08/2010 05:34 PM

Subject: Fee Changes - American Citizen Services and Immigrant Visas - Effective July 13, 2010

New consular fees will take effect July 13, 2010 at all U.S. embassies

and consulates worldwide, including the US Embassy in Bangkok and the

Consulate in Chiang Mai. The fee changes include higher fees for U.S.

passports, Consular Reports of Birth Abroad, and notarial services, as

well as a new fee for adding additional pages to a U.S. passport. More

information can be found at http://travel.state..../news_5078.html

and on the Embassy website at http://bangkok.usembassy.gov.

The following is a partial list of services and the fee changes:

The application processing fee for adult passport applications will

change from $55 to $70.

The passport book security surcharge will change from $20 to $40.

The application fee for passport cards will increase, from $20 to $30

for adults, and from $10 to $15 for minors.

A new fee of $82 for additional passport pages will be imposed.

The fee for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad will change from $65 to

$100.

Notarial and authentication services, which now range from $20 to $30,

will all be $50.

The immigrant visa (IV) application fee - which must be collected from

all IV applicants who are not fee-exempt - will now be tiered. The new

fees will be $330 for immediate relative and family preference cases

(processed on the basis of an I-130, I-600 or I-800 petition), $720 for

employment-based cases (processed on the basis of an I-140 petition),

and $305 for other cases (special IVs, Diversity Visas (DVs),

self-petitioned cases, and all other IVs).

The IV security surcharge - which must be collected from all IV

applicants who are not fee-exempt - will increase from $45 to $74.

The DV fee (which is charged in addition to the application processing

fee and security surcharge) will change from $375to $440.

This email is UNCLASSIFIED

[SurfRider]

.

According to the information below, posted on the U.S. Embassy website in Britain, you can renew your passport at ANY time. However, I could not find the same info on the U.S. Embassy Bangkok website. Probably best to eMail the ACS in Bangkok as the final authority. E-mail: acsbkk @ state.gov

Passport Renewals

You may apply to renew your U.S. passport at any time. If your passport has expired or is about to expire, we strongly recommend that you take action now to renew your passport. Apart from the inconvenience you may incur in having to apply for a passport at short notice in the event of an emergency, every American abroad should have valid proof of his or her citizenship at all times.

http://london.usemba...s/renindex.html

.

[craigt3365]

Great. So this is what we get for paying our taxes? As expats, we miss out on all sorts of stuff...and now also have to pay more. Can't wait to see what they are going to do about expats and that mandatory health care insurance!

[TongueThaied]

"Does anyone know why the additi1onal page inserts come at such a high premium? Each additional usable page costs $3.73... while the usable pages in a new passport cost $2.62 each. Not to mention that additional page inserts require far less processing time (onsite and often within minutes) and considerably less administration cost than new passports."

My god, man, what a silly question! Don't you know there's a couple a wars on? Bombs are expensive. Where's your sense of partiotism? We're Americans; we gotta save the world from all these terrorists. Don't forget to report your Thai bank accounts to Uncle Sam lest you, too, be branded a terrorist.

[reefsurfah]

It used to be free to add visa pages. Luckily, I did all of this while travelling a lot. Definitely would just go with the new passport each time it fills up. The US gov't is trying to find ways to pay for the massive deficit is my guess..

Thanks for the agreement that a new passport is the way to go (when you need to add additional pages more than once)...

My next question would be... can one arbitrarily request a new passport?

Let's say I used up all the pages in my new passport after 2 years (and it expires 8 years later)... is there any chance they would 'force' you to add additional pages and deny the request for a new passport?

I'm assuming that as long as you cough up the bucks you can replace your passport whenever you want too... I wouldn't want to say I lost the passport because a police report would need to be produced.

Dan

There's no way they can force you to add additional pages. Its entirely up to you if you want to get a new passport or add pages. Now that I think about it, adding pages should be quick (done in 30 minutes or less), so that's probably the reason they add the "premium". While getting a new passport, can take a few days to get. Unless you don't want to carry your old passports with visas that are still valid, getting a new passport is the way to go. I keep my old passport which still has a India 10 yr visa in case I have to go.

[reefsurfah]

I know this subject has been brought up time and time again... but why shouldn't one be able request additional pages with a new passport? It's literally just a bit of additional paper (less the work)... how much can that cost?

Apparently if you submit your old passport for replacement and it has additional pages added they will automatically return you an upgraded 52 page passport (42 pages usable for stamps/visas)... the passport I recently submitted for replacement had 98 used pages (after visiting the embassy 3 times for additional pages) and as expected the new passport returned had 42 usable pages...

Why can't they offer a 100+ pages option with a replacement passport... even at additional cost? Surely the passport holder and the passport agency would save money and hassle providing an adequately supplied passport right from the start.

The more I sink into this... the increase from $0 to $82 for additional passport pages is really a completely NEW revenue stream for them and it has no basis on the cost of adding additional pages to passports... and it really pisses me off they got away with it without offering the opportunity to add additional pages with a new passport.

Enough venting for now... I know this is all old news... but it was just today that this message from "Bangkok ACS" arrived in my Inbox...

From: "Bangkok ACS" <[email protected]>

To: "Bangkok ACS" <[email protected]>

Date: 07/08/2010 05:34 PM

Subject: Fee Changes - American Citizen Services and Immigrant Visas - Effective July 13, 2010

New consular fees will take effect July 13, 2010 at all U.S. embassies

and consulates worldwide, including the US Embassy in Bangkok and the

Consulate in Chiang Mai. The fee changes include higher fees for U.S.

passports, Consular Reports of Birth Abroad, and notarial services, as

well as a new fee for adding additional pages to a U.S. passport. More

information can be found at http://travel.state..../news_5078.html

and on the Embassy website at http://bangkok.usembassy.gov.

The following is a partial list of services and the fee changes:

The application processing fee for adult passport applications will

change from $55 to $70.

The passport book security surcharge will change from $20 to $40.

The application fee for passport cards will increase, from $20 to $30

for adults, and from $10 to $15 for minors.

A new fee of $82 for additional passport pages will be imposed.

The fee for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad will change from $65 to

$100.

Notarial and authentication services, which now range from $20 to $30,

will all be $50.

The immigrant visa (IV) application fee - which must be collected from

all IV applicants who are not fee-exempt - will now be tiered. The new

fees will be $330 for immediate relative and family preference cases

(processed on the basis of an I-130, I-600 or I-800 petition), $720 for

employment-based cases (processed on the basis of an I-140 petition),

and $305 for other cases (special IVs, Diversity Visas (DVs),

self-petitioned cases, and all other IVs).

The IV security surcharge - which must be collected from all IV

applicants who are not fee-exempt - will increase from $45 to $74.

The DV fee (which is charged in addition to the application processing

fee and security surcharge) will change from $375to $440.

This email is UNCLASSIFIED

It would be nice to have 100+ pages for first time new passports, however, my guess is that the majority of US citizens don't require this. They probably won't be travelling as much as a business traveler in a 10 year span. Demand comes into play for this feature. I have 98 pages maxed out also.

btw, there was a petition drive to stop the the increase from $0 to $82 for additional passport pages, unfortunately, not enough people signed up to stop it.. So we are stuck with this $82 for additional passport pages. If you look at the other fees, they've all gone up to help pay for the massive deficit and budget problems. The federal gov't is looking everywhere, that's why we have IRS offices in Asia.

[Jimi007]

When the consulate outreach visited last month I asked the vice consul what is the reason for some of these rather large increases. She said that the cost of doing their services was not paying for itself, so they had to increase the fees to cover the costs. To add pages they must contact homeland security to make sure you aren't wanted or behind in child support payments, etc. But to notarize a piece of paper, which requires you to swear the statement you made on it is true and them to stamp and sign it is $50 a piece now is a bit over the top! I thought to myself if you flew commercial airlines instead of a US Airforce 737, your costs wouldn't be so high!

Edited July 9, 2010 by Jimi007

[taxout]

This was not in Thailand, but I just got passport pages added by mail in another city to avoid the new fee, and enclosed a self-addressed envelope as requested for return of my passport. And when it came back, there in the upper left corner of the envelope some US Government employee had carefully written out the consulate's full return address by hand: "U.S. Citizens Services . . . ."

No rubber stamp, no sticky label. Just a high-paid government worker writing over and over again, "U.S. Citizens Services . . . . "

When your whole operation is on a "We just recover our costs" basis, why even try to economize. There's no point in it.

[march]

if you need extra pages soon, go for it. If not, wait and pay for a new passport , which you can get any time you want to.

I got extra pages added on Thursday, July 8th (even though I still had a fair number of pages left from my previous extra page addition). They didn't mention that at all.

The Embassy staffer said they've had a good number of people coming in and getting the last of the freebies, but if you want to still get the extra pages added for free, the last day will be this coming Monday, July 12th.

The new fee starts on Tuesday, July 13th, along with a whole host of either fee increases or new fees for previously free tasks.

http://travel.state.gov/news/news_5078.html

I hope I never need to have a "Processing Letters Rogatory & FSIA" done. The fee will go from $735.00 now to $2,275.00

[hhgz]

"The replacement passport came with 42 usable pages without my asking."

I renewed my passport 5 years ago, and the same thing happened to me. It's nothing new.

[The Professor]

I just got 2 sets of additional pages added for free yesterday. I tried for 3 but they said that 2 was the limit. No big deal as I will never use up these 2 sets by the time the passport expires in 8 years. My last passport had 3 sets added but I was a visa runner then. I advise anyone and everyone to go to USCS monday and get their free pages as that is the final free day. I'm damm happy to have 2 free sets to carry me thru to 2018. cheers

[bangkokburning]

Especially at these high rates, DOS is glad to issue you a new passport as you wish. They have no idea what you plan to be doing in the next few years and as the government should not really be asking? What if you have half your pp filled and planning to stay out for five years? round the world tour? Visa hopping across Thailand's borders. As long as you are not breaking US law and presumably other nations. They could care less - it's a total money spinner.

I've had many pp replaced while in states some with few pages left, a few with many.

Those new prices are criminal incidentally.

No reason new pages should not be a few bucks (10-15). Welcome to the new normal - fee for service (PLUS INCOME AND SALES TAXES).

[Tod Daniels]

Last time I checked, (which I do frequently ), NOTHING is free in this world . (Or, if it’s free it ain’t worth shit!! )

That the US started charging for something that was FREE before is no surprise.

If it is a surprise for you, I suggest you go back to America and check the price of coffee, sugar, eggs, beef, pork, chicken, ANYTHING .

Sadly, when you arrive back to the glorious "Land 'O Thais" you will kiss the ground, (even if you might catch a disease ).