Passport costs are rising next week- here’s how to save money on yours

Passport fees are rising by 7%, with the cost of online applications made within the UK for people aged 16 and above increasing from £82.50 to £88.50.

For children under 16, passports will cost £57.50, an increase from £53.50. Passport fees rose by around 9% in February last year.

The price hike will come in on 11^th April.

Why are passport costs rising?

The Home Office commented, “The fees contribute to the cost of processing passport applications, consular support overseas including for lost or stolen passports, and the cost of processing British citizens at UK borders.

 “The increase will also help enable the Government to continue improving its services.”

Save money on passport costs

One of the biggest money savers is to apply online, as it’s £10.50 cheaper than through the post. It was found that Nearly 850,000 people missed out on cheaper passports last year because they applied through the post.

 Renew a valid passport now

It's worth noting that if you renew your passport before it expires, the time left on it is no longer added on to the expiry date of your new passport.

But the closer your passport is to expiring, the cheaper it is to renew before prices go up, generally speaking. Money Saving Expert explains:

A standard adult passport lasts for 10 years. If yours is coming up to expiry, it likely would've cost you £72.50 when you got it eight, nine or 10 years ago. This works out to around 60p per calendar month of ownership. In other words, each month you have left on your passport is 'worth' 60p.

This means the closer your passport is to expiring, the more it's worth renewing before the new fees kick in.

Use the digital version of Post Office’s ‘Check & Send’ service.

the Post Office checks your passport application before it's sent to try to ensure you've included the correct documents, that your photos don't breach any restrictions, and that the forms have been filled in correctly, which should minimise delays to your application.

But it costs £16 on top of the standard passport fee. But the digital version works out cheaper. For example,  renewing an adult passport using digital Check & Send costs £98.50 (£82.50 + £16), while doing the same renewal using paper Check & Send costs £109 (£93 + £16, £10.50 more).

What’s more, is that if you choose the digital Check & Send service, the Post Office will complete the online application form and take your digital photo for you – so you can save as you don’t have to shell out for separate passport photos.

You can apply for a passport here.