The cost of renewing an adult passport online rises to £88.50 on Thursday, with the travel document now 17 per cent more expensive than at the start of 2023.
Children’s passports will also cost more, going up from £53.50 to £57.50.
Thursday’s 7 per cent increase — twice the current rate of inflation — follows a 9 per cent rise in February last year, when the document cost only £75.50. Before that, there had been no price increases for five years.
Britons applying by post face an even steeper rise, from £93 to £100 for an adult passport and £64 to £69 for a child. There is no charge for passports for Britons born on or before September 2, 1929.
Guy Hobbs, a travel expert at the consumer group Which?, said: “While these latest price rises may well reflect rising production or processing costs, the UK passport is now among the priciest in Europe — and travellers due to renew will likely be shocked by how much these little blue books now cost.”
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He added: “Travellers should also be aware that from mid-2025 they will need to pay for an Etias [the European Travel Information and Authorisation System] to enter Europe.”
Etias is modelled on the US Esta scheme and means non-EU travellers will have to fill in a form and pay €7 (£6) before entering Europe’s passport-free Schengen zone. The fee will apply to everyone aged between 18 and 70 and is valid for three years. In most cases, approval is expected to be granted within minutes.
Holidaymakers going to Europe this summer are also being warned to be alert for changes that mean their passport could also be invalid even when it appears to be in date.
Before Brexit, British passport holders could travel in and out of the EU on their passport even if it expired just the day after their return. However now they can be denied boarding if their passport expires less than three months after their return date.
In a statement, the Home Office said: “We are increasing the cost of applying for a passport to enable us to keep investing in our efficient and secure passport services and keep improving the quality of service British travellers expect.”
