BRITS are being warned to apply for their new passports now – or risk being left out of pocket.
Passport applications are increasing in price next month – the first time in five years.
It currently costs £75.50 for a standard online application for an adult passport.
This is going up to £82.50 – an extra £7 per person.
Kids' passport applications are going up by nearly £5, going from £49 to £53.50.
Postal applications – which are more expensive than online – are also going up in price.
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Adult paper applications will go up from £85 to £93, while kids will go from £58.50 to £64.
Families who need to renew all their passports could be forced to pay an extra £30, if applying for two adults and two kids.
The new costs will be enforced from February 2.
The government website said the new price was to contribute to "lost or stolen passports and the cost of processing British citizens and UK borders" although said the government makes no profit from passport fees.
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New passport fees from February 2
- Online adult passport applications – £82.50 (was £75.50)
- Online kids passport applications – £53.30 (was £49)
- Postal adults passport applications – £93 (was £85)
- Postal kids passport applications – £64 (£58.50)
Even if you have some time left on your passport, you may still need to renew it.
This is because of a number of new rules in place for Brits travelling abroad.
Your passport cannot be more than 10 years old – any months previously rolled over are no longer accepted.
You also need at least three months left on your passport to travel to European destinations.
If there is any damage to the pages of your passport then you will also need to renew, as some holiday hotspots such as Bali will ban you from boarding.
Some countries such as Turkey require you to have a full empty page as well, to fit both the entry and exit stamps.
Holidaymakers are also being warned of a 'spring surge' which could lead to huge passport application delays.
Last year, due to a boom in applications after Covid, the government advised leaving 10 weeks to get it back, with many waiting longer than this.
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