British Consul

Passport prices change on 3 September. More here.

Dean

fatbrit

Up or down? You're such a tease!

jumping doris

Up
The price seems to go up almost every month. It was $186 in April, $199 in May,$211 in June. and $212 in September.

No wonder we can't afford to renew our passports.

fatbrit

I'll just use my US one when the UK one expires. Eff them!

lisa67

need to renew both the kids passports by March....off to take out another mortgage to cover the cost

Dan725

Exactly what I was thinking....this post was like deja-vu from last month.

Duncan Roberts

I was going to get the kid a UK passport but now I'm not sure I'll bother. Or maybe I'll just get the passport and forget the registration.

Bob

Just give us a heads up when they become affordable again....

Duncan Roberts

Looking at things, for an adult passport it's about $100 cheaper to apply in person on a visit to the UK. Then you either have it sitting in the UK waiting for you to pick it up, somebody to bring it to you or somebody to mail it. Even if you didn't do that it's the same price to do a 1 day express service in the UK!

SarahG

My passport is due for renewal in June, when I will be in the US. Kids due for renewal following Spring. Why are UK passports so expensive? Didn't the prices just go up not so long ago?

Bink

If you're in the UK at the moment you can renew it now. You can carry up to 9 months over on to your new passport but that doesn't stop you renewing it earlier.

See: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAn...port/DG_174096



EDIT: If' you're going to be in the US when your Kids' passports expire it might be as well to renew theirs now too, despite the fact you'll lose 6 months or so. Saves having to worry about sorting it all on a trip back to the UK or doing it from a British Embassy in the US...

BritishGuy36

Ever heard of this magical thing called 'the exchange rate'?

TimFountain

Yes, but I fail to see why that should be a factor, firstly the PP is produced in the US, secondly the 2009 price increases have no relation to the actual USD vs. GBP FX rate.

I'm going with the simpler suggestion that the consulate is screwing expats because they can.

"British Consul" can you repudiate my claim and explain why these huge increases bear no relation to the FX rate?

Bob

It was explained as not being the cost of the passport, but the processing fee, economy of scale, it would be cheaper if they were sent to the UK.

Doesn't make it not shite though.

chartreuse

Before we moved, I always used to do the same day thing in the UK, mainly because I didn't like putting my passport in the post. Assuming nothing's changed when mine comes up for renewal, that's what I'll do. But as it's 9 years away, anything could have happened by then!