materialcontroller

If you don't believe that taxes subsidise the civil service, you're living on a different planet.

Pulaski

In any/all businesses full cost recovery inevitably includes some portion of allocated overheads, and there are almost limitless options for allocating overheads, and the result is that the "true cost" is a more or less meaningless number that results from the overhead allocation. An example of this is the real estate cost of overseas embassies that handle passport applications, what portion of the cost should be allocated to the cost of the passports? A simple proportion of the total cost of the building? What if the passport staff work in a fancy office with a view of the grounds? Isn't that office space more valuable? Or if they're in the basement, should they be allocated less? Or does it really matter as the quality of the office space has nothing to do with the business of issuing passports, and just use the average (mean) cost, .... the mean cost for that building, or all the embassy buildings in that country, or jn the region served by that embassy, or just the average for, all British embassy buildings. .... But at what exchange rate? (The questions are potentially endless! )

FWIW In any case I don't believe that the price of passports is derived from a full cost recovery figure.

Woods.usa

Hmm, I think it's because we have the audacity to be in the States and need to renew our British passports, LOL!

This is why we haven't been back to the UK since 2005...I have three child passports and two adult ones to pay for...and we have to pay for US ones for the kids and myself. We figured it' nearly two grand just to sort out all passports...then we'd still have to pay for tickets. :-(

BritInParis

Passport production is solely funded by passport fees. The price of a British passport also includes a small consular fee which goes to help fund consular services for those in need overseas.

Previously the higher cost for overseas application was due to economies of scale. Application forms in the UK are read by machine. Overseas the data entry is done by hand. Several million passports printed in the UK each year by De La Rue on an automated industrial scale. All British passports produced overseas were printed in small offices by FCO staff individually by hand.

Now that both the application process and the printing process are both done in the UK there is no longer any justification for the increased cost. The overseas costs are being held at a higher rate until April when the last of the overseas posts (which is Dublin weirdly enough) returns to the UK. At that point the cost should come down worldwide to the UK price plus the extra courier fee.

We shall see.

sir_eccles

Hahahaha!

JAJ

If you have settled in the United States, and have a U.S. passport, it's no longer a necessity to continue holding a British passport.

lansbury

cabmeister

Hope this might help someone .
If like me , you have made the application for your passport through the Washington DC Embassy channel and have questions on the progress
Call the UK number + 44 208 082 4721 in my case the + number was 011.
have debit or credit card handy ,they want payment up front , my charge from Florida was $ 7.92 .
They told me in my particular case that there was a problem with the photo`s taken at Walgreens ,something about they could not make out the hair line because of the background / hair colour. but the most disturbing thing about this was, they said they E-mailed me and I never got it , NO phone call either to my home or cell number .The gentlemen that talked to me entered all my info again so that they could contact me with instruction of what to do .
Using the above mentioned number will save you time / frustration at trying to go through the GOV. given # (took me 6 trys to get to the person who gave me this number) oh! and $$ in wasted phone calls .

BritInParis

Always check your spam inbox if you think there's a problem. The emails can often end up in there.

lesleyeblen

I'm new to this website (looks great so far!).
Glad to find this thread as I thought I was losing it, having previously copied down the Washington address for renewing my passport!!! Really cheesed off that I didn't do this earlier as it's now even MORE expensive as I have to pay for a courier to the UK!
Just wondering if anyone has any experience of the various couriers available for sending the renewal app to the UK?

Shezi59

Alternatively, I understand you can still schedule an appointment at the passport office and get it renewed in 1 day. My niece did this last year, she lives in Jedda but renewed it in Liverpool in person on a recent trip home.

Nutek

Just about to send mine off.

Any suggestions for the mailing-to-the-UK part? I'm leaning toward just using USPS International Flat Rate unless someone has something better? (Better being more reliable).

https://www.usps.com/send/priority-m...onal-flat.htm?

Nutek

Poking this thread once more before popping it into the mail.

Bob

Eeny, meeny, miny, mo...

Adnams

So? Did you use USPS? Please keep the forum posted on how long it takes. We're getting ready to send off for my daughters but I am kind of reluctant due to lead times. We will be traveling to uK at Xmas (she will use her US passport) I didn't want to send off application and not be at out US home when it's delivered.