Passport fees balloon by almost 30%

Found on The Register on Sunday, 23 July 2006
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The Home Office has announced new, higher fees for the UK's shiny new biometric ePassport.

This is the second time the price of a standard passport has gone up in the last year. Last November prices rose from £42 to £51. Now, Joe Public will have to fork out an additional £15 for the privilege of being able to travel abroad - that's a rise of almost 30 per cent - because as of 5 October this year, a standard 10 year passport will cost £66.

Home Office minister Joan Ryan said in a press release that the new format "provides enhanced security and reassurance for the holders and is in line with internationally agreed standards aimed at combating the growing threat of fraud and forgery".

In a pre-emptive defense of the rising costs, Ryan continued: "There is a cost to the anti-fraud measures that we are introducing, but we are clear that it is a price that must be paid to protect the integrity of our travel documents and improve the security of our borders."

Seriously, I doubt that the majority of UK residents had problems with passprt fraud. Of course people have to pay this price; there's no other choice for them. Well, you could always nuke your passport in the microwave if you want to make sure you're not tracked without knowing it.