Passport fees!

[belledechocchipcookie]

Today I won 2 Eurostar tickets to a festival in Lille. I was overjoyed. I looked at the cost for 2 one week passports for ds and I (the festival is at the start of July), just over £200!

We can't go

that's mad, i didn't pay that much for 10 year adult ones?

Did you mean passports that are 'express' ready in one week?

it's only about £85 for a ten year one! I don't understand...

To renew mine in the States it will be pushing $200 -crazy!

But,at least I am here IYSWIM ?

That sounds v. expensive.

how did you win the tickets

Huh?

Just bought passport for dh, they aren't that much for ten year ones, cheaper again if ds is under 16.

Sure you ahve the right prices?

Sorry. Yes, express ones as I need them before the end of June. I'm gutted. Goodbye Coldplay. Moby...

That's awful. Sorry. Will they let you give them to a family member/friend?

I won them on Twitter from Eurostar. 2 Eurostar return tickets to Lille, 2 tickets to the festival and camp passes for 4 days. (sobs uncontrolably).

The prices are right, they are from the gov web site.

www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Passports/howlongittakesandurgentappplications/DG_174109 sob!

europe.eurostar.com/2011/06/15/win-tickets-to-main-square-festival-in-lille Non transferable.

Check and send with the post office might work out a bit cheaper, although not much, and I have always had mine back within days using that service. They do say it can take up to two weeks though.

Technically you can go to France with photo Id and not an actual passport- worth checking out?

i got some brand new ones back within the week. i just went to a photographer to make sure photos would be ok and just sent it in

I can't see how they can justify charging £96.50 for a child's passport! Bastards.

Ds is 12, he doesn't have photo ID. I only have an out of date passport, no other ID.

I think the cost of a passport is disgusting! But I realise they cannot be given out for free...

What I'd love is to be able to pay this on a monthly basis, (it would cost nothing compared to a one off cost) Just a monthly fee that everyone has to pay (a bit like TV license) and passports are automatically renewed etc etc...

I've just had a renewal in for my drivers license, i didn't even know they had to be renewed!

You should have the option to pay as you go. If you travel more then you pay more. I've used my passport once, that was to travel to Ireland and they didn't even look at it! (1995 though)

"Technically you can go to France with photo Id and not an actual passport- worth checking out?"

Sorry this is wrong You DEFINITELY NEED a passport to travel to France.

My ut of date apssport was renewed last week within 4 days.

Worth a shot?

Hmm might be worth taking a chance on the normal service coming back in time if you would be using the passports on other occasions anyway, but pretty grim if they didn't make it! I posted DS's passport renewal stuff off last Wednesday, nothing back yet.

DD's new passport arrived within about 10 days. £70 quid I think

Maybe it depends on whcih office you sue as well? My office is Newport

I think the nearest one is Peterborough. I could send the forms off, I have 2 here. Ds has not been abroard before, he's not really had a real holiday come to think of it. Why's it all so hard?

I have to let them know whether I'm going by 5pm tomorrow so they can give the tickets to someone else. Shit.