The cost of a passport is just stupid

[SoloTripSoloVibes]

That’s it really.

£94.50 for the actual passport, which is alright, I suppose.

£10 for the pictures because you need the fancy digital codes now and can’t just have a picture

£10 for guaranteed postage of the old one back to them, because of course they can’t just have a database that they update to say that one has expired or been replaced.

£115 in total! Bring on the days that it becomes totally digital.

Yeah, but the thing that really gets me ...you have to be ' validated' by some other human being ( that has a posh job too) I am my own human being , I don't need to be 'validated' by someone else !!

But they pay for other services connected to travel that affect you. On the off chance you needed the brittish embassy would you want a lesser service because you didn't want to pay a few,pounds postage

I think a large part isn't just the admin, the cost to print such an important document to try and prevent counterfeiting us much higher than printing something as simple as a book. Embossing, water marks, hologram, plastic additions etc all adds up. It's expensive yes, but it does last a long time so spread over the years it's active its very little.

I think a large part isn't just the admin, the cost to print such an important document to try and prevent counterfeiting us much higher than printing something as simple as a book. Embossing, water marks, hologram, plastic additions etc all adds up. It's expensive yes, but it does last a long time so spread over the years it's active its very little.

I was pleasantly surprised when I did DH and DS1s with my camera phone. Got them both to stand in the bath next to the white tiles. Sorted straight away.

Mind you, happy memories of when I got DS1's first passport aged 3 months .... the passport photo people lay him down on a white blanket and we all stood over him and cooed while they took the photo.

It isn't validation it is someone saying you are who you say you are.

My dh and Dd can countersign if they wanted to and definitely not "posh jobs".

Gosh, my Spanish passport costs 30€! It also lasts 10 years and also has a chip and anti forgery technology. So the OP does have a point about price, many do it for less, except in the anglosphere where everything has to cost hundreds...
She doesn´t have a point when she says it is just a book, it isn´t.

I’ve never heard someone complain about the cost of a passport before. Surely it’s the most reasonably priced aspect of travelling overseas?

Also, if it’s “just a book” why not try knocking one up yourself and see how far that gets you??

You can do it all online including taking your own pic. The cost works out at less than a tenner a year. I don't really think that's ridiculous.

You don’t have to pay for pictures you can use your phone and I use normal postage. Passport fees by law have to cover the cost of processing so that fee is to cover the checks done, processing, appointments if needed, postage and queries.

Do you work, OP? What would you think if you saw a customer/client/employer complaining that the product or service you provide "should be cheaper or free" just because they reckoned they didn't fancy paying so much for it?

It’s a book with an insane amount of presumably expensive anti-forgery and security technology.

Thanks...its been ages since I had one( passport) but hated that part of it...asking a doctor , magistrate etc to countersign . Rules have obviously changed ?!

A Danish passport costs over £100 - is Denmark part of the anglosphere these days?

And an Italian passport costs a smidgin over £100. Same question.

How unfortunate for you all. I will be paying 30 next December.

@Thechaseison71

i think they mean statutory declaration (stat dec)

it’s a mechanism for those who cannot prove eligibility through standard procedure’s usually due to lack of documentation.

Sorry but is that a serious comment? Its not like anyone w a photocopier can churn them out (in fact that's kind of the point).

There’s lots about living in the UK that is ludicrously overpriced (energy, for one) but I really don’t think a passport is one of them. The Passport Office is also one of the few government services which seems reasonably competent. Bluntly, if money is so tight that £100ish is causing this much angst, maybe don’t go abroad.

The only difficulty I had was that it kept saying there wasn’t enough definition between my hair and the wall. They specify a white wall. My hair is white. Quite a conundrum, but playing around with lighting solved it. And they tell you immediately so you can retake before sending.

I took the photos for all 4 of us against a white background. I just opted for normal post. I got the old ones back just fine.

Phones will do pretty good selfies now as long as you're against a white or beige background. I managed to do my last passport that way.

That is cheap! I still don’t think the British passport is overpriced though just that the Spanish one is a great deal.

Australian passports cost over 420 dollars to renew for ten years.

The system is so much smoother and better than a lot of other countries.

To get my Australian one I have to basically take a goat to the wise woman who lives on a hill in exchange for the perfect photo, pay over £200 plus another £100 overseas processing fee. It's an incredibly messy system. The UK one is so simple and such good value in comparison.