Brits going on holiday are set to face an increased £102 charge from April 8 as the government has announced it will increase passport application fees from this date. The proposals, which are subject to approval by Parliament, will see standard online applications made from within the UK rise from the currrent cost of £94.50 to £102 for adults and from £61.50 to £66.50 for children. Postal applications will rise from £107 to £115.50 for adults and from £74 to £80 for children.
Premium one-day service applications will also go up by a whopping £17.50 from £222 to £239.50. For those applying from overseas, standard online applications will increase from £108 to £116.50 for adults and from £70 to £75.50 for children, while overseas standard paper applications will rise from £120.50 to £130 for adults and from £82.50 to £89 for children.
The HM Passport Office and Home Office stated: « The new fees will help the Home Office to continue to move towards a system that meets its costs through those who use it, reducing reliance on funding from general taxation. The government does not make any profit from the cost of passport applications.
« The fees contribute to the cost of processing passport applications, consular support overseas, including for lost or stolen passports, and the cost of processing British citizens at UK borders.
« Customers are advised that they should apply in good time before travelling. »
According to the Government, last year 99.7% of standard applications from the UK were processed within three weeks when no additional information was required.
Ahead of the Easter holidays, officials have urged Brits to be aware of extra border checks with the European Union‘s new Entry/Exit System (EES) and are being urged to allow extra time at the border when travelling to the EU. From Friday April 10, the EES will be fully operational at all EU airports and ports.
Gradually introduced since October 2025, the EES replaces physical passport stamps with a digital record of when non-EU residents enter and leave the Schengen area for short stays of up to 90 days in a rolling 180-day period.
The EES is operational in 29 European countries, including all EU member states except Ireland and Cyprus, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. Each time a non-EU resident enters or exits the Schengen area, their passport details and biometrics will be recorded digitally.
Registration occurs at border control on the day of travel and is free of charge. First-time registration involves a photo of the traveller’s face and a passport scan. Adults and children aged 12 and over will also have their fingerprints taken.
UK passport holders should also be aware of new rules for travel to Europe and Schengen countries since Brexit. Passports issued after 2018 are valid for exactly 10 years while those issued before September 2018 may carry up to nine additional months.
For travel to Europe, passports must be issued less than 10 years before the departure date and valid for at least three months after the planned return date.
UK travellers can now only stay in Schengen countries for 90 days within a six-month period. Further guidance on travel to EU and Schengen countries is available on the GOV.UK website.
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