The Government are today announcing new fees to be charged under this Order with effect from 4 October 2007.
The Order increases the level of the consular premium charged on passports issued in the UK by the Identity and Passport Service (IPS). This premium is the element in the cost of a passport which pays for the provision of consular assistance to British nationals overseas and which is collected in the UK by IPS on behalf of the FCO. The amount of the premium varies for different categories of passport. For the most commonly issued of passport—the 32 page adult passport issued by post—the consular premium will rise from £9.65 to £15.12. The consular premium charged by the FCO on its passports, issued overseas, was increased in April 2007 by the Consular Fees Order 2007. A separate Order was required to implement this change to passports issued in the UK by IPS.
This Order also increases the minimum fee for making or verifying (including certifying where necessary) a copy of a document by photographic process, if the copy is made in the consular premises. It further introduces a fee for making searches in the naturalisation or registration records kept by a consular officer in posts where, prior to 1983, naturalisations and registrations were done by Governors or High Commissioners.
It is right that those who benefit from consular assistance overseas should help meet the cost of this service, rather than the UK taxpayer in general. The new fees represent the full economic cost of what we do, and will ensure that British missions overseas continue to provide a high standard of consular service to British nationals.
A full list of the new fees, and the individual increases, is included in the tables below.
Fee No. Description Previous fee New fee Increase For applications made in the United Kingdom, issuing a passport of 32 pages which includes replacing an expired passport, issuing a new passport of full validity when an original passport of restricted validity is unavailable and issuing a new passport with amended personal details For applications made by post 12(a)(i) where the applicant is aged 16 years or over 66.00 72.00 6.00 12(a)(ii) where the applicant is under 16 years old (for a passport valid for 5 years) 45.00 46.00 1.00 For applications made in person 12(b)(i) where the applicant is aged 16 years or over using the fast-track service 91.00 97.00 6.00 12(b)(ii) where the applicant is under 16 years old (for a passport valid for 5 years) using the fast-track service 80.00 81.00 1.00 12(b)(iii) where the applicant is aged 16 years or over using the fast-track collect service 103.00 109.00 6.00 12(b)(iv) where the applicant is under 16 years old (for a passport valid for 5 years) using the fast-track collect service 90.00 91.00 1.00 12(b)(v) where the applicant is aged 16 years or over using the premium service 108.00 114.00 6.00 12(b)(vi) where the applicant is under 16 years old (for a passport valid for 5 years) using the premium service 93.00 94.00 1.00 For applications made in the United Kingdom, issuing a passport of 48 pages which includes replacing an expired passport, issuing a new passport of full validity when an original passport of restricted validity is unavailable and issuing a new passport with amended personal details 13(a) for applications made by post in the United Kingdom 77.00 85.00 8.00 for applications made in person in the United Kingdom 13(b)(i) using the fast-track service 97.00 105.00 8.00 13(b)(ii) using the fast-track collect service 100.50 109.00 8.50 13(b)(iii) using the premium service 114.50 123.00 8.50 Part 4 Fee 30(d) search of naturalisation or registration records kept by a consular officer n/a 72.00 New fee
Fee No. Description Previous minimum charge New minimum charge Increase Making or verifying (including certifying where necessary, a copy of a document Part 1 6(b) by photographic process, if the copy is made in the consular premises, for each page - £5.00 £17.50 £25.00 £7.50