Child Passport Renewal!!!

swimsink

I think it is a big expense if you are re-newing passports for a whole family in one go - but all the same it is about the security checks etc. and also a very useful form of ID. A holiday is considered a luxury anyway so if you don't want the expense you don't have to pay it

briona

rainbow_carnage wrote: »

Passports do not generate an income for the government, regardless of what your 'common sense' brand of evidence-free wisdom tells you. The money pays for the cost of issuing the passport. It also covers some of the costs of helping Brits abroad. I hope you remember this the next time your bag is stolen overseas. Oh, how we get used to being able to pick up the phone and call the consulate.

Actually I think it's the passports issued abroad that cover the costs of helping Brits abroad. At least that's what I was told when I shelled out €173 (almost double the cost of doing it in the UK) for my passport earlier this year.

zagfles

Strange how it only cost me £18 to renew my adult 10-year passport in 1996. That's about £27.50 in today's money. http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_economy/rp02.pdf

Now it's £77.50. £50 extra in real terms. Nearly triple the price in real terms.

What's the difference? It's got a chip on it - big deal - so do all my bank cards but I don't remember the bank charging me £50 for each new card. Or have the proportion of people needing consular services vastly increased in the last 15 years? I somehow doubt it...

rainbow_carnage

I don't have the numbers handy, but I'd imagine that the percent of Brits who regularly travel (or live) abroad has increased.

I don't think that £77.50 is an insignificant amount of money. But compared to the costs of flights, hotels, taxis, travel insurance, etc., it's a relatively small expense. If you can't afford to spend £7.75 a year for a passport, you really can't afford to travel, either.

And you really can't compare the UK government to a high street bank. O2 gave me a 'free' iPhone with my contract. I don't expect my council to give me one for paying my monthly council tax.

jammin_2

briona wrote: »

Actually I think it's the passports issued abroad that cover the costs of helping Brits abroad. At least that's what I was told when I shelled out €173 (almost double the cost of doing it in the UK) for my passport earlier this year.

Would you not get an Irish one, no?

zagfles

rainbow_carnage wrote: »

I don't have the numbers handy, but I'd imagine that the percent of Brits who regularly travel (or live) abroad has increased.

In which case they'd get more in fees anyway as more would need passports! Twice the travellers, twice the passports, twice the fees. So that's no excuse.

I don't think that £77.50 is an insignificant amount of money. But compared to the costs of flights, hotels, taxis, travel insurance, etc., it's a relatively small expense. If you can't afford to spend £7.75 a year for a passport, you really can't afford to travel, either.

It's not a question of affordability. It's a question of being ripped off. That's the same logic the mobile operators use to rip travellers off. You're spending loads on the holiday so you won't notice rip-off roaming rates...

And you really can't compare the UK government to a high street bank. O2 gave me a 'free' iPhone with my contract.

They didn't give you a "free" phone. Mobile contracts are mainly a disguised loan for a new phone. Most of the monthly cost pays for the phone not the airtime.

I don't expect my council to give me one for paying my monthly council tax.

I used to get 2 months "free" council tax by paying the annual bill over 10 months. That's just as "free" as your new phone:)

briona

jammin wrote: »

Would you not get an Irish one, no?

Despite growing up in Ireland, I'm actually British-born to British parents, hence the need for a British passport.

I was a bit surprised at the price, but over 10 years (or 10 years 9 months in my case), it's not that big a deal. Having taken 14 flights already this year, and with another 3-4 on the cards, I've definitely got my money's worth!

rainbow_carnage

zagfles wrote: »

In which case they'd get more in fees anyway as more would need passports! Twice the travellers, twice the passports, twice the fees. So that's no excuse.

Are you paying for a new passport every time you travel? Whether you go on holiday five times a year or once every five years, you still need a passport. The passport still lasts 10 years. But you're more likely to need consular assistance if you're overseas a lot.

The country is in a lot of debt. The government needs to find money to pay for all the service we've come to expect. I'd rather they charged someone like me a bit extra (after all, I can afford to go overseas) than raised the VAT, which has the biggest effect on the poorest people.

Having said this, I still don't believe that the passport service is a money-spinner.

BTW, I also pay my council tax over 10 months. I don't get a discount. It's just that the amount is divided by 10, not 12. The total remains the same. I've never heard of a council giving a discount, even if you pay it all in a lump sum.

badskindollheart

"What's the difference? It's got a chip on it - big deal - so do all my bank cards.."

The chip you're referring to stores your biometric data and picture for use with automated passport gates.

The cost of passports goes towards the facial recognition technology that the automated gates use. This is something that we all benefit from in stopping those who wish to travel on false passports, who almost exclusively wish to do harm or commit crime.

The British passport is actually relatively cheap compared to some other countrys (Turkey's is around £150). British passports are also seen to be very highly valued.

If you consider all of the security features, both visible and invisible, it is impossible to compare a passport to any old book. The world has changed and these security features are necessary and expensive.

No one likes paying for passports/driving licences but they are necessary and cost money. However, Executive Agencies like IPS, DVLA & CRB have to be self funding and not subsidised by other taxpayers who may never need their services.

You might also like to consider how expensive your passport would be if the service was fully privatised. At present IPS, like CRB, is a public-private partnership and therefore any profit made can be capped, with only a small amount going back into the Treasury. If these depts were put up for sale, costs would be uncapped and service would deteriorate.

lil.smartie

My daughter has 2 passports, both cost around this amount & both need renewing every 5 years, she's 2 1/2 now so in another 2 years I'll be renewing them, hopefully it will be easy & we can time it so they are each renewed whilst we are in the right country which will save on any additional costs.
I lost several years when I got married as I had to buy a new 10yr passport not just change my name, not much I could do though as we'd booked flights in my married name!

Kate