Passport costs

Equaliser123

wacko911 wrote: »

Tesco should do, tesco value passports - open the market up to private companies instead of this public sector bloatness

Yes, and we should have Tesco Value border control.

Hey, why not have Tesco Value SAS whilst we are at it?

"Got a terrorist incident? You can either call the SAS or, for a cheaper (but a little less effective) special forces response - call Tesco Value Special Forces. Oh, and you get Clubcard points too."

It will never catch on.

pimento

I thought you needed a passport to fly anywhere even within the UK these days.

nearlyrich

Just renewed ours a couple of weeks ago, the most annoying thing was they said the pictures we sent were not sharp enough and when we paid again for new pics the passports came back with blurry pics in them...

daveyjp

When passports were cheap the cost only covered admin and printing the passport. All British Embassies were funded by general taxation - so everyone was paying for them, even if you never went abroad.

Thsi was changed and the passport fees increased in order to pay for running costs of the Embassies - you travel you pay for them which IMHO is how it should be as foreign travel is a luxury and I like any tax I can avoid paying.

Andy_L

pimento wrote: »

I thought you needed a passport to fly anywhere even within the UK these days.

Depends who you fly with & where:

GB to N. Ireland passport is needed due to the porous land border with the Rebublic & right of free movment from main land Europe to ROI

Within GB it depends on the airline. The budget airlines specifiy a restrictive list of acceptable photo ID which varies between airlines(but Passport or photocard driving licence are the gold standard). IAIUI BA don't, they just require the card used to buy the ticket

LillythePink

From Flybe's website

ID requirements


Photographic identification

You must present one of the following forms of identification to board a Flybe aircraft.
International travel

All passengers on international flights must be in possession of a valid passport and, where required, a valid visa. Citizens of the European Union, European Economic Area and Switzerland may travel within Europe on presentation of their valid National Identity Card.
Children who are not included on their parent's UK passport will require their own valid passport for travel abroad.
Domestic/Republic of Ireland travel

All passengers, adults, children and infants, travelling to the Republic of Ireland must have a form of ID which proves their nationality/citizenship for immigration purposes.

• A valid passport
• An expired passport (domestic flights only up to two years after expiry)
• Valid photographic EU or Swiss national identity card
• Valid photographic driving licence
• Valid armed forces identity card
• Valid police warrant card/badge
• Valid airport employees security identity pass
• A child on parent’ s passport is an acceptable form of ID
• CitizenCard
• Valid photographic firearm certificate
• Valid Government-issued identity card
• SMART card
• Electoral identity card
• Photographic disabled badge
• NUS card photographic (National Union of Students)
• Photographic university/college ID card
• Company ID card of nationally recognised company (photographic)
• Council issued bus pass (senior sitizens only)
• Pension book (the only acceptable form of non-photographic identification)
• Young Scot card

Children and domestic travel

Children under the age of 16 do not need to show ID on domestic routes. The adult they are travelling with can vouch for the infant's/child's identification, providing the relevant photo ID is shown (by the adult). On International routes a passport will be required.
Flybe is legally responsible for ensuring children over the age of one-year-364-days do not travel on the lap of another passenger. When travelling with an infant on a domestic route, therefore, please ensure you bring either a birth certificate or passport to prove date of birth. On International routes a passport will be required.
CitizenCard

You can apply for a Citizen card online at http://www.citizencard.com/ or you may telephone them direct on 0870 240 1221 for a postal application form.
Spanish and French children under 18 years

Children under 18 travelling without their parents/legal guardians, and with an ID card, must have a form of written authorisation to travel from their parents.
Children must collect the form from their local police station and present it with their ID card at check-in and passport control. Children without this form will be refused travel by passport control.
Children travelling with a valid passport do not require a consent form as a passport acts as parental authority.
The form is required for both international and domestic flights. A Family Book (Livret de Famille) is not sufficient ID for a child/infant to travel on international flights. Children travelling on Flybe international flights must have either a valid ID card or a passport along with all other necessary docu ments.
Portuguese children under 18 years

Portuguese nationals and alien residents under 18 years leaving or re-entering Portugal unaccompanied by their father, mother or legal guardian need a travel authorisation. This travel authorisation must be signed by the father, mother or legal guardian; and the signature is notarised if the father, mother or legal guardian reside in Portugal; or the signature is authenticated by a Portuguese embassy or consulate in the country where the father, mother or legal guardian reside.
This travel authorisation is also required when minors that are accompanied by a person other than their father, mother or legal guardian. In such cases the travel authorisation must also clearly show the name of the accompanying person.
Foreign minors under 18 years of age and travelling alone may be refused entry if they do not have anyone in Portugal taking responsibility for their stay.

MadThatter10

Couldn't agree more with OP, and I'm shocked that on a money saving forum, so many people are calling this a bargain!:rotfl:
I renewed mine a few weeks ago and was shocked at how expensive they are, and even more shocked that when I went to have the photos done they were £5! Really?! Last time I had them done they were £3 and I thought even this was steep, especialy seen as you only get a certain amount of chances!
And whats with the new passports?! The front covers are cheap flimsy cardboard, the pages inside seem much thinner, and the photo page is very thin, could easily be ripped by accident! And where is the chip hiding? Oh and why the heck have they moved the photo page from the back to the front? Is that just to confuse us all? (was anyone able to guess that I dont like the new passports?:rotfl:)
xx

Oh and P.s, don't EVER go for your passport pics taking, wearing a black and white stripy top... Mugshot or passport photo?!

biscit

pimento wrote: »

I thought you needed a passport to fly anywhere even within the UK these days.

You need photo ID. I think for people who don't drive it's little different. (edit: had not yet read that impressive post from flyBe's photo ID terms and conditions)

However the UK isn't that big, internal flights are even less necessary than travelling abroad.

I am a strong believer in pooling costs for public services by the ability to pay through taxation, however I'm finding it difficult to argue against passport holders paying more for their passports.

lazer

Andy_L wrote: »

Depends who you fly with & where:

GB to N. Ireland passport is needed due to the porous land border with the Rebublic & right of free movment from main land Europe to ROI

Within GB it depends on the airline. The budget airlines specifiy a restrictive list of acceptable photo ID which varies between airlines(but Passport or photocard driving licence are the gold standard). IAIUI BA don't, they just require the card used to buy the ticket

GB to Northern Ireland or the South of Ireland is photograhic ID only.
Ireland and the UK are part of the common Travel Area.

There is a right to free movement with in the EU, but that does not mean you don't need a passport. The rest of the EU is part of Schegen, so no passport is need to travel between Schegen Countries, however the Republic of Ireland is not one of these.

Ryanair however will only accept passport for travel, even within the CTA.

Equaliser123

MadThatter10 wrote: »

Couldn't agree more with OP, and I'm shocked that on a money saving forum, so many people are calling this a bargain!:rotfl:xx

I think you are getting confused about what money saving is.

Bargain - no. Good value - yes. There is a difference.