Passport application fees

There are different fees for British passports, depending on whether the application is made in the UK or overseas.

Passport application fees are set to cover the average costs incurred in processing the application. Because fees are charged for processing the application, rather than the issuing of a passport, fees are generally not refunded in the event of an unsuccessful or withdrawn application. For an additional charge, applicants in the UK can use the Post Office ‘Check and Send’ service in order to check that an application has been correctly prepared before it is submitted.

British citizens born before 2 September 1929 are eligible for a free passport, as discussed in Library standard note SN/HA/3201 Free passports for British citizens born before 2 September 1929.

For information about the recent controversy regarding passport application delays and Home Office measures to address the problems, see Library standard note SN/HA/6916 Delays in processing passport applications.