UK Passport Fee Increase, 10 April 2025
The second of three consecutive April increases (2024, 2025, 2026). Adult online renewal rose from GBP 88.50 to GBP 94.50, a 6.8 percent rise. Full breakdown below.
Historical reference page
The April 2025 rates were superseded by the 8 April 2026 increase. If you are applying now, use the current 2026 schedule at uk-passport-renewal-cost-2026 or gov.uk/passport-fees. This page covers the 2025 change for users researching the older event.
Every Tier Compared: Pre-2025, April 2025, April 2026
| Service | Pre-2025 (April 2024 schedule) | 10 April 2025 | 8 April 2026 | 2025 change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult online | £88.50 | £94.50 | £102 | +£6 (+6.8%) |
| Adult postal | £100 | £107 | £115.50 | +£7 (+7.0%) |
| Fast track adult | £166.50 | £178 | £192 | +£11.50 (+6.9%) |
| Premium same-day | £207.50 | £222 | £239.50 | +£14.50 (+7.0%) |
| Child online | £57.50 | £61.50 | £66.50 | +£4 (+7.0%) |
| Child postal | £69 | £74 | £80 | +£5 (+7.2%) |
Source: HMPO published fee schedules. Pre-2025 column is the April 2024 schedule (SI 2024/398, in force 11 April 2024); 2025 column per SI 2025/363; 2026 column per SI 2026/311, verified against gov.uk June 2026.
Why the April 2025 Increase Happened
The 10 April 2025 fees were set by the Immigration, Nationality and Passport (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (SI 2025/363). The Home Office and HM Passport Office gave the same rationale as in previous years:
- Cost recovery. HMPO operates on a cost-recovery model and states it does not profit from passport fees. Fees contribute to the cost of processing applications, consular support overseas (including lost or stolen passports), and processing British citizens at UK borders.
- Funding HMPO operations. The Home Office stated the new fees were necessary to fund frontline passport processing while reducing reliance on funding from general taxation.
- Service improvement. The increase was framed as enabling the government to continue improving passport services. HMPO's published guidance at the time, as now, was that applicants usually get their passport within 3 weeks.
The increase was not universally welcomed. Consumer rights groups noted UK passport renewal had become one of the more expensive in Europe. The 2025 rise was the second of three consecutive annual upratings: April 2024, April 2025, and April 2026 together took the adult online fee from GBP 88.50 to GBP 102, roughly 15 percent over two years.
Submission Date Determines the Fee You Paid
One of the most common 2025 confusion points: which fee applies if your application straddled the 10 April cutover. HMPO policy is simple but worth restating:
The submission date rule
The fee is fixed at the moment you submit and pay. If you submitted before 10 April 2025 (pre-cutover), you paid the April 2024 rate of GBP 88.50 adult online even if your passport did not arrive until June. If you submitted on 10 April 2025 or later, you paid GBP 94.50.
In the days immediately before the cutover, GOV.UK saw a small spike in adult renewal submissions from people trying to lock in the old rate. The pattern was modest but visible. The same pattern repeated in early April 2026 ahead of the second increase.
What the 2025 Rate Did Not Change
The 10 April 2025 statutory instrument changed fees, not process. Several things that renewers often expect to change with a fee increase did not:
- Processing times. HMPO's published guidance stayed the same: you usually get your passport within 3 weeks, with HMPO advising not to book travel until the new passport arrives.
- 10-year validity for adults, 5-year for children. No change. You did not get more years for the higher fee.
- The 9-month early-renewal carry-over. Up to 9 months of unused validity continued to roll into the new passport.
- Photo standards and the photo-checker app. Unchanged. DIY photos via the gov.uk app remained free.
- The seven UK passport offices and their fast-track / premium availability. Same offices, same booking process via gov.uk/book-a-passport-appointment.
The 2025 to 2026 Two-Year Rise in Context
Looking at adult online renewal across the two consecutive increases shows the compounding effect:
An adult who renewed in March 2025 paid GBP 88.50. The same renewal in May 2025 cost GBP 94.50. In May 2026, GBP 102. Two consecutive April increases added GBP 13.50 (15.3 percent) to the adult online rate over 13 months.
If You Are Looking Back at a 2025 Application
A handful of practical scenarios worth flagging if you are revisiting a 2025 application now:
- Refund requests. HMPO does not refund the difference between old and new rates. If you submitted on 9 April 2025 at GBP 88.50, that fee is final. The increase was widely advertised in February and March 2025, so most submissions in the run-up to 10 April were voluntary.
- Receipts and records. HMPO sends an email confirmation showing the fee paid and the date of submission. Keep that for tax / business expense purposes if your renewal was work-related.
- Passport still valid. A 10-year passport issued in 2025 is valid until 2035. You are unaffected by the 2026 increase until your next renewal.