The Department of State (US Passport Service) has published a proposed rule on Regulations.Gov announcing the intention to increase the fees charged for a number of consular services, including an increase in passport application fees. These fees are being increased to “ensure that fees for consular services reflect costs to the United States of providing the services.”
Reportedly, the Department of State conducted a study between 2007 and June 2009 and determined that their Agency is not sufficiently recovering the costs to perform various consular services for the public, which the issuance of a US Passport is a major portion of activity.
The proposed fees include a $35 increase in the fee for a new passport or passport renewal and the new fee will be a total of $110 to acquire your passport. Among other changes, a child’s passport would increase $20 to a total fee of $80. Finally, the relatively newly introduced passport card will see an increase in fees as well.
No specific date is noted for implementation of the increase; however, we’d expect it to occur sometime this year.
So, how does this affect you? Naturally, we’d suggest that you plan ahead and apply for a new US passport soon!
Archive for the ‘Passport Updates’ Category
US Passport Fees Proposed to Be Increased
Thursday, February 25th, 2010
Indian Embassy closed on Monday Sept 28 and Friday Oct 2
Saturday, September 26th, 2009Indian Embassy closed on Monday Sept 28 and Friday Oct 2 and will not be accepting applications during this period.
New US Passport Laws in Place on June 1, 2009
Wednesday, March 18th, 2009
If you are used to going across the border to Mexico and Canada, you know that crossing the border and getting back was a matter of producing a birth certificate. On June 1, 2009, the final phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) will take place, putting restrictions on those traveling to Canada and Mexico. Simply put, on June 1, you’ll need a US Passport or another form of WHTI-compliant ID to cross the border.
For the most part, a US passport is the most recognizable and easiest WHTI-compliant document to obtain. With the anticipated increase in passport applications, it might be a good idea to go ahead and apply for a passport now. Of course, the easiest and fastest way to get a new passport is through a passport expeditor, like Passports and Visas.com. An expediting service reviews your application for errors and professionally hand delivers your passport application in the allotted time, often as fast as 24 hour service!
