Thank you for nothing at all -UK & Europe..!
I can live, happily, without a passport, it's them who insist- and so - they can make their own prices!
Logical would be that the passport office, and ONLY the passport office were responsible - even by post to foreign (in particular European - EU) adresses. That's what Europe is about, but the UK ALWAYS has to be different! That's also what Democracy is about! Socialist or Conservative - it's all the same! When will we get a truly EUROPEAN passport?
Thanks for nothing at all!
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Passportcosts - e-petition response
We received a petition asking:
“We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to equalise the cost of renewing UK passports for UK citizens who live abroad.”Details of Petition:“The cost of renewing a basic passport in the UK is £72. In France we have to pay 164€ (£145.73) - that is over TWICE the cost. This is very unfair especially as all of us who are in receipt of a UK pension have seen our incomes reduced in value by nearly one-third over the past year owing to the drop in the value of Sterling. I ask the British Government to create a level playing field for all of its citizens regardless of where we live.”
Read the Government’s response
It has been the policy of successive Governments that the costs of consular services overseas, including issuing passports overseas, should be borne by the beneficiaries of the service, rather than being subsidised by the UK taxpayer.
Whilst the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) is responsible for issuing passports to British Nationals living in the UK (and issues approximately six million passports every year), the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is responsible for providing a passport issuing service to British Nationals living abroad.
Whilst the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) is responsible for issuing passports to British Nationals living in the UK (and issues approximately six million passports every year), the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is responsible for providing a passport issuing service to British Nationals living abroad.
Although the FCO runs an efficient operation, it issues fewer than 400,000 passports a year from about 100 locations and must recover the full costs through the passport fee. The fee is calculated on the basis of the cost of staff, accommodation and overheads involved, and the calculations are carefully scrutinised by the Treasury, approved by the Privy Council and laid before Parliament. It is the FCO’s intention to keep costs down to as low as possible and fees are reviewed on a regular basis.
British Nationals, residing overseas, can however now choose to apply to the IPS whilst visiting the UK. In order to do this they need to make their application in person, supply a UK address and be available at that address to receive the recorded delivery of the new passport.
British Nationals, residing overseas, can however now choose to apply to the IPS whilst visiting the UK. In order to do this they need to make their application in person, supply a UK address and be available at that address to receive the recorded delivery of the new passport.
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