Passport Fee to Leap 40 Percent: Here’s How to Avoid the Hike

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A U.S. passport fee is set to increase — by 40 percent.

The execution fee, as it’s known, will jump from $25 to $35, according to the U.S. Department of State, the federal government agency that issues passports. This change will take effect on April 2.

Who is affected

For starters, the fee will not impact anyone age 16 and older who applies for a passport renewal by mail. For them, the total cost of a new passport remains $110.

However, the fee will ding you if you apply for a passport in person. That’s because of what’s known as an “execution fee.” It applies to passport applicants who must appear in person at passport acceptance facilities. Those are:

  • All first-time applicants. Once the fee increases, someone age 16 or older who applies for a first-time passport would pay a total of $145 rather than $135.
  • Certain other applicants, such as minors under the age of 16. Once the fee increases, a minor under the age of 16 would pay a total of $115 rather than $105.

So, if you’ve never applied for a passport before but might need one in the next decade, consider getting one before April 2. Passports issued when an applicant was 16 or older are valid for 10 years, according to the Department of State’s FAQs. Those issued to younger applicants are valid for five years.

About the execution fee

The execution fee is separate from the costlier passport application fee, which goes to the Department of State.

The execution fee, also called an acceptance fee, goes to passport acceptance facilities. These are post offices, clerk of court offices and public libraries, for example, that are designated to accept passport applications on behalf of the Department of State.

The fee is thus meant to cover “costs associated with accepting passport applications and fees in-person, including salaries, benefits, and an allocated portion of overhead including, but not limited to, rent, utilities, supplies and equipment,” according to the Department of State.

The execution fee is increasing because the Department of State’s latest cost-of-service analysis found that the costs associated with accepting passports exceed what the current $25 fee can cover.

To learn more about passport fees, visit the Department of State’s “Passport Fees” page, which includes a fee calculator.

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