UK travellers face another cost-of-living squeeze after the Home Office launched a consultation on 18 March that would raise the standard online adult passport fee from £94.50 to £102—the first time the charge has breached the £100 mark. Child passports would climb from £61.50 to £66.50, while overseas and premium-service tariffs would rise by similar percentages. The department says the 8 % increase is needed so that “those who benefit from the service pay for it”, reducing reliance on general taxation. The move follows last month’s laying of the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2026, which paved the way for higher maxima across the visa, ETA and citizenship spectrum. An accompanying impact-assessment published on 12 March estimated that passport fee uplifts alone would generate an additional £103 million in 2026-27, funding digital security upgrades and the rollout of next-generation e-Passports.
![Home Office proposes 8 % passport-fee hike, pushing online adult applications above £100]()
Travellers and corporate mobility teams looking for help navigating these shifting fees can turn to VisaHQ, whose UK platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) tracks real-time Home Office updates, pre-checks application forms and organises secure courier delivery. The service can save applicants valuable time and ensure documents are lodged before price rises take effect.
Business-travel associations immediately criticised the timing. The Institute of Travel Management noted that corporate-traveller volumes are still 12 % below their pre-pandemic level and warned that higher document costs could make SMEs less willing to authorise last-minute trips. Relocation providers added that families relocating to the UK could see hundreds of pounds added to assignment budgets once child-passport and fast-track charges are factored in. The Home Office insists that UK passport fees remain “broadly comparable” with peer countries when measured against average earnings and that demand is unlikely to dip materially. Officials also point out that expedited one-week and same-day services are priced on a full-cost-recovery basis and will not subsidise standard applications. Stakeholders have until 8 April to respond. If approved, the new fees would take effect in early June, giving corporate-mobility managers a narrow window to advance-order passports for summer deployments at the lower rate.
Travellers and corporate mobility teams looking for help navigating these shifting fees can turn to VisaHQ, whose UK platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) tracks real-time Home Office updates, pre-checks application forms and organises secure courier delivery. The service can save applicants valuable time and ensure documents are lodged before price rises take effect.
Business-travel associations immediately criticised the timing. The Institute of Travel Management noted that corporate-traveller volumes are still 12 % below their pre-pandemic level and warned that higher document costs could make SMEs less willing to authorise last-minute trips. Relocation providers added that families relocating to the UK could see hundreds of pounds added to assignment budgets once child-passport and fast-track charges are factored in. The Home Office insists that UK passport fees remain “broadly comparable” with peer countries when measured against average earnings and that demand is unlikely to dip materially. Officials also point out that expedited one-week and same-day services are priced on a full-cost-recovery basis and will not subsidise standard applications. Stakeholders have until 8 April to respond. If approved, the new fees would take effect in early June, giving corporate-mobility managers a narrow window to advance-order passports for summer deployments at the lower rate.
