Passport mistake cost 674,500 people £9.50 each last year

Hundreds of thousands of people are making the same mistake when applying for a passport that is costing them £9.50 each – according to Money Saving Expert. As 4.5million people are expected to apply for a new or renewed passport in the next few weeks the experts are urging people to save themselves some vital money in the process.

MSE says that while almost 4million people applied for a passport online last year, figures released by the Passport Office under the Freedom of Information Act show 674,454 applications were made by post. MSE says the cost of applying for a new or replacement passport online is £9.50 less than applying by post using a paper form.

MSE reporter Peter Lekarski said: “Whether you’re getting your first passport, renewing an old one, changing your name or personal details, or getting a passport for your child, the cheapest way to do so is via the Gov.uk website, if you’re happy and able to use the online service.

“It costs £75.50 to get a new first-time or replacement adult passport online, including if you need to change the details on it. For child passports it’s £49. In comparison, applying by post using a paper form costs £85 for an adult passport and £58.50 for a child – £9.50 more in both cases.”

There are fears there could be 10-week delays in getting a passport as many people rush to take a summer holiday after two years of lockdown. MSE recommends using Check and Send to minimise the risk that your passport application will be rejected.

This means your form will be checked to make sure you have filled it in correctly before it is sent to the Passport Office for approval. Check and Send in a Post Office costs £16 and online costs just £9.50 on top of your application fee.