MARTIN LEWIS’ MoneySavingExpert.com has issued an urgent warning to anyone looking to travel abroad this year.
If you are going away and need to renew your passport you can save money by doing the application online.
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The rates for updating your passport went up today – it now costs £82.50 to renew it online and £93 via post.
So you could save £10.50 just by changing the way you update the essential document.
It comes as figures from moneysavingexpert.com revealed over a million people renewed their passports via post between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022.
That means they lost out on free cash by not renewing online.
How much does it cost to renew a passport?
How much it costs to renew your passport varies depending on whether it’s for a child or an adult.
The current fee to renew an adult passport online is £82.50 and £53.50 for a child.
You can apply for a child passport if you are under 16. They are valid for five years.
To update the document via post it costs £93 for an adult and £64 for a child.
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Regardless of whether you apply online or by post, the Passport Office says the document should arrive within 10 weeks.
You can speed up the process if you need to get your passport in a hurry.
The fast track service costs £155 for an adult and £126 for a child.
But you shouldn’t use the service if you have already applied for a passport and not received it yet – this won’t make the document arrive any quicker.
If you want it even faster, you can opt for the premium same-day service – this costs £193.50 for adults.
However, there’s no premium same-day service for children.
How do you renew a passport?
You can renew your passport online via the government’s website.
You have to upload an updated digital photo of yourself.
You should make sure the picture meets all the criteria otherwise your application will be rejected.
You’ll need your debit or credit card to hand as well so you can pay for the document and your passport details.
If you’re renewing via post, you’ll need to get a form from your nearest Post Office that offers a Passport Check and Send service.
You can also get a form from the Passport Adviceline.
You’ll need to include two physical passport photos of yourself.
The Post Office or Passport Adviceline will then send off the form once you’ve completed it.
In other news, Martin Lewis has revealed how grandparents are missing out on a “little-known” way to get £1,000s in free cash.
Plus, the consumer champion on how you can claim 20 months free travel and breakdown insurance.
