While cheap airplane tickets and cheap discount hotel rooms remain plentiful, soon it is going to cost a lot more to apply for a new U.S. passport or renew an old one.
The following is a breakdown of the new fees that kick in Tuesday, July 13th:
Adults paying for their first passport will be charged $135, which is an increase of 35 percent.
The price of a wallet size passport card, which Americans can use on destinations closer to home, such as Canada, will go to $55, a 22 percent increase, for first-time applicants.
Renewing passports will cost $110, up almost 47 percent.
Adding more visa pages to a passport book which is now free, will cost $82 under the new fee schedule.
To renounce your U.S. citizenship will cost $450 vs. being free before.
The State Departments explanation of the new higher fees is that they conducted a survey which found that the current fee structure was not covering the governments costs for the services.
United Airlines joined the U.S. Travel Association in expressing concern that the new higher fees may negatively impact international travel by Americans. The State Departments position is that the price increases are insignificant when compared to the overall costs of international travel.
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