The cost of applying for a U.S. passport is soon to increase by 35 percent. The current price of obtaining a first-time passport is $100, and the price after the proposed increase will be $135. Official dates of implementation have not been announced, but it is sure to occur. If someone wants to renew his or her passport, the new price for doing so will be $110, up from $75. What is even worse, an outrageous additional fee of $82 will be put in place for passport holders wishing to add extra pages to their booklets. This service has always been provided for free.
Fortunately, the U.S. has not yet been faced with the multiple upsurges in passport fees that the U.K. has had to deal with – three increases in 2 years totaling a growth of 70 percent.
The proposed hike in fees is supposed to be used for increasing anti-fraud and other security measures.
By and large, the moral here is if someone has been hesitating to apply for a passport, the time to stop procrastinating is rapidly approaching – the price increase is to occur by the end of this month. One can expect extra-long waits due to an onslaught of people trying to save this $35 (or more).
UNC students can apply for a U.S. passport at the Center for International Education's Passport Application Office in the University Center.
Soon it will be costing American citizens even more to get out of the U.S., when it currently costs little to nothing to get into this country.
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