UAE | General
Big jump in cost of British passports
Britons living in the UAE are unfazed by an inflation-busting rise in the cost of UK passports. The price of a standard 32-page passport has gone up to Dh835 - an increase of more than 30 per cent.
- By Daniel Bardsley, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:00 April 9, 2007
- The price of a standard 32-page passport has gone up to Dh835.
- Image Credit:
Dubai: Britons living in the UAE are unfazed by an inflation-busting rise in the cost of UK passports.
The price of a standard 32-page passport has gone up to Dh835 - an increase of more than 30 per cent.
It means that a British passport is now more than twice as costly as it was two years ago, when the fee was Dh410. The price of a 48-page passport, useful for regular travellers who collect many stamps and visas, has also increased by more than 30 per cent and now stands at Dh1,010.
A five-year passport for those aged less than 16 now costs Dh535, while the British Embassies in Abu Dhabi and Dubai charge Dh685 for amending an existing passport.
Part of the increase in the cost of British passports in recent years is down to the introduction of biometric data into the documents a year ago. Biometric passports contain a chip that digitally stores information about the holder.
Worth the money
Ben Glover, 41, an accountant, said the passport was worth the money. "It does seem quite expensive, but the integrity of the passport system is incredibly important to all of us. Anyone who wishes the UK well should not complain about the cost."
Dave Cattanach, 49, a director at The Aviation Club in Dubai, said he too had no complaints about the cost.
"I agree with all security measures and anything they are doing to make travel safer for the whole world is good. Probably the rise is justified, as long as they don't do it again," he said.
Simon Goldsmith, a second secretary at the embassy in Dubai, said: "These changes will ensure that the full cost of providing services at home and overseas are fully recovered without any claim on public funds and to meet the demand, while maintaining high standards of service."
Charges of several other services raised
In a statement on its website, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), which runs the British Embassies in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, said the fees - which are reviewed annually - cover the costs of staff, accommodation and other overheads and are calculated in pounds sterling and applied across the world.
The charges for many other embassy services have also increased significantly, among them fees for registering births or deaths, now priced at Dh645, and attesting a signature or seal, for which the embassies now charge Dh190.
Making an addition or correction to birth, death or marriage registers will cost Dh240, while solemnising or attending a marriage is charged at Dh885.
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