Nearly 850,000 people missed out on cheaper passports last year – here's how to cut costs and beat the upcoming price hikes

The cost of applying for a new or replacement passport online is £10.50 less (£11.50 less from Thursday 11 April) than applying by post using a paper form. Our findings mean those applying online collectively saved an estimated £73 million last year – though of course this isn't an option for those excluded from, or who struggle to use, digital services.

Most applications are made online – but 100,000s still apply by post

We submitted a Freedom of Information request asking the Passport Office how many online and paper form passport applications were made in 2023. It told us the following:

Application fees are rising on Thursday 11 April – so if you need a new passport, you should apply for one now

Here's a summary of the current and new fees if you apply directly (see below for more info on the Post Office's separate 'Check & Send' service, which costs extra on top):

Whether you apply online or by post, the Passport Office says you'll usually get your passport within three weeks (for standard applications).

Passport still valid? It could be worth renewing early to beat the fee hikes

It's worth noting that if you renew your passport before it expires, the time left on it is no longer added on to the expiry date of your new passport. This means renewing early is not a straightforward decision.

As a rough guide, if you've less than 10 months left on your current passport, it could be worth renewing now. Here's why:

A standard adult passport lasts for 10 years. If yours is coming up to expiry, it likely would've cost you £72.50 when you got it eight, nine or 10 years ago. This works out to around 60p per calendar month of ownership. In other words, each month you have left on your passport is 'worth' 60p.

This means the closer your passport is to expiring, the more it's worth renewing before the new fees kick in.

As an example, if you currently have six months left on your existing passport and choose to renew online now, you'd give up £3.60 but save £6 in application fees – a net gain.

But if you still have 12 months left, you'd be giving up £7.20 and still only saving £6 – a net loss.

Using the Post Office's 'Check & Send' service? You can also save by opting for the digital version

Over 640,000 people used the Post Office's Check & Send service last year. The idea behind this scheme is for the Post Office to check your passport application before it's sent to try to ensure you've included the correct documents, that your photos don't breach any restrictions, and that the forms have been filled in correctly. The aim of this is to minimise delays to your application.

Check & Send, which ISN'T changing in price on Thursday 11 April, is an optional extra that costs £16 on top of the standard passport fee.

There are two versions of Check & Send: digital and paper. Though the £16 fee is the same for both, the digital version still works out cheaper overall. For example, at the current rates, renewing an adult passport using digital Check & Send costs £98.50 (£82.50 + £16), while doing the same renewal using paper Check & Send costs £109 (£93 + £16, £10.50 more).

Crucially, if you opt for the digital Check & Send service, the Post Office will complete the online application form and take your digital photo for you – so you can save even if you aren't able or don't want to do this yourself. This also means you don't have to shell out for photos separately.

For more help and info, see our Passport renewal tips guide.