The Passport (Fees) Regulations 2018

Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Passport (Fees) Regulations 2018 and come into force on 27th March 2018.

Interpretation

2.—(1) In these Regulations—

“dependant” in relation to another person (“P”), means a person who is P’s husband, wife, civil partner, son, daughter, step son, step daughter, father, mother, grandson, granddaughter, grandfather or grandmother and who is financially dependent on P on the date on which the application is made;

“fast track collect service” means an application made in person, either by the applicant or by another person acting on behalf of the applicant, which is to be administered within seven working days of that application having been made, and which permits the applicant or another person acting on behalf of the applicant to collect the passport in person;

“fast track service” means an application made in person, either by the applicant or another person acting on behalf of the applicant, which is to be administered within seven working days of that application having been made;

“premium collect service” means an application made online, which is to be administered no sooner than within four hours of that application having been made, and which permits the applicant or another person acting on behalf of the applicant to collect the passport in person;

“premium service” means an application made in person, either by the applicant or another person acting on behalf of the applicant, which is to be administered within twenty-four hours of that application having been made;

“working day” means a day which is not a Saturday or Sunday, Christmas Day, Good Friday or a bank holiday under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971(1) in the part of the United Kingdom in which the application is administered.

(2) Subject to regulation 3(4), in these Regulations, any reference to the age of an applicant is a reference to their age on the day on which their application is made.

Fees

3.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2) a fee is to be charged in respect of the exercise of each of the functions of the Secretary of State which are specified in the table in the Schedule.

(2) No fee is to be charged for administering an application made for a 34 page passport where it is made by post or online (other than by using a premium collect service) if the applicant was born on or before 29th September 1929.

(3) For a function specified in the table, the fee payable in a particular case is the amount specified in the final column of the table in the entry for that function, in respect of the method of application used in that particular case by a person of the applicant’s age and status.

(4) An applicant who is 15 years of age may, within 3 weeks before their 16th birthday, pay the fee payable for a function by an applicant of 16 years of age or over (but not the fee payable by an applicant born on or before 2nd September 1929).

Waivers

4.—(1) Any fee for arranging delivery of a passport in relation to an application made outside the United Kingdom must be waived where the delivery of the passport is to a British Forces Post Office address or a United Kingdom address and the applicant—

(a) is a member of, or attached to, Her Majesty’s armed forces or a dependant of such a person, and the application is made in accordance with the procedure whereby applications are checked and submitted to Her Majesty’s Passport Office by armed forces personnel who are nominated for that purpose; or

(b) is a member of, or attached to, Her Majesty’s Diplomatic Service, or a dependant of such a person, and the application has been made in that official capacity; or

(c) is an officer of Her Majesty’s Government, or a dependant of such a person, and the application has been made in that official capacity; or

(d) was born on or before 2nd September 1929.

(2) Any fee that is payable by virtue of these Regulations may be waived where the United Kingdom Government has activated Exceptional Assistance Measures overseas and the person required to pay the fee has been directly affected by the incident in relation to which the Exceptional Assistance Measures have been activated.

(3) Any fee that is payable by virtue of these Regulations may be waived where there is a crisis in the United Kingdom or overseas and the person paying the fee has been directly affected by the crisis.

(4) In this regulation—

“crisis” means an incident in which at least five British citizens have been killed or injured, or are in danger of being killed.

“Exceptional Assistance Measures” means measures activated in accordance with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office policy set out in the House of Commons written statement made on 10th December 2015: Exceptional Assistance Measures for Victims of Terrorist Incidents Overseas(2).

Amendment to the Consular Fees Order 2012

5.—(1) The Consular Fees Order 2012(3) is amended as follows.

(2) In Article 2, omit the definitions for “fast-track service”, “fast-track collect service” and, so far as it is defined in relation to passport applications, “premium service”.

(3) In Article 3, for “Parts 1 and 2” substitute “Part 1” and for “those tables” “that table”.

(4) Omit Part 2 of Schedule 1 (table of Consular Fees Relating to Passport Services).

We consent to the making of these Regulations

Andrew Stephenson

Paul Maynard

Two of the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty’s Treasury

22nd March 2018

Caroline Nokes

Minister of State

Home Office

22nd March 2018