The Consular Fees (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 2013

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order further amends the Consular Fees Order 2012 to make amendments to fees in connection with passport applications. The Order substitutes a new table of consular fees relating to passport services to make the following changes:

(i) Overseas applicants for Diplomatic and Official passports, and members of HM Forces where the application is made via nominated Armed Forces personnel, and their dependants, will no longer pay the standard overseas application fee, but will instead pay the same fee as that imposed for a postal application made in the UK.

(ii) Applicants born on or before 2nd September 1929 are entitled to free 32-page passports if they apply by post, and pay only the uplift if they apply by the fast-track, fast-track collect or premium services. Applicants born on or before 2nd September 1929 continue to pay the full fee for 48 page passports. Overseas applicants born on or before 2nd September 1929 do not have to pay fees for the delivery of passports, the return of supporting documents, or forwarding applications to a processing centre.

(iii) For overseas applicants, the existing fees for delivery of passports and supporting documents are being simplified and either remain the same or are being reduced. Except in the few cases where passport delivery is by diplomatic bag (in which case a fee of £11.41 continues to apply), there is now a single fee of £9.70 for delivery of a passport overseas, and £10.16 for delivery of supporting documents overseas. There is no charge for delivery of a passport to an address in the UK, and for delivery of supporting documents to an address in the UK there is a fee of £3.00. The fee of £13.31 for forwarding an application to a Regional Passport Processing Centre or Application Processing Centre remains the same. None of these delivery fees apply to applicants born on or before 2^nd September 1929. For all applicants of all ages, whether overseas or in the United Kingdom, there is a new optional fee of £3.00 if the applicant requests the return of their documents to an address in the UK by secure delivery, rather than second class mail.

(iv) There is no change to the fees for collective passports, or to the fees for passports applied for in the UK, except for people born before 2nd September 1929. No fees are increased.

An impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no impact on the private or voluntary sectors is foreseen.