Here’s Why You Should Renew Your Passport Right Now

www.awol.com.au

Renewing your passport is a lengthy and tedious process and the costly fees often encroach on your precious holiday funds (say goodbye to that extra night in Budapest). Unfortunately, those fees are about to become a little bit more expensive.

Last night, the Federal Budget for 2016 was unveiled. Amid the talk of the Government’s new Internship program, there was also news that affects us travellers quite severely: the cost of an Australian passport is set to jump an additional $20 ($10 for children and seniors) from January 1, 2017.

Currently, the cost of an Australian adult passport is $254, with the last fee increase happening just last year. Australian passports last ten years, which means that starting from next year, a hefty fee of $274 will have to be forked out every decade. Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison has stipulated that this fee increase will raise $173 million over four years.

Additionally, priority services are set to hike up a whopping $54 next year, pushing the service to $181 in 2017. The priority processing service pretty much guarantees your passport will be produced within two-working days, as opposed to the usual three week wait. This handy service often helps travellers who have been left in a bind with expired or lost passports.