Global Passport Fees 2024: How much do you pay?
Updated counties, fees, and content in this version
Passport costs and global trends
Passports serve as vital travel documents, enabling international mobility. Yet, the expense of acquiring a passport varies significantly between nations. Ideally, passport fees should align with a country’s average income to ensure widespread access to this crucial document.
Making passports is a big business
The global E-passport market size reached US$ 29.3 Billion in 2023, and is projected to reach US$ 81.5 Billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR 11.81% during 2024-2032. The International Civil Aviation Organization’s Doc 9303 recommends a new passport design to maintain document security and integrity every few years.
People need passports, but at what costs? Global Passport Fees 2023
Should a passport office profit, and should your embassy charge you a higher fee abroad?
How does a passport office justify higher costs? Did they negotiate just a bad purchasing contract? Governments like to brag about having the “most advanced” and “most secure” travel document every time a passport is updated (which is always good timing to increase the fees). Global Passport Fees 2023
Several countries managed to keep the costs for a new passport unchanged or slightly higher. Even if the current passport was significantly updated with state-of-the-art technology and security. Passport pricing is also a political issue. Global Passport Fees 2023
Partly, significantly higher passport fees abroad
Why countries charge significantly more for a passport at their embassies or consulates is a riddle for me. While German embassies charge up to $140 compared to $70 at home, United States passports cost the same worldwide as at home – $130.
As a reader wrote, obtaining a Cuban passport abroad, e.g., in the USA, is costly. “The Cuban passport is valid for six years, its price is over $450 now, and every two years, we have to pay an extra entry extension of over $200, which makes the Cuban passport most likely the most expensive consular passport! Which adds up to around $900 in 6 years.” Global Passport Fees 2023
The same seems true for the Syrian passport, which is just $12 at home but more than $300 abroad.
Citizen services should not profit, but they must cover their costs. Citizen service is a state obligation without extorting its citizens. By the way, China lowered its passport fees significantly in mid-2019, and the Chinese passport is one of the cheapest travel documents in the world at only $18!
The new iconic Belgian passport with a homage to the comic culture (so cool!) remains at the same price. The same is valid for the latest updated Singapore passport.
More than 171 out of 196 countries use ePassports*
All data are in $USD and for a standard adult passport. Bold = recently updated data. *Source: Inverid.com
The passport fees around the world are based on an old list from the British Passport Office. It’s interesting to see how passport fees have gone up over the years. The data comes from readers and web sources, such as the passport office. The list and its contents are, however, incomplete, but I’ll keep them up-to-date as often as possible.
Country | Fee | Validity |
---|---|---|
Afghanistan | ||
Albania | ||
Algeria | ||
Andorra | 49 | 10 |
Angola | ||
Antigua and Barbuda | ||
Argentina | 10 | 9 |
Armenia | ||
Australia | 218 | 10 |
Austria | 80 | 10 |
Azerbaijan | ||
Bahamas | ||
Bahrain | ||
Bangladesh | ||
Barbados | ||
Belarus | 12 | 10 |
Belgium | 73 | 7 |
Belize | ||
Benin | ||
Bhutan | ||
Bolivia | 82 | 6 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | ||
Botswana | ||
Brazil | 45 | 10 |
Brunei | 43 | 5 |
Bulgaria | 22 | 10 |
Burkina Faso | ||
Burundi | ||
Cabo Verde | ||
Cambodia | 100 | 10 |
Cameroon | ||
Canada | 125 | 10 |
Central African Republic | ||
Chad | ||
Chile | 84 | 10 |
China | 18 | 10 |
Colombia | 47 | 10 |
Comoros | ||
Congo | 185 | 10 |
Costa Rica | 72 | 6 |
Côte d'Ivoire | ||
Croatia | 55 | 10 |
Cuba | 100 | 6 |
Cyprus | 60 | 10 |
Czech Republic | 27 | 10 |
Denmark | 97 | 10 |
Djibouti | ||
Dominica | ||
Dominican Republic | 32 | 6 |
East Timor | ||
Ecuador | 90 | 6 |
Egypt | 45 | 7 |
El Salvador | 25 | 5 |
Equatorial Guinea | ||
Eritrea | ||
Estonia | 47 | 10 |
Eswatini | ||
Ethiopia | ||
Fiji | ||
Finland | 63 | 5 |
France | 102 | 10 |
Gabon | ||
Gambia | ||
Georgia | ||
Germany | 66 | 10 |
Ghana | ||
Greece | 100 | 5 |
Grenada | ||
Guatemala | ||
Guinea | ||
Guinea-Bissau | ||
Guyana | ||
Haiti | ||
Honduras | ||
Hong Kong | 32 | 10 |
Hungary | 50 | 10 |
Iceland | 70 | 10 |
India | 23 | 10 |
Indonesia | 23 | 10 |
Iran | 10 | 5 |
Iraq | ||
Ireland* | 80 | 10 |
Israel* | 218 | 10 |
Italy | 135 | 10 |
Jamaica | ||
Japan | 115 | 10 |
Jordan | ||
Kazakhstan | 54 | 10 |
Kenya | ||
Kiribati | ||
Kosovo | ||
Kuwait | ||
Kyrgyzstan | ||
Laos | ||
Latvia | 36 | 10 |
Lebanon | 50 | 10 |
Lesotho | ||
Liechtenstein | 264 | 10 |
Liberia | ||
Lithuania | 63 | 10 |
Luxembourg | 60 | 5 |
Lybia | 39 | 8 |
Madagascar | ||
Malawi | 100 | 10 |
Malaysia | 47 | 5 |
Maldives | ||
Mali | ||
Malta | 70 | 10 |
Marshall Islands | ||
Mauritania | ||
Mauritius | ||
Mexico | 170 | 10 |
Micronesia | ||
Moldova | ||
Monaco | 94 | 10 |
Mongolia | ||
Montenegro | ||
Morocco | 50 | 5 |
Mozambique | ||
Myanmar | 12 | 5 |
Namibia | ||
Nauru | ||
Nepal | ||
Netherlands | 78 | 10 |
New Zealand* | 128 | 10 |
Nicaragua | ||
Niger | ||
Nigeria | 41 | 10 |
North Macedonia | ||
Norway | 51 | 10 |
Oman | ||
Pakistan | 54 | 10 |
Palau | ||
Panama | 100 | 5 |
Papua New Guinea | ||
Paraguay | 40 | 5 |
Peru | 30 | 5 |
Philippines | 20 | 10 |
Poland | 35 | 10 |
Portugal | 74 | 5 |
Qatar | ||
Romania | 65 | 10 |
Russia | 70 | 10 |
Rwanda | ||
Saint Kitts and Nevis | ||
Saint Lucia | ||
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | ||
Samoa | ||
San Marino | 105 | 10 |
Sao Tome and Principe | ||
Saudi Arabia | ||
Senegal | ||
Serbia | 36 | 10 |
Seychelles | ||
Sierra Leone | ||
Singapore | 59 | 10 |
Slovakia | 35 | 10 |
Slovenia | 53 | 10 |
Solomon Islands | ||
Somalia | 140 | 5 |
South Africa | 33 | 10 |
Korea, South | 50 | 10 |
Korea, North (DPRK) | ||
Sovereign Military Order of Malta | ||
Spain | 33 | 10 |
Sri Lanka | 19 | 10 |
Sudan | ||
Sudan, South | ||
Suriname | ||
Sweden | 45 | 5 |
Switzerland | 140 | 10 |
Syria | 12 | 6 |
Taiwan | ||
Tajikistan | ||
Thailand | 43 | 10 |
Togo | ||
Tonga | ||
Tanzania | ||
Trinidad & Tobago | 20 | 10 |
Tunisia | 20 | 5 |
Turkey | 202 | 10 |
Turkmenistan | ||
Tuvalu | ||
Uganda | ||
Ukraine | ||
United Arab Emirates | ||
United Kingdom | 100 | 10 |
Uruguay | 85 | 10 |
Uzbekistan* | 20 | 10 |
USA* | 130 | 10 |
Vanuatu* | 59 | 10 |
Vatican City | ||
Venezuela* | 200 | 10 |
Vietnam* | 8 | 10 |
Yemen* | 100 | 6 |
Zambia* | 40 | |
Zimbabwe* | 150 | 10 |
Throwback to 1971
Readers might still remember the British Visitor Passport (BVP), a travel document used within Europe; one could get it instantly at the post office – for £1.50 (1971).
Further Remarks
In Cambodia, the passport fees are three times higher at $100 than in the neighboring country, Thailand!
The Thai passport was improved several times but is still at a moderate level of 1500 THB ($41). The current generation of the Thai ePassport is now valid for ten years. The New Zealand passport was in 2010 at $100.
Australia was $145 (2010) but today at $218. Germany $70 – same fees since 2010, even after a complete redesign in 2017. Until the end of 1999, Austria was $38 and increased in Jan 2000 to $76. Today, the Austrian passport costs $84.
Some countries like Denmark or Malaysia would charge you an extra fee (penalty) for your new passport if you lost your old one. I think that is justified.
Noteworthy
VfS Global is the monopolist when it comes to visa applications. Most countries have outsourced visa processing to this company. They also handle passport applications in different countries and asking an extra passport application fee, which makes your passport even more expensive.
FAQ Passport History
Passport collection, passport renewal, old passports for sale, vintage passport, emergency passport renewal, same day passport, passport application, pasaporte passeport паспорт 护照 パスポート جواز سفر पासपोर्ट
1. What are the earliest known examples of passports, and how have they evolved?
The word "passport" came up only in the mid 15th Century. Before that, such documents were safe conducts, recommendations or protection letters. On a practical aspect, the earliest passport I have seen was from the mid 16th Century. Read more...
2. Are there any notable historical figures or personalities whose passports are highly sought after by collectors?
Every collector is doing well to define his collection focus, and yes, there are collectors looking for Celebrity passports and travel documents of historical figures like Winston Churchill, Brothers Grimm, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Read more...
3. How did passport designs and security features change throughout different periods in history, and what impact did these changes have on forgery prevention?
"Passports" before the 18th Century had a pure functional character. Security features were, in the best case, a watermark and a wax seal. Forgery, back then, was not an issue like it is nowadays. Only from the 1980s on, security features became a thing. A state-of-the-art passport nowadays has dozens of security features - visible and invisible. Some are known only by the security document printer itself. Read more...
4. What are some of the rarest and most valuable historical passports that have ever been sold or auctioned?
Lou Gehrig, Victor Tsoi, Marilyn Monroe, James Joyce, and Albert Einstein when it comes to the most expensive ones. Read more...
5. How do diplomatic passports differ from regular passports, and what makes them significant to collectors?
Such documents were often held by officials in high ranks, like ambassadors, consuls or special envoys. Furthermore, these travel documents are often frequently traveled. Hence, they hold a tapestry of stamps or visas. Partly from unusual places.
6. Can you provide insights into the stories behind specific historical passports that offer unique insights into past travel and migration trends?
A passport tells the story of its bearer and these stories can be everything - surprising, sad, vivid. Isabella Bird and her travels (1831-1904) or Mary Kingsley, a fearless Lady explorer.
7. What role did passports play during significant historical events, such as wartime travel restrictions or international treaties?
During war, a passport could have been a matter of life or death. Especially, when we are looking into WWII and the Holocaust. And yes, during that time, passports and similar documents were often forged to escape and save lives. Example...
8. How has the emergence of digital passports and biometric identification impacted the world of passport collecting?
Current modern passports having now often a sparkling, flashy design. This has mainly two reasons. 1. Improved security and 2. Displaying a countries' heritage, icons, and important figures or achievements. I can fully understand that those modern documents are wanted, especially by younger collectors.
9. Are there any specialized collections of passports, such as those from a specific country, era, or distinguished individuals?
Yes, the University of Western Sidney Library has e.g. a passport collection of the former prime minister Hon Edward Gough Whitlam and his wife Margaret. They are all diplomatic passports and I had the pleasure to apprise them. I hold e.g. a collection of almost all types of the German Empire passports (only 2 types are still missing). Also, my East German passport collection is quite extensive with pretty rare passport types.
10. Where can passport collectors find reliable resources and reputable sellers to expand their collection and learn more about passport history?
A good start is eBay, Delcampe, flea markets, garage or estate sales. The more significant travel documents you probably find at the classic auction houses. Sometimes I also offer documents from my archive/collection. See offers... As you are already here, you surely found a great source on the topic 😉
Other great sources are: Scottish Passports, The Nansen passport, The secret lives of diplomatic couriers
11. Is vintage passport collecting legal? What are the regulations and considerations collectors should know when acquiring historical passports?
First, it's important to stress that each country has its own laws when it comes to passports. Collecting old vintage passports for historical or educational reasons is safe and legal, or at least tolerated. More details on the legal aspects are here...
Does this article spark your curiosity about passport collecting and the history of passports? With this valuable information, you have a good basis to start your own passport collection.
Question? Contact me...