Surprise! Passport Prices Drop

FROM FOR THE RECORD (Tuesday, February 24, 1998): Correction Passport cost: The total cost of a U.S. passport for children 15 and younger is $40. A story in Sunday’s edition suggested otherwise.

Obtaining or renewing a U.S. passport just got less expensive.

Effective this month, the cost of a first-time passport dropped to $60 from $65, and the cost for routine renewals declined to $40 from $55.

The cost for a child’s five-year passport dropped to $25 from $40.

In another change, applicants ages 16 and 17 will now get passports valid for 10 years, instead of five years as was previously the case.

The State Department said the fees were cut because improvements in the efficiency of domestic passport operations had reduced the costs of providing the passports.

The charge for one service, however, did increase: Expedited delivery of a passport rose to $35 from $30. This fee is charged for rush service when someone needs to use the new passport within days. The department says it normally takes three to four weeks to process an application, although faster returns are not uncommon.

U.S. passport fees last changed in 1991, when the price went up from $35. At that time, a $10 “execution fee” was also incorporated in the cost of a new passport, and that fee remains part of the overall cost for a new passport or a renewal not made by mail. Adult passports are valid for 10 years.

Information on obtaining a passport is available on a recording at (215) 597-7480, or by checking the State Department’s Web site at http:/ /travel.state.gov

The Web site also has passport forms that can be downloaded and printed. The National Passport Information Center also provides automated information at 35 cents per minute at (900) 225-5674; liveoperator service also is available at $1.05 per minute.