Why are passports so expensive?

[5ofus]

It's rhetorical, but still...? $600-odd to get mine and DH's renewed and one for DS3. Luckily the other two still have a couple of years left on theirs.

Do you know how many churros and Dole Whips and how much popcorn I could buy with that money?

 

[Marlea98]

I know. We have to renew the kids' passports later this year and I'm dreading it. But, I also have to renew my driver's licence next week and in its wisdom, the government has introduced the no-smile digital driver's licence and I'm stuck with having to get that one. Don't they realise how much of a serial killer I look in my no-smile passport photo that I'll be doomed to repeat that look in the no-smile driver's licence????

 

[5ofus]

I know. We have to renew the kids' passports later this year and I'm dreading it. But, I also have to renew my driver's licence next week and in its wisdom, the government has introduced the no-smile digital driver's licence and I'm stuck with having to get that one. Don't they realise how much of a serial killer I look in my no-smile passport photo that I'll be doomed to repeat that look in the no-smile driver's licence????

DS1's passport pic looks like a mug shot. He was 2 when he had it taken!

 

[MsMinne]

Omg - I'm reading this thread and dreading. I need to get both of my boys renewed. How much am I up for?

 

[Sugarglider]

Holy guacamole - this made me go look - $238! wow!
I can only guess - these are smart docs now but who wudda guessed.

 

[BecBennett]

Yeah I haven't changed my name on my passport yet, as I had to change my name by deed poll, so it's another $200 for me too

 

[Melbourne5]

They are so expensive so you can leave and enter the country and be served by really caring and thoughtful customs and immigration staff who treat you like a valuable customer ! . You might think like me that about 1c of your passport fee goes to training the goon squad at the customs counter to smile and show some empathy. Heaven forbid a few more cents might even go to having a reasonable amount of staff on at anyone time. I know other countries are not perfect but we have the worst customs people by far!

 

[Franrose]

Crapola, lol. We've just spent $5000 to get citizenship in Australia, and once you do that, you pretty much have to enter/leave on an Australian passport or you aren't looked upon very favourably by Aus customs. Which means we will need to get a family's worth of brand new passports for our Dec trip, even though we have perfectly good, not-expired NZ ones. I'm too scared to look at the cost lol.

 

[5ofus]

Crapola, lol. We've just spent $5000 to get citizenship in Australia, and once you do that, you pretty much have to enter/leave on an Australian passport or you aren't looked upon very favourably by Aus customs. Which means we will need to get a family's worth of brand new passports for our Dec trip, even though we have perfectly good, not-expired NZ ones. I'm too scared to look at the cost lol.

I'll frighten you right here then Franrose! Adults are around $240, kids $120. Adults are for ten years and kids five.

 

[5ofus]

Yeah I haven't changed my name on my passport yet, as I had to change my name by deed poll, so it's another $200 for me too

Bec, are you sure? I am pretty sure it didn't cost anything more than new photos when I changed my name. My new passport in my married name was only issued until the expiry date of the old one, but I'm pretty sure it was free. Might be worth double checking

 

[Marlea98]

Crapola, lol. We've just spent $5000 to get citizenship in Australia, and once you do that, you pretty much have to enter/leave on an Australian passport or you aren't looked upon very favourably by Aus customs. Which means we will need to get a family's worth of brand new passports for our Dec trip, even though we have perfectly good, not-expired NZ ones. I'm too scared to look at the cost lol.

But, you can carry Australian vegemite now and not that fake New Zealand made stuff that tastes weird

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[BecBennett]

Bec, are you sure? I am pretty sure it didn't cost anything more than new photos when I changed my name. My new passport in my married name was only issued until the expiry date of the old one, but I'm pretty sure it was free. Might be worth double checking

Yeah it's to do with the marriage certificate, it's really stupid and I had the same issue when trying to change my name on my drivers license. Over in the US you're only given a certified copy of your marriage certificate, whereas here you're given the original. Both organisations (BD&M & RTA) require the original marriage certificate to change your name.

As I only had a certified copy I had to change my name by deed poll, and a name change via deed poll doesn't allow you to get a free new passport. Really stupid technicality

 

[Marlea98]

Yeah it's to do with the marriage certificate, it's really stupid and I had the same issue when trying to change my name on my drivers license. Over in the US you're only given a certified copy of your marriage certificate, whereas here you're given the original. Both organisations (BD&M & RTA) require the original marriage certificate to change your name.

As I only had a certified copy I had to change my name by deed poll, and a name change via deed poll doesn't allow you to get a free new passport. Really stupid technicality

My name was misspelled on my birth certificate slightly and it only caused a problem when I went to apply for my passport. I would have had to change my name by deed poll and pay for the privilege so it was just easier to have that error on my passport. But I didn't have a problem 'changing' my name on my licence or anything to reflect my 'real' name! I just have to remember when doing any flights or ESTAs or anything like that to use the 'right' spelling and not my real one! Ugh! Headaches

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[zanzibar138]

Try getting one with a rush fee and a lost fee on top - $500 for one passport

And Bec I feel your pain. DH and I had to both change our names by deed poll too, because we decided to only use one of his surnames (he had a hyphenated name). If we'd thought to get his name changed by deed poll *before* we got married, I wouldn't have had to do it!

 

[Franrose]

I'll frighten you right here then Franrose! Adults are around $240, kids $120. Adults are for ten years and kids five.

(Admittedly, the 10 year thing is pretty cool since NZ ones are 5 years for both adults and children. Please Australia, don't change the rules before I have to get one!)

But, you can carry Australian vegemite now and not that fake New Zealand made stuff that tastes weird

Marmite:

Vegemite:

 

[ame]

It's so ouchy! I have to get one for DS1 this year and three kids plus me next year

From my understanding some of the money goes to research into further developing technology for the passports. But also wages and because international travelers will pay whatever the government charges!

 

[elphaba91]

My name was misspelled on my birth certificate slightly and it only caused a problem when I went to apply for my passport. I would have had to change my name by deed poll and pay for the privilege so it was just easier to have that error on my passport. But I didn't have a problem 'changing' my name on my licence or anything to reflect my 'real' name! I just have to remember when doing any flights or ESTAs or anything like that to use the 'right' spelling and not my real one! Ugh! Headaches

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My grandmother had fun getting a passport many, many decades ago as her birth certificate said that she was born male!

I also had a client (I work in a family law clinic) whose son didn't have a surname!