Price of New Zealand passport rises – 1News

The price of a New Zealand passport has risen overnight as the border opens and more Kiwis begin to travel abroad.

A New Zealand passport. (Source: istock.com)

The price rose at 12am on Wednesday, from $191 to $199. A child's passport, which lasts five years compared to an adult's 10, went up by $4 to $115.

From there, the adult passport will rise to $206 from May 25 next year, and then up to $215 from May 25 2024.

A child's passport will go up to $120 in May next year, and $125 May 2024.

Internal Affairs Minister Jan Tinetti said the rise was due to the decrease in demand caused by Covid.

"The passport system is designed to be entirely funded by passport fees, and while passport income has taken a significant hit, the fixed costs to run the service remain consistent so we have been advised a small increase is required."

"We appreciate any increase to costs at this time will pose a challenge to some families, but this outcome is the best balance between keeping the increase to a minimum and returning the passport service to full cost recovery."

The international border has re-opened in phases to various groups after being closed since early 2020 due to Covid.

It previously rose from $180 to $191 in 2019 to pay for the shortfall created by extending the passport life from five to 10 years, while a child's passport fee went up from $105 to $111.

New Zealanders have been warned recently about long waits for passports, as more than 500,000 passports expired during the border closure time period.

At the end of April the processing time had moved from 10 working days to about 22. The Government estimates it takes about one month to renew, replace or apply for a passport.

An Australian passport costs $329, a British passport costs $152, and a Canadian passport cost $191.42.

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Price of New Zealand passport rises - 1News