The price of a New Zealand passport has risen overnight as the border opens and more Kiwis begin to travel abroad. <\/p>\n
A New Zealand passport. (Source: istock.com)<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
From there, the adult passport will rise to $206 from May 25 next year, and then up to $215 from May 25 2024. <\/p>\n
A child's passport will go up to $120 in May next year, and $125 May 2024. <\/p>\n
Internal Affairs Minister Jan Tinetti said the rise was due to the decrease in demand caused by Covid. <\/p>\n
\"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.\"<\/p>\n
\"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.\"<\/p>\n
The international border has re-opened in phases to various groups after being closed since early 2020 due to Covid. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
New Zealanders have been warned recently about long waits for passports, as more than 500,000 passports expired during the border closure time period. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
An Australian passport costs $329, a British passport costs $152, and a Canadian passport cost $191.42.<\/p>\n
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Price of New Zealand passport rises - 1News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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 Continue reading