Passports

[Travelcat2]

The application for your first passport always has to be processed in person at a passport agency or acceptance facility such as a post office or county clerk's office. Only renewals can be mailed directly.

 

Just curious as to when this law went into effect?

[njhorseman]

Point taken. No one should be told how they should spend their money.

 

$110

 

That is how much it cost to get a passport. Fees are payable to the U.S. Department of State are as follows: New, replacement or renewal of a passport book: $110 if age 16 and older; $80 if under the age of 16. New, replacement or renewal of a passport card: $30 if age 16 and older; $15 if under the age of 16.

 

That is $11 /year. Considering I pay more per week for gasoline it doesn't seem like such a big deal, but if you have a bunch of people it can be a big sticker shock - at least initially. Then again, everyone on a trip also needs luggage. If I had to buy 7-8 sets of luggage all a once it would look like a lot too.

 

To be accurate, new passport or passport card applications also require payment of a $25 execution fee in addition to the amounts you cited.

[njhorseman]

Just curious as to when this law went into effect?

 

I don't know the exact date...but it's not very recent.

[thinfool]

Point taken. No one should be told how they should spend their money.

 

$110

 

That is how much it cost to get a passport. Fees are payable to the U.S.

 

First time applicants cannot get an adult US passport for $110.

Edited May 6, 2015 by thinfool

[sparks1093]

I don't think you can get a US passport for $110.

 

When we total everything it cost DW and I just north of $300 for two passports (for first time applications).

[lbjen]

We have dual nationality so we have to buy two each, and the British ones are way more expensive than the American ones. It is a cost of traveling, just as airline taxes or port fees are, and we accept that. We also buy travel insurance despite the very low risk of us needing to use it.

 

 

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[GoofyCdn]

I'll throw my 2 cents in here. I notice a lot of people saying it's not required to have a passport for a closed loop cruise, this is true. They are right, I don't need one. I think it's like I don't need a driver's license to drive a car but it sure helps when the police stop me. I don't need a passport to cruise, but it sure helps if I miss the ship or have a medical emergency. I would rather have the passport on hand so I can get home quickly.

[sparks1093]

I'll throw my 2 cents in here. I notice a lot of people saying it's not required to have a passport for a closed loop cruise, this is true. They are right, I don't need one. I think it's like I don't need a driver's license to drive a car but it sure helps when the police stop me. I don't need a passport to cruise, but it sure helps if I miss the ship or have a medical emergency. I would rather have the passport on hand so I can get home quickly.

 

The law requires that one have a drivers license to operate a vehicle on a public byway so to legally drive a car you do need a license. The regulations do not require a US citizen to have a passport on a closed loop cruise and it is perfectly legal for them to not have one.

[lbjen]

Obviously you're not going to change your stance on whether it is a good idea for your family to cruise without a passport or not, and you don't need to since you are getting them anyway, but for the sake of other people who are reading this thread and wondering if perhaps they don't need to 'waste' money on a passport, surely you have to concede that it is in fact smart to have one, even if not by your calculation, necessary.

 

 

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Edited May 6, 2015 by lbjen

[sparks1093]

Obviously you're not going to change your stance on whether it is a good idea for your family to cruise without a passport or not, and you don't need to since you are getting them anyway, but for the sake of other people who are reading this thread and wondering if perhaps they don't need to 'waste' money on a passport, surely you have to concede that it is in fact smart to have one, even if not by your calculation, necessary.

 

 

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My whole point is that people should assess their needs and make their decision for themselves about what documentation to use. I will never dispute that passport is king of travel documentation, but sometimes one doesn't need a king. (And as a point of clarification only DW and I have passports. The kids will have to decide for themselves now that they are all over 18.)

[Debala715]

First time applicants cannot get an adult US passport for $110.

 

 

Actually, that is what we just spent on ours.

[thinfool]

Actually, that is what we just spent on ours.

 

Nice...but to verify....you paid $110. for your very first full passport book (not a passport card)...no $25.00 service charge and no costs for photos?

[Shmoo here]

Actually, that is what we just spent on ours.

 

OK, if you want to be picky - the passport fee is $110 for an adult passport. But, you also must pay a $25.00 Execution Fee for a first time passport issuance. Total $135.00 for a first time adult passport.

 

Renewals only cost the $110.

[Debala715]

Nice...but to verify....you paid $110. for your very first full passport book (not a passport card)...no $25.00 service charge and no costs for photos?

 

We were talking just the cost of the passport book (not the card as we didn't order those). Yes, the post office charged us $25 fee but I don't consider that a part of the cost of the passport. I did have my photo taken at CVS, but based on the directions given on the passport website, I could have done the photos myself and avoided that cost.

 

Even still, the cost of getting these passports for the two of us ($270ish), is well worth the cost in case something happens to my mother or one of our children (both of whom are Chicago police officers) or even ourselves and we need to get home as quickly as possible. We talked about it a lot and decided it was well worth that peace of mind.

[Shmoo here]

We were talking just the cost of the passport book (not the card as we didn't order those). Yes, the post office charged us $25 fee but I don't consider that a part of the cost of the passport. I did have my photo taken at CVS, but based on the directions given on the passport website, I could have done the photos myself and avoided that cost.

 

Even still, the cost of getting these passports for the two of us ($270ish), is well worth the cost in case something happens to my mother or one of our children (both of whom are Chicago police officers) or even ourselves and we need to get home as quickly as possible. We talked about it a lot and decided it was well worth that peace of mind.

 

That $25.00 fee isn't assessed by the Post Office. It's part of the application process at the Passport issuing facility. So it's really "part of the cost of the passport".

[thinfool]

We were talking just the cost of the passport book (not the card as we didn't order those). Yes, the post office charged us $25 fee but I don't consider that a part of the cost of the passport. I did have my photo taken at CVS, but based on the directions given on the passport website, I could have done the photos myself and avoided that cost.

 

Even still, the cost of getting these passports for the two of us ($270ish), is well worth the cost in case something happens to my mother or one of our children (both of whom are Chicago police officers) or even ourselves and we need to get home as quickly as possible. We talked about it a lot and decided it was well worth that peace of mind.

 

So you don't consider port fees and taxes as part of the cost of a cruise either.

 

Still, if you don't pay them you don't get on the ship.

 

It follows that if you don't pay the $25. service fee you don't get a passport. Pictures might be a little flexible, but you still have to at least pay to have them printed, unless you happen to have a photo lab at home. No photos, no passport.

 

So, no first time adult applicant can obtain a US Passport for $110. The true cost is, at minimum, $135. plus best price for photos.

[Debala715]

That $25.00 fee isn't assessed by the Post Office. It's part of the application process at the Passport issuing facility. So it's really "part of the cost of the passport".

 

Well as I wrote out two checks, one for $110 made payable to the Department of State and one for $25 made payable to the Postmaster General, that would account for my confusion and why I stated that I didn't consider it part of the fee.

[Shmoo here]

Well as I wrote out two checks, one for $110 made payable to the Department of State and one for $25 made payable to the Postmaster General, that would account for my confusion and why I stated that I didn't consider it part of the fee.

 

Yes, you do make that Execution Fee check out to whoever the processing facility is that is accepting your application (in our case it was at our City Clerks office), but it's part of the passport application process. I believe they keep it at the local facility in order to maintain whatever it is they have to maintain to be an acceptance facility.