Gaybutton Posted July 7, 2010 Posted July 7, 2010 Passport Fees Going Up Next Week By A. Pawlowski, CNN July 7, 2010 (CNN) -- Get ready to open your wallet a little wider to satisfy your travel bug: It is soon going to cost more to apply for a new U.S. passport or renew an old one -- a move criticized by the public and some lawmakers. Starting next Tuesday, adults applying for their first passport book will have to pay $135 -- a 35 percent increase from the current $100 fee. (The cost of the wallet-size passport card, which Americans can use on certain trips closer to home, is rising from $45 to $55 for first-time applicants.) Want to add more visa pages to your passport book? It's free now, but you will have to shell out $82 under the new fee schedule. The renewal fee for passport books will rise to $110 -- up from the current $75. There's even a new fee if you'd like formally to renounce your U.S. citizenship -- it costs nothing now, but the price tag will be $450 starting Tuesday. Passport fees going up next week http://travel.state.gov/news/news_5078.html Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted July 8, 2010 Posted July 8, 2010 As a UK citizen, I look on with some envy. The cost of my new passport last year had climbed to over Bt.7,000. And EU citizens can not get extra pages. As soon as the passport is full, you have to shell out for a new one. Quote
Gaybutton Posted July 8, 2010 Author Posted July 8, 2010 As a UK citizen, I look on with some envy. For USA citizens the embassy charges 1200 baht for the proof-of-income statement, although I'm expecting to see that cost rise along with everything else. I'm curious. How much do you, as a UK citizen, have to pay for a proof-of-income statement from your embassy? Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted July 8, 2010 Posted July 8, 2010 I'm curious. How much do you, as a UK citizen, have to pay for a proof-of-income statement from your embassy? I'm sorry I'll have to leave others to answer, as for the time being I use the lump sum payment. Quote
Jason1988 Posted July 8, 2010 Posted July 8, 2010 I'm sorry I'll have to leave others to answer, as for the time being I use the lump sum payment. When you refer to the lump sum payment, do you mean that as the amount held in a Thai bank for a retirement visa, or something else? Thanks. Quote
2lz2p Posted July 9, 2010 Posted July 9, 2010 The fee for notarial service is going up from $30 for first item and $20 for each additional document to $50 for each document. The pension income statement is considered to be a notarial service - I think it was around 1,000 when I got mine from American Citizen Service in May. So, expect it to go up to around 1,600 Baht starting next Tuesday. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted July 9, 2010 Posted July 9, 2010 When you refer to the lump sum payment, do you mean that as the amount held in a Thai bank for a retirement visa, or something else? Thanks. Yes, it is the lump sum which you deposit from overseas into a Thai bank account and have sitting there for 90 days prior to renewal of retirement visa. As you probably know, you can elect either to meet the income requirements that way, or by remitting a certain amount each month. The former requires no proof-of-income statement; the latter does. Quote
Gaybutton Posted July 9, 2010 Author Posted July 9, 2010 I'm sorry I'll have to leave others to answer Is anyone going to answer? How much do UK citizens have to pay for a proof-of-income statement from their embassy? Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted July 9, 2010 Posted July 9, 2010 It's Bt. 2,315. I looked it up on the UK Embassy website Quote
Gaybutton Posted July 9, 2010 Author Posted July 9, 2010 It's Bt. 2,315. I looked it up on the UK Embassy website That's over 1000 baht more than the US embassy charges. Their fee is 1200 baht. Even if the price hikes change the 1200 baht fee by 35%, which would mean 1620 baht for USA citizens to obtain the proof-of-income statement, UK citizens still end up paying 695 more than USA citizens. Quote