British holidaymakers who need to renew their passport to go on holiday abroad face paying an extra charge for making a simple mistake.

There are two different services that can be used when applying for a new passport, but one is £12.50 more expensive. Passport renewals or replacements can either be done online via the government website, or by completing a paper form at a local Post Office. Applying online is the cheapest option and will save you an extra £12.50 than sending off for a new passport by post. But according to MoneySavingExpert, more than 360,000 Brit missed out on savings last year by using the paper application form instead.

The government rolled out new passport fees in April which means adults (age 16 and over) must pay £94.50 for a standard new passport when applying online, while a new child’s passport now costs £61.50. But if you apply by paper form you’ll face an extra £12.50 charge, with new adult passports costing £107 and new children’s passports costing £74.

There’s a bigger cost if you need a frequent traveller passport, which is 54 pages instead of 34, as this is priced at £107.50 for adults and £74.50 for children. Again it is £12.50 more expensive to apply for one of these passports via post, with adults having to pay £120 and £87 for a child.

The One Day Premium Service - which is available if you need to get your passport renewed quickly - has also increased from April and now costs £222 for adults and £189 for children.

Additionally, overseas applications for a UK passport have also increased with standard online applications for adults now priced at £108 and £70 for children.

But adults who apply from overseas via paper application must pay £120.50, while costs for children are £82.50 - both £12.50 more than applying online.

The government said the new increased fees will be used to contribute to the cost of processing passport applications, consular support overseas, including for lost or stolen passports, and the cost of processing British citizens at UK borders.

Holidaymakers are urged to apply in good time before travelling to ensure they receive their passport in time. In 2024, where no further information was required, 99.7% of standard applications from the UK were processed within three weeks.