Passport prices to be increased

The Department of Immigration has announced that the price of issuing passports will be increased from 1 November 2014.

The department said in an announcement on Wednesday evening that the ordinary electronic passport of 32 pages, which presently costs MVR 450, will cost MVR 1,000 next month.

Similarly, the department has increased the price of the ordinary electronic passport of 64 pages from MVR 650 to MVR 1,500, and the price of non-electronic passport from MVR 300 to MVR 600.

The announcement further stated that prices have not been increased since 2007, and that the issuance of passports presently poses a loss for the department.

The decision to increase prices follows changes in the procedures of printing, processing, and handling passports, said the Immigration Department.

The spokesperson for the Immigration Department told Sun Online that on average, about five passports are reported missing every day, and that this number increased for 2013 when compared with 2012.

Along with the prices of issuing new passports, the department has also increased fines for lost and damaged passports.