The Office of the Lieutenant Governor has announced that fees for new passport applications and renewals will increase on Tuesday, July 13, 2010. The U.S. State Department has mandated that the rise in fees will support that agency’s ongoing effort to provide efficient and secure passport services. Passport fees will increase from $100 to $135 for adults – classified as persons age 16 and older – and from $85 to $105 for children younger than 16. Passport renewals, now $75, will cost $110. Fees for expedited applications will remain the same at $60.
Fees for the passport card have also increased. Adults applying for the passport card will now pay $55, but if they already possess a valid 10-year passport, it will cost $30. Passport cards for children will now cost $40. The fee for the combined application for a passport book and card has also been raised. The passport card cannot be used for air travel, and is only for use for travel by land and sea from the United States to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda, according to a press release from the Office of the Lieutenant Governor.
The new fee structure also institutes a cost for additional visa pages and increases the costs of file searches. To apply for a passport, U.S. citizens will need a completed passport or passport renewal application (available at the Lieutenant Governor’s offices or online at www.ltg.gov.vi; proof of citizenship; proof of identity; two 2×2 photos and associated fees.
For more information, contact the Passport Divisions within the Office of the Lieutenant Governor at 774-4024 for the St. Thomas/St. John district, 773-6449 on St. Croix, or visit www.ltg.gov.vi. A listing of frequently asked questions is also available on the State Department’s Web site at www.travel.state.gov.
