The Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP) has plans to raise passport issuance fee by EUR 10 in 2025 and by EUR 6 in 2026, as confirmed by the Ministry of the Interior.
PMLP had planned to significantly increase the fee at the beginning of 2024, but this plan was reviewed after a massive backlash from residents. The initial plan was to increase the fee from EUR 30 to EUR 60. The reason given for this was the adoption of a new passport design, new security solutions, maintenance of the document circulation system and other expenses. In the end, however, the decision was made to increase the fee by EUR 4, making the passport issuance fee EUR 34.
Now the ministry and PMLP have decided to return to the initial idea of significantly raising the fee. The reason – there is a shortage of funds in the budget. “When composing the state budget for 2025, domestic security was listed as one of the priorities. However, considering the capabilities of the budget, all sectors, the interior sector included, are ordered to lower their base expenditures for the next four years. To ensure uninterrupted functioning of the interior sector and avoid a reduction of costs at the expense of public security, a solution was found to close the gap by gradually increasing the fee for services provided by PMLP.”
The fee for the issuance of the passport and eID card is planned to be increased twice: starting with the 1st of January 2025 and the 1st of January 2026. It is planned for the standard fee for the manufacture of a passport to grow by EUR 10 in 2025 and then again by EUR 6 in 2026. This means the total fee will reach EUR 50. The same will apply to the fee for the issuance of an eID card.
The current price for the issuance of a passport within ten days is EUR 34 (EUR 60 within two days). The price of an eID card is EUR 15 and EUR 30, respectively.
According to the information provided by the Ministry of the Interior, after raising prices, state fee discounts for the issuance of identity documents will be retained – for children and young people up to 20 years of age, pensioners, as well as persons with group I or II disabilities. The fee for these groups of people will grow by “only by EUR 5” in 2025 and 2026, the ministry listed in its statement.
Currently, for these groups of residents, issuing a passport within ten days costs EUR 15, and EUR 30 within two working days, while issuing an eID card within these deadlines costs EUR 5 and EUR 15, respectively.
“Changes in fees are not related to any novelties,” the statement mentions.
The Ministry of the Interior reports that PMLP will also raise the price of visas and services for foreigners. However, no detailed information about the expected payment volume is provided. Currently the price of a Schengen Area visa EUR 90.
“Looking at the duties of the interior affairs sector, it was clear to us the lowering of expenses could not be allowed to happen at the expense of public security – control of the circulation of drugs performed by the State Police, patrolling of the border, maintenance of equipment of the State Fire and Rescue Service, fuel for deployment for emergencies and other objective daily needs. This is why, while working on the state budget plan for 2025, it was critically important to find additional sources of funding to ensure all processes and duties remain uninterrupted,” said Minister of the Interior Rihards Kozlovskis.