New Schedule of Fees for Consular Services
New fees for immigrant visas, passports to take effect March 8
February 28, 2005

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Effective March 8, 2005, a twelve dollar ($12) security surcharge will be added to the fees charged for U.S. passports. This means that

-- The current cost of $70 for the passport of a child under 16 years of age will increase to $82

-- The current cost of $85 for the passport of a citizen 16 years old or older who must apply using Form DS-11 will increase to $97

-- The current cost of $55 for the passport of an adult who may use Form DS-82 to renew a previous passport will increase to $67.

The surcharge was authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005, to support enhanced border security. The U.S. Department of State is in the midst of a multi-year effort to increase border security by strengthening the security of the passport adjudication process and the physical passport itself. These changes impose a variety of developmental and operating costs on the State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs.

The surcharge will be used to support the issuance of a newly redesigned passport containing new security features. One of these is the addition of a biometric identifier. A chip will be embedded in the cover of the passport and will contain the same information that appears on the data page, including the bearer's picture as the biometric. The new fee also will cover the cost of sending passports by Priority Mail, a security feature that allows the Department of State to better track and account for passports.

Also on March 8, 2005, several other consular fees will increase. Notable among these:

-- The cost of an Immigrant Visa will increase by $45 from the current $335 to $380.

-- A new $500 Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee will be charged for Nonimmigrant L-1 visa petitions (Intracompany Transferees) filed abroad and for Nonimmigrant H-1B (Specialty Occupations) and L (Intracompany Transferees) visa petitions filed in the United States.

MRV Fees Will Not Increase

The $100 Nonimmigrant Visa application fee, currently paid by nonimmigrant visa applicants in El Salvador at Banco Cuscatlan offices, will not increase.