Need to renew your passport? Here’s what it will cost and how long it will take around Europe

14.07.2024 - 22:40 / euronews.com / Angela Symons

Planning a last minute holiday? Be sure to check the expiry date on your passport.

While many Brits have been stung by post-Brexit validity rules in recent years, Germany is plagued by lengthy passport application wait times this summer.

Many German holidaymakers have been caught off guard by the delays at the Federal Printing Office, which have seen passport processing times shoot up from two weeks to eight.

For those with flights to catch, this means shelling out extra for an express application - and potentially losing their initial fee, as orders can’t be cancelled - or applying for a temporary passport to cover their trip.

With record numbers of passports ordered in Germany since the start of 2024, hundreds of thousands of citizens could be affected.

Whether you’re in Germany or elsewhere in Europe, here’s how long you can expect to wait for a new passport this summer. 

Belgian citizens are luckier when it comes to last-minute trip planning: passports will usually arrive at the municipal office within five working days of submitting a renewal request.

Urgent processing is also available, with requests submitted before 3pm fulfilled by the next working day. But it will cost you: the fee is €240 compared with the usual €60.  

Still panicking? At €300, the super-urgent procedure sees new Belgian passports requested before 3pm on weekdays delivered by 4:30am the following morning, or if requested on Saturday by 10am the next day.

French holidaymakers have to be better at planning ahead. While it varies by prefecture, the time taken to issue passports in France is currently up to eight weeks from the date of application in some places.

If you need to renew your French passport, check the waiting time for an appointment at your local town hall, as well as the processing, manufacturing, packaging and delivery times. 

It costs €86 to renew your French passport. Temporary passports can be issued in emergency situations.

‘Ever-efficient Germany’ is losing its title, as passport waiting times shoot up from as few as two weeks to as many as eight. 

Official government advice is to allow a processing time of six to eight weeks for standard German passport renewals, which are priced at €70. 

For an additional fee of €32, you can also apply for a biometric passport using the express procedure. For orders sent off before midday, the passport will be ready for collection within three working days.

In Italy, waiting times for a new passport are relatively short, but costs are high compared with many other European countries.

It usually takes between two and three weeks for a new passport to be issued. If you need your travel documents sooner, you can request an expedited service from your ‘questura’ (local police headquarters).

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