U.S. Consulate announces fee increases

TUESDAY, JULY 6: The U.S. Department of State is raising fees associated with passport and immigrant visa services to meet the increasing cost of delivering consular services.  

Of special interest to American citizens are increased costs for passports and Consular Reports of Birth Abroad, and new charges for adding extra pages to a passport and for renunciation of citizenship.

The following fees will be in effect on Tuesday, July 13, 2010.

PASSPORT AND CITIZENSHIP SERVICES:

• The application processing fee for adult passport applications will increase from $55 to $70.
• The passport book security surcharge will change from $20 to $40.
• The application fee for passport cards will increase from $20 to $30 for adults and from $10 to $15 for minors.
• A new fee of $82 for additional passport pages will be imposed.
• The fee for file search and verification of U.S. citizenship will increase from $60 to $150.
• The fee for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad will increase from $65 to $100.
• A new fee of $450 is being established for documentation of formal renunciation of U.S. citizenship, which applies only to those persons who choose to take the Oath of Renunciation pursuant to Sec. 349(a)(5) INA.

OVERSEAS CITIZENS SERVICES:

• The fee for making arrangements for a deceased non-U.S. citizen will be $200, plus expenses.

IMMIGRANT AND SPECIAL VISA SERVICES:

• The immigrant visa (IV) application fee which must be collected from all IV applicants who are not fee-exempt – will now be tiered.  The new fees will be $330 for immediate relative and family preference cases (processed on the basis of an I-130, I-600 or I-800 petition), $720 for employment-based cases (processed on the basis of an I-140 petition), and $305 for other cases (special IVs, Diversity Visas (DVs), self-petitioned cases, and all other IVs).
• The IV security surcharge, which must be collected from all IV applicants who are not fee-exempt, will increase from $45 to $74.
• The DV fee (which is charged in addition to the application processing fee and security surcharge) will change from $375 to $440.
• The fee for domestic (National Visa Center) review of affidavits of support is changing from $70 to $88.
• The fee for determining returning resident status is decreasing from $400 to $380.

DOCUMENTARY SERVICES:

• Notarial and authentication services, which now range from $20 to $30, will be $50 per notarization.

JUDICIAL ASSISTANCE SERVICES:

• The fee for processing of letters rogatory will increase from $735 to $2,275.
• Fees for taking depositions and executing commissions to take testimony will change as follows: scheduling/arranging appointments for depositions, from $475 to $1,283; attending or taking depositions or executing commissions to take testimony, from the consular time charge of $265/hour to $309/hour plus expenses; swearing in witnesses for telephone depositions and  supervising telephone depositions, from the consular time charge of $265/hour to $231/hour; providing seal and certification of depositions, from $70 to $415.

For more information or to make an appointment, please go to http://hamilton.usconsulate.gov/.