U.S. passport and immigrant visa fees increased Tuesday to pay for embedded computer chips and other security measures, the U.S. Embassy announced.
All passport application and renewal fees for U.S. citizens rose $12. It now costs $67 for adults to renew their passport, and $82 for children under 16.
Parents purchasing passports for their newborn children must pay $82 for a passport and an additional $65 for a consular report of birth.
“The chip embedded in the cover has the same information as on the page, including the picture,” said Judith Bryan, press attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo.
The new security costs also are being applied to immigrant visas, although no change was announced for visitor and other nonimmigrant visas.
Immigrant visas now cost $380, a $45 hike. Applications for diversity lottery visas shot from $100 to $420, including the $45 security charge.
Applicants for L-1 visas must pay a $500 fraud prevention and detection fee. L-1 visas are granted to workers who are being transferred to the United States by multinational companies.
Legal permanent alien residents who have lost a passport and need to re-enter the States will pay $165, down from $300.
The State Department is required by law to recover costs of providing most consular services through user fees, according to the embassy. The last major fee revision occurred in 2002.
For information on visa and passport regulations, go to http://japan.usembassy.gov, or contact a base passport office.
