The Cabinet is going to raise the price of a passport
During the meeting on April 19, the Russian government approved a draft law to increase the state duty for issuing biometric passports from 3.5 to 5 thousand rubles.
According to the Government, the increase in the size of state duties will make it possible to partially reimburse the federal budget for the creation of infrastructure for the introduction of new generation documents.
If the bill is approved by the state Duma, the price of biometric passports for children under 14 years will increase from 1.5 to 2.5 thousand rubles.
Last year, the government commission on legislative activities supported the proposal of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation to increase the state fee for registration of foreign passports of a new generation from 3.5 to 5 tons. The department says that the cost of producing biometric passports is growing by 10% annually.
The Association of Tour Operators of Russia says that the increase in prices for foreign passports will not affect the outbound tourist flow. Tour operators, evaluating the news of a possible increase in the state duty for issuing a passport, believe that the planned measure will not affect the outbound flow. The main argument is that people who go on a foreign vacation, it is quite “pocketable” to pay 5 thousand rubles for a new passport. Moreover, this is a long-term investment: the validity of the biometric passport is 10 years.