Here's how much you'll need to pay, and who is affected.

With Christmas and New Year festivities out of the way, many of us are now looking forward for a great deal on our next family holiday.

So it's NOT good news that the price of one travel essential is going up ... and it's happening this week.

• How to plan a cheap family holiday in 2023

The government has revealed the cost of getting a new passport, and of renewing an old one, is going up from this Thursday.

A standard online application made from within the UK will increase from £75.50 to £82.50 for adults and from £49 to £53.50 for children.

Meanwhile, postal applications will rise from £85 to £93 for grown ups and from £58.50 to £64 for children.

When is the price of passports going up?

Government chiefs will be bringing in the new passport fees on 2 February. This will affect all applications: new passports and renewals.

Why is the cost of passports increasing?

Announcing the proposals, the Government website explained:

'The new fees will help the Home Office move towards a system that meets its costs through those who use it, reducing reliance on funding from general taxation.

'The Government does not make any profit from the cost of passport applications.

'The fees will also contribute to the cost of processing passport applications, consular support overseas, including for lost or stolen passports, and the cost of processing British citizens at UK borders,' the webpage continued.

'The increase will also help enable the Government to continue improving its services.'

This is the first time in 5 years fees for applying for a passport have risen, the Home Office said.

The government department also added that the proposals were subject to parliamentary scrutiny.

'We can't afford to travel abroad anyway so who needs a passport'

Lots of social media users have been left unimpressed with the fee increases.

Commenting under a Facebook post by Which? about the change , one user said:

'Well...everything else is going up so why not! We can't afford to travel abroad anyway so who needs a passport.'

Another remarked: 'They will probably be charging us for breathing next year. I can see it now £99.90 a year for 12 months of air.'

Looking for a budget-friendly trip for the summer? Here's how to plan a cheap family getaway in 2023. Or, if you're dreading the plane journey with the kids, these tips should make things easier ...

Related stories

Mum issues Babybel warning after discovering her son eats them in this way

CHAT: Travel advice

Frightening video shows how quickly water beads can kill children when swallowed