Cheaper passports

Dutch passports and ID cards in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba will become slightly cheaper as of January 1, 2016, the Kingdom Council of Ministers decided on Friday, writes The Daily Herald.

Youngsters in the three Dutch public entities will be paying more than US $2 less for their new ID card and passport as of next year, while the price for adults will go down by US $8. The price for passports and ID cards in the Netherlands for adults will be decreased by 2,67 euros. The price reduction will not apply to youngsters in that country.

The proposal to reduce the prices was submitted by Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk. The Dutch Government sets maximum tariffs for passports and ID cards issued in the Netherlands and the Caribbean Netherlands.

Currently, a passport in the Caribbean Netherlands may not cost more than US $97.37. There are no maximum tariffs for Dutch passports issued in Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten. As of last year, passports and ID cards have a validity of ten years instead of five years.

The complete list of tariffs for 2016 will be published shortly on the website of the Dutch Government Service for Identity Data (Rijksdienst voor Identiteitsgegevens) www. rvig.nl.