The price of a New Zealand passport has risen overnight as the border opens and more Kiwis start traveling overseas.

The price increased Wednesday at midnight from $191 to $199. A child’s passport, which lasts five years compared to 10 for an adult, has increased by $4 to $115.

From there, the adult passport will increase to $206 from May 25 next year, then up to $215 from May 25, 2024.

A child’s passport will increase to $120 in May next year and $125 in May 2024.

Home Secretary Jan Tinetti said the rise was due to lower demand caused by Covid.

“The passport system is designed to be funded entirely by passport fees, and while passport revenue has been significantly impacted, the fixed costs of running the service remain constant, so we have been advised that a slight increase is necessary.”

“We appreciate that any increase in costs at this time poses a challenge for some families, but this outcome is the best balance between keeping the increase to a minimum and returning passport service to full cost recovery.”

The international border has reopened in phases to various groups after being closed since early 2020 due to Covid.

It had previously risen from $180 to $191 in 2019 to make up for the revenue shortfall created by extending the life of the passport from five to 10 years, while a child’s passport fee has risen from $105 to $111 $.

New Zealanders were recently warned of long waits for passports as more than 500,000 passports expired during the border closure period.

By the end of April, the processing time had dropped from 10 working days to around 22. The government estimates that it takes around a month to renew, replace or apply for a passport.

An Australian passport costs $329, a British passport costs $152 and a Canadian passport costs $191.42.