The US Embassy is introducing new fees for consular services aside from visitor visas from Tuesday.

In a press release the Embassy said the fees cover the operating expenses for the 301 consular posts abroad, including Guyana, 23 domestic passport agencies and other centres that provide consular services to both US and foreign citizens.

As is the case in all US government user charges, services that directly benefit individuals, organisations, or groups are paid for by the users rather than by taxpayers in general.

Some fees are decreasing, including the cost of petitioning for an immigrant visa for an immediate relative from US$355 to US$330.

First-time passport books for an adult will increase from US$100 to US$135 while the renewal cost will increase from US$75 to US$110. The total charge for a minor’s passport book, age 16 and younger, will increase from US$85 to US$105. The Department will charge US$82 to add pages to an existing passport, though frequent travellers renewing their passports can request a 52-page passport book at no additional cost.

The Embassy also said the fee for registering the birth of a US citizen is increasing from US$65 to US$100 and notarial services from US$30 to US$50 for the first service. The increase in charges stem from a detailed study the Department of State conducted in June 2009.