US passport application fees hiked

United States passport application fees will be costlier by $12 from March 8.

L-1 visa applicants will have to pay an additional fee of $500.

The changes are part of new charges for consular services in US diplomatic missions in New Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata.

The $500 extra for L-1 visa is a 'fraud prevention and detection fee' that has to be paid while submitting papers for the visa.

The $12 surcharge will be used to increase border security by strengthening the security of the passport adjudication process.