Cost of IDs and city hall services to increase

The lower house of Parliament has approved an amendment to the law on the conditions of issuing IDs and certificates. The proposed changes would increase the price for an express biometric passport to 4,000 crowns up from the present 1,500. Such a document would be ready within six days instead of a fortnight and it would not have restricted validity. The basic cost of a biometric passport which is issued within 30 days would remain 600 crowns. People over 70 years of age would get IDs with a validity of 35 years instead of the present 10 to save them the bother of having to get them renewed. The increase in the price of some services should bring city halls an additional 156 million crowns.