On April 2 the passport acceptance fee or execution fee will increase $10 from $25 to $35.

Collin County Commissioners discussed the fee increase during a meeting March 12 and questioned if it was a mandatory or elective increase. Collin County District Clerk Lynne Finley said it is a mandatory increase from the U.S. Department of State.

The fee applies to U.S. passport applicants using the DS-11 form, which includes first-time applicants and applicants re-applying after reporting a previous passport lost or stolen. The fee will go towards the county’s general fund, Finley said.

The county processed 37,646 passports in 2017, Zonia Minjares, senior administrator for the Collin County District Clerk, said in an email.

Revenue collected from passports is a combination of application fees and picture processing fees, when applicable, Minjares said in an email. In 2016, the county generated just over $1 million in revenue from processing passports and in 2017 generated approximately $1.2 million, Finley said during the meeting.

With the $10 increase, the county will generate an additional $160,000 per year through passports, Collin County Judge Keith Self said.

Collin County will host a “passport day” Saturday, March 24, before the new fee goes into effect. This will give residents one more opportunity to get a passport at the $25 rate in Collin County, Finley said.

More information about the fee increase can be found on the U.S. Department of State’s website.