The Home Office is rolling out a revamped passport design from next week — with one very noticeable change.
It’s the first ‘wholly new design’ since 2020, according to the government, although fresh looks tend to be introduced every five years or so.
This new look however, is intended to usher in a ‘new era’ for travellers.
Here’s the lowdown on everything you need to know about the new UK passport.
What does the UK’s new passport look like?
The first and change that you’ll notice on the new passports is that the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Coat of Arms has been replaced on the front cover.
That’s right, this is the first wave of new passports bearing bearing His Majesty King Charles III’s Coat of Arms.
Then, once you open the passport, instead of the current geometric pattern, you’ll see the four nations of the UK represented through images of UNESCO-protected natural landscapes.
The four sites pictured are Ben Nevis, the Lake District, Three Cliffs Bay, and the Giant’s Causeway.
King Charles III has been to Ben Nevis before, notably when he took a trek in the foothills with the Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team in 1987, and he visited the Giant’s Causeway in June 1996 where he was pictured sitting on the basalt columns.
The King is said to have a special relationship with the Lake District, too, making almost annual visits to Cumbria, since 2001.
There’ll also be cutting-edge holographic and translucent features, making passports easier to verify and even harder to forge or tamper with.
With this anti-forgery technology, the Home Office claims it’s the ‘most secure British passport ever produced’.
Minister for Migration and Citizenship, Mike Tapp says: ‘The introduction of His Majesty’s Arms, iconic landscapes, and enhanced security features marks a new era in the history of the British passport.
‘It also demonstrates our commitment to outstanding public service – celebrating British heritage while ensuring our passports remain among the most secure and trusted in the world for years to come.’
When are the new passports being introduced?
These swanky new passports will be rolled out from Monday December 1.
It means that by the end of the decade, red passports, a relic often regarded fondly by Remainers, will be out of circulation entirely.
The UK switched from the burgundy cover to the dark blue in 2020, post-Brexit.
Do I need to get this passport?
UK travellers can continue to use their current passport as normal. It’s still valid, and the new design won’t have any impact on how or where you can use the passport you currently hold.
However, when it is time to renew, you’ll receive the new design.
It always worth checking the validity of your passport ahead of your next trip.
In the first 6 months of 2025 over 3.8 million passports were issued, with 99.7% of applications where no further information was required being processed within 3 weeks, so it’s not as painful a process as it may sound.
Currently it costs £94.50 to renew or replace your passport online, or £107 if you use a paper form. The new passports won’t cost any more than the current version.
How do post-Brexit travel rules affect UK travellers?
Since the UK has now left the European Union, travelling to Europe and the Schengen Zone comes with some complications, as UK passport holders are now ’third-party nationals’.
This means that your passport now needs to be issued less than ten years before your arrival date to the destination.
These rules apply to Brits travelling to all EU member states, except Ireland. They also apply to other countries in Europe’s Schengen area, such as Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Andorra, and Monaco.
Now, your UK passport must:
- have been issued less than 10 years before the date you enter the EU country (the date of issue)
- be valid for at least three months after the day you plan to leave (the date of expiry)
- If it doesn’t fit the above criteria, you will need to renew your passport though the HM Passport Office, which allows you to renew it through the post or online.
