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A new British passport, claimed to be the most secure ever produced and featuring King Charles’s coat of arms on the front cover, has come into use.
Pages inside depict beauty spots from the four nations of the UK: Scotland’s Ben Nevis; England’s Lake District; the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland and Three Cliffs Bay in Wales.
The look of UK passports last changed in 2020 when they switched from burgundy to dark blue after Brexit and Boris Johnson’s pledge to bring back “beautiful new blue passports”.
Passports have been issued in the king’s name since 2023, with their pages referring to “His Majesty”. But until now the coat of arms of the late Queen Elizabeth had remained on the cover.
The new version boasts advanced anti-forgery features including holographs and translucent pages making passports easier to verify but harder to forge or alter. The Home Office said on Wednesday that 300 were already in circulation.
Mike Tapp, the migration and citizenship minister, said: “I’m proud to see our new British passports in circulation. Featuring His Majesty’s coat of arms and landscapes from all four nations, they celebrate our heritage while delivering enhanced security.
“They are also the most secure British passports ever produced, helping us protect our borders and deliver outstanding public service.”
The first modern British passport was produced in 1915 and the first security measure of a watermark was not added until 1972. Since then “dozens” of extra security features have been added, including complex patterns hard to copy and some details visible only in UV light.
The Home Office said existing passports with the late queen’s coat of arms remained valid until their expiry date. Banknotes featuring Charles first came into circulation in June 2024.
The replacement of the late queen’s portrait with that of the king’s was the only change to the existing designs of all four UK banknotes – the £5, £10, £20 and £50. The other design and security features of the notes remain the same. The first set of stamps to feature Charles’s silhouette were issued in March 2023.
