A revamped version of British passports will be issued from this month – but can you spot what’s changed?
For the first time, the travel document will feature King Charles’s coat of arms, in what the Home Office described back in October as a “new era”.
It is also the first time in five years that passports have been given a “wholly new design”, according to the government department.
Here’s what you need to know.
What has changed?
Although you may have to look hard to spot the differences, the most significant change to the passport is the coat of arms, which will represent King Charles instead of Queen Elizabeth II.
Perhaps the most noticeable difference between the two is the crown at the top, which is now more domed and has different details.
It resembles the Tudor Crown, which the King chose as his royal cypher when he ascended to the throne in 2022. The same cypher is used on government buildings, state documents and post boxes.
During Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, the St Edward’s Crown was used.
Use the slider below to directly compare the older version of the passport (on the left) to the newer one (on the right).
The shield in the middle also appears more detailed and larger, covering more of the phrase “Dieu et mon droit” – meaning “God and my right” in French.
As the official motto of the British monarch, the phrase appears on both versions of the passports.
The lion and unicorn that appear either side of the shield, representing England and Scotland respectively, have also had a slight makeover, with their facial features more defined and both the bodies and tails of the animals thinned.
Inside the passport, the four nations of the UK will be represented.
On the pages used for stamps and visas when you travel in and out of countries, images of the following UNESCO-protected natural landscapes will be printed:
• Ben Nevis
• The Lake District
• Three Cliffs Bay
• Giant’s Causeway
Why make changes?
Updates to passports are not uncommon.
In 2023, the first passports bearing the title “His Majesty” were distributed. It ended more than seven decades of passports being supplied in the name of Queen Elizabeth II.
A bigger and far more noticeable change to British passports was made in 2020.
That was the year blue passports began to be phased in, replacing their burgundy predecessors after the UK left the European Union.
The UK adopted burgundy passports in 1988 in line with EU recommendations; before that a blue colour had been used since 1921.
The new passport will also include the latest anti-forgery technology, making it what the Home Office said is the “most secure British passport ever produced”.
The safety measures include updates to the holographic and translucent features on the photograph page, making the documents easier to verify at borders and even harder to forge or tamper with.
The Home Office said this also helps to prevent people from illegally entering the country.
Will my passport remain valid?
Yes, passports that are still in date can be used until they expire. The expiry date is printed on the last line of the photo page, below your personal details.
Anyone who orders a passport from December should receive the new design.
How much is a new passport?
In April this year, the price of the online passport application rose to £94.50 for adults. For children under 16, it is slightly cheaper at £61.50.
Applying with a paper form will cost more: £107 for an adult and £74 for a child.
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The Home Office says it makes no profit from passport fees and instead says part of the cost goes towards funding passport control and border officers, while some of the money supports “consular support overseas, including lost or stolen passports”.
Before the price rise, the UK passport was already among the most expensive in Europe, and retains its spot with the increase.
