Early passports (1414–1921) King
Henry V of England is credited with having invented what some consider the first passport in the modern sense, as a means of helping his subjects prove who they were in foreign lands. The earliest reference to these documents is found in the
Safe Conducts Act 1414. Passports were still signed by the monarch until 1685, when the
Secretary of State could sign them instead. The Secretary of State signed all passports in place of the monarch from 1794 onwards, at which time formal records started to be kept; all of these records still exist. Passports were written in Latin or English until 1772, then in French until 1858. Since that time, they have been written in English, with some sections translated into French. In 1855, passports became a standardised document issued solely to British nationals. Passports in England and Wales were issued by the Home Secretary, and in Scotland by the Lord Provost of Edinburgh or Glasgow. They were a simple single-sheet hand-drafted paper document. Some duplicate passports and passport records are available at the
British Library; for example IOR: L/P&J/11 contain a few surviving passports of travelling
ayahs from the 1930s. A passport issued on 18 June 1641 and signed by
King Charles I still exists. However, the outbreak of
World War I led to the introduction of modern
border controls, including in the UK with passage of the
British Nationality and Status of Aliens Act 1914. Thus, in 1915 the British government developed a new format of passport that could be mass-produced and used to quickly identify the bearer. The new passport consisted of a printed sheet folded into ten and affixed to a clothed cardboard cover. It included a description of the holder as well as a photograph, and had to be renewed after two years.
Passport booklets (1921–1993) In October 1920, the
League of Nations held the
Paris Conference on Passports & Customs Formalities and Through Tickets. British diplomats joined with 42 countries to draft passport guidelines and a general booklet design resulted from the conference. The League model specified a 32-page booklet of . The first four pages were reserved for detailing the bearer's physical characteristics, occupation and residence. The British government formed the
Passport Office in the same year and in 1921 began issuing 32-page passports with a navy blue hardcover with an embossed coat of arms. "BRITISH PASSPORT" was the common identifier printed at the top of all booklets, while the name of the issuing government was printed below the coat of arms (e.g. United Kingdom, New Zealand, Hong Kong). Cut-outs in the cover allowed the bearer's name and the passport number to be displayed. This format would remain the standard for most British passports until the introduction of machine-readable passports in 1988. It continued to be issued in the United Kingdom until the end of 1993. As with many contemporary travel documents worldwide, details were handwritten into the passport and (as of 1955) included: number, holder's name, "accompanied by his wife" and her maiden name, "and" (number) "children", national status. For both bearer and wife: profession, place and date of birth, country of residence, height, eye and hair colour, special peculiarities, signature and photograph. Names, birth dates, and sexes of children, list of countries for which valid, issue place and date, expiry date, a page for renewals and, at the back, details of the amount of
foreign exchange for travel expenses (a limited amount of sterling, typically £50 but increasing with inflation, could be taken out of the country). The bearer's sex was not explicitly stated, although the name was written in with title ("Mr John Smith"). Descriptive text was printed in both English and French (a practice which continues), e.g., "Accompanied by his wife (Maiden name)/Accompagné de sa femme (Née)". Changed details were struck out and rewritten, with a
rubber-stamped note confirming the change. If details and photograph of a man's wife and details of children were entered (this was not compulsory), the passport could be used by the bearer, wife, and children under 16, if together; separate passports were required for the wife or children to travel independently. Until 1972 the passport was valid for five years, renewable for another five, after which it had to be replaced. Renewal of a passport required physical cancellation of the old passport, which was then returned to the bearer. The top-right corner of its front cover was cut off and "Cancelled" was stamped into one or both of the cut-outs in the front cover, which showed the passport number and the bearer's name, as well on the pages showing the bearer's details and the document's validity. For much of the 20th century, the passport had a printed list of countries for which it was valid, which was added to manually as validity increased. A passport issued in 1955 was valid for the British Commonwealth, USA, and all countries in Europe "including the
USSR, Turkey, Algeria, Azores, Canary Islands, Iceland, and Madeira"; during its period of validity restrictions eased and it was endorsed "and for all other foreign countries".
The British visitor's passport A new simplified type, the British Visitor's Passport, was introduced in 1961. It was a single sheet of cardboard, folded in three so as to consist of six pages the same size as those of a regular passport, and was valid for one year. It was obtainable for many years from
Employment Exchanges, as agents of the Passport Office, and later from a
Post Office. It was accepted for travel by most west European countries (excluding surface travel to
West Berlin), but was dropped in 1995 since it did not meet new security standards. A cancelled passport, which was returned to the bearer, had its top-right corner cut off, which had the effect of removing a corner from every page.
Machine-readable passports (1988–2006) passport as introduced in 1988 before the Community became the
European Union After the passport standardisation efforts of the 1920s, further effort to update international passport guidance was limited. The United Kingdom joined the
European Communities in 1973, at a time when the Communities was looking to strengthen European civic identity. Between 1974 and 1975, the member states developed a common format. Member states agreed that passports should be burgundy in colour and feature the heading "European Community" in addition to the country name. Adoption by member states was voluntary. While most of the Community adopted the format by 1985, the UK continued to issue the traditional blue booklet. Rapid growth of air travel and technological change led to the
International Civil Aviation Organization defining a new international standard for
machine-readable passport, ICAO Doc 9303, in 1980. An ICAO standard machine-readable passport was a significant departure from the traditional British passport layout, and the British government did not immediately adopt it. In 1986, the
United States announced the
US Visa Waiver Program. The concept allowed for passport holders of certain countries to enter the US for business or tourism without applying for a visitor visa. The UK was the first country to join the scheme in 1988; however, a requirement was that the traveller hold a machine-readable passport. Thus, the British government, after nearly 70 years, decided to retire the traditional League of Nations format passport. With the move to machine-readable passports, the UK decided to adopt the European Community format. On 15 August 1988, the
Glasgow passport office became the first to issue burgundy-coloured machine-readable passports. They had the words 'European Community' on the cover, later changed to '
European Union' in 1997. The passport had 32 pages; while a 48-page version was made available with more space for stamps and visas. Two lines of machine-readable text were printed in ICAO format, and a section was included in which relevant terms ("surname", "date of issue", etc.) were translated into the official EU languages. Passports issued overseas did not all have a Machine Readable Zone, but these were introduced gradually as appropriate equipment was made available overseas. While other British territories such as
Hong Kong and the
Cayman Islands were not part of the European Community, they also adopted the same European format, although "British Passport" remained at the top rather than "European Community". In 1998 the first
digital image passport was introduced with photographs being replaced with images printed directly on the data page which was moved from the cover to an inside page to reduce the ease of fraud. These documents were all issued with machine-readable zones and had a hologram over the photograph, which was the first time that British passports had been protected by an optically variable safeguard. These documents were issued until 2006 when the biometric passport was introduced.
Biometric passports (2006–present) Series A (2006–2015) In the late 1990s, ICAO's Technical Advisory Group began developing a new standard for storing biometric data (e.g. photo, fingerprints, iris scan) on a
chip embedded in a passport. The
September 11 attacks involving the
hijacking of
commercial airliners led to the rapid incorporation of the group's technical report into ICAO Doc 9303. The
Identity and Passport Service issued the first biometric British passport on 6 February 2006, known as Series A. This was the first British passport to feature artwork. Series A, version 1 was produced between 2006 and 2010, while an updated version 2 with technical changes and refreshed artwork was produced between 2010 and 2015. Version 1 showcased birds native to the
British Isles. The bio-data page was printed with a finely detailed background including a drawing of a
red grouse, and the entire page was protected from modification by a laminate which incorporates a
holographic image of the
kingfisher; visa pages were numbered and printed with detailed backgrounds including drawings of other birds: a
merlin,
curlew,
pied avocet, and
red kite. An
RFID chip and antenna were visible on the official observations page and held the same visual information as printed, including a digital copy of the photograph with biometric information for use with
facial recognition systems. The
Welsh and
Scottish Gaelic languages were included in all British passports for the first time, and appeared on the titles page replacing the official languages of the EU, although the EU languages still appeared faintly as part of the background design. Welsh and Scottish Gaelic preceded the official EU languages in the translations section. This resulted in Series A, version 2, which introduced minor security enhancements. The biometric chip was relocated from the official observations page to inside the cover, and the observations page itself was moved from the back of the passport to immediately after the data page. All new art was produced for version 2, this time with a coastal theme. Data and visa pages featured coastal scenes, wildlife and
meteorological symbols. The theme of the Series B passport was 'Creative United Kingdom', and HMPO described the Series B artwork as the most intricate ever featured in a British passport. Each double-spread page set featured artwork celebrating 500 years of achievements in art, architecture and innovation in the UK.
Ordnance Survey maps were also printed inside featuring places related to the imagery. A portrait of
William Shakespeare was embedded in each page as a watermark.
Series C (2020–2026) The introduction of the burgundy machine-readable passport between 1988 and 1993 had attracted criticism for their perceived flimsiness, mass-produced nature and sudden deviation from the traditional design. There was speculation regarding re-introduction of the old-style passport following the UK's withdrawal from the European Union. but the government denied any immediate plans. Such a change was supported by some due to its symbolic value, including Brexit Secretary
David Davis, while others thought the undue weight put on such a trivial change raised the question of whether the government was able to prioritise its order of business ahead of
Brexit. Nevertheless, the British passport was due for an update in 2020, as the existing De La Rue passport contract was expiring. On 2 April 2017,
Michael Fabricant MP said that De La Rue had stated that the coat of arms would "contrast better on navy blue than it currently does on the maroon passports" as part of their pre-tender discussions with the government. In December 2017, then
Immigration Minister Brandon Lewis announced that the blue passport would "return" after exit from the EU. either at a central printing facility, or, in the case of urgent, fast-tracked or premium-service passports, locally printed at application-processing centres in the UK. On 10 March 2020, the new Series C blue British passport officially began to be issued. Series B passports would also be issued while the Home Office used up old stock. On 25 September 2020,
HMPO announced all British passports issued would now be blue. Series C introduces a polycarbonate laser-engraved bio-data page with an embedded RFID chip. Also embedded in the data page is a decoding lens which optically unscrambles information hidden on the official observations page and inner front cover. The reverse of the polycarbonate data page serves as the title page and features a portrait-orientation photo of the bearer, reminiscent of pre-1988 passports. Series C features very little artwork, with a
compass rose being the only printed art. The passport has the
national flowers of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales (
Tudor Rose,
Shamrock,
Scotch Thistle and
Daffodil, respectively) embossed on the back cover. On 18 July 2023, The first British passports were issued featuring
King Charles III.
Series D (2025–) From December, Series D passports will be issued. In addition to updated security features, Series D passports will feature the current rendition of the
Royal Arms, reflecting the stylistic changes made after the accession of
Charles III. Additionally, visa pages will feature natural landscapes from across the United Kingdom, including
Ben Nevis (Scotland), the
Lake District (England),
Three Cliffs Bay (Wales), and
Giant's Causeway (Northern Ireland).
National identity cards Second World War The National Registration Act established a National Register which began operating on 29 September 1939 (National Registration Day), due to wartime requirements. This introduced a system of
identity cards, and an obligation that they must be carried by all persons and produced on demand, or presented to a police station within 48 hours. They included information such as name, age, address, and occupation. 65,000 enumerators across the country delivered forms to householders on the 'National Registration Day', which were required to record their details on. A few days later a completed identity card was issued for each of the residents. All cards at this time were the same brown/buff colour. Three main reasons for their introduction: • 1. The major dislocation of the population caused by mobilisation and mass evacuation and also the wartime need for complete manpower control and planning in order to maximise the efficiency of the war economy. • 2. The likelihood of
rationing (introduced from January 1940 onwards). • 3. Population statistics. As the last census had been held in 1931, there was little accurate data on which to base vital planning decisions. The National Register was in fact an instant census and the National Registration Act closely resembles the 1920 Census Act in many ways On 21 February 1952, it no longer became necessary to carry an identity card. The National Registration Act of 1939 was repealed on 22 May 1952.
2006 Identity Cards (abandoned) The
Identity Cards Act 2006 introduced identity cards for UK citizens and residents. They were valid for 10 years and contained a
ICAO-standard
biometric chip for security. The card was valid to all countries in the
European Economic Area (including the
European Union) as a travel document, as well as a handful of additional countries that accepted them. A separate green version of the card, not valid as a travel document, was also intended to be issued for resident EU citizens. The identity card scheme was voluntary by law for British citizens. The
Identity and Passport Service linked passport and identity card information to a common database, called the National Identity Register (NIR) and would have required any person applying for a passport or identity card to have their details entered into the NIR. Once registered, they would also have been obliged to update any change to their address and personal details. The identity card was launched in a pilot rollout from 2009 and cost £30. Later, it was envisaged private companies would be able to improve enrolment coverage and charge additional processing fees. However, the
2010 Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition Agreement scrapped the identity card scheme and the NIR. Around 15,000 were issued during their limited availability, until they were discontinued and invalidated in 2011. Nevertheless,
biometric passports, a major cost of the scheme, as well as
Biometric Residence Permits, continued to be rolled out.
Future Implementation In 2025,
Labour Together published a report recommending the UK introduce a digital identity card. In 2024, opinion polling showed that the introduction of digital identity cards in the UK held broad public support. In August 2025, it was reported that Keir Starmer was "seriously considering" the introduction of a digital identity system. Subsequently, in September it was announced that the UK would introduce mandatory digital IDs. After the announcement, polls showed that support of mandatory digital ID fell considerably, with 47% of the public against the proposal and 27% in favour. Subsequently, mandatory digital ID plans were dropped.
Five Nations Passport Group Since 2004, the United Kingdom has participated in the
Five Nations Passport Group, an international forum for cooperation between the passport issuing authorities in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States to "share best practices and discuss innovations related to the development of passport policies, products and practices". ==Types of British passports==