The British passport undergoes significant updates starting today, featuring a new cover, fresh internal images, and enhanced security elements to thwart criminals and counterfeiters. The latest design showcases the coat of arms of King Charles III for the first time, with the initial batch of 300 already in circulation.
Internally, the new design highlights four UNESCO-protected natural landscapes – Ben Nevis, the Lake District, Three Cliffs Bay, and the Giant’s Causeway – representing all four nations of the UK. This marks the first complete redesign of the UK Passport since 2020, incorporating advanced anti-forgery technology to make it the most secure passport ever produced.
Mike Tapp, the Minister for Migration and Citizenship, expressed pride in the new British passports, emphasizing the inclusion of His Majesty’s Coat of Arms and landscapes from all four nations to celebrate heritage while ensuring advanced security features. The HM Passport Office (HMPO) has integrated numerous security measures into passports since the introduction of the first modern version in 1915.
The Home Office recently concluded a four-year effort to transition over a billion UK passport records, such as names, dates of birth, and facial images, to a secure cloud-based platform. This new system has processed over 350 million successful queries, enabling HMPO to issue 4 million passports more efficiently. Additionally, this migration has reduced carbon emissions by 88%, equivalent to saving the emissions produced by driving 57,000 miles in an average petrol car annually.
In the first nine months of 2025, 5.1 million passports were issued on time, with 99.7% of simple applications processed within three weeks, according to government reports.