Brits renewing their passports post-December 2025 will be in for a surprise as they’ll receive a completely redesigned travel document, according to the Home Office. The new passports will be the first to display His Majesty King Charles III’s Coat of Arms.
The officials are touting that the latest version, equipped with state-of-the-art anti-forgery technology, will be the “most secure British passport ever produced”. The revolutionary holographic and translucent features will make the documents easier to verify whilst being virtually impossible to forge or tamper with. However, there’s no need for Brits to rush out and renew their current passports once the updated version is launched.
Holidaymakers with blue passports bearing Queen Elizabeth II’s Coat of Arms can continue using their existing document until it expires. The revamped design will proudly feature all four UK nations through four UNESCO-protected landscapes:
- Ben Nevis – The highest mountain in Scotland
- The Lake District – England’s largest national park
- Three Cliffs Bay – A distinctive coastal area in Wales
- The Giant’s Causeway – An iconic World Heritage Site in Northern Ireland
Minister for Migration and Citizenship, Mike Tapp announced: “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.”
This update is the first major redesign of British passports since 2020. Brexit prompted officials to abandon the burgundy EU format in favour of blue covers adorned with a golden Royal crest.
The Home Office confirmed: “People should check their passport’s validity and apply in good time ahead of any planned travel. Passports issued with the Coat of Arms of Queen Elizabeth II remain valid until the expiry date.”
Britain’s inaugural modern passport launched in 1915, with security receiving its initial enhancement in 1972 through watermark technology. Since that time, HM Passport Office has implemented numerous additional protective measures to maintain British passports ahead of counterfeiters, featuring complex artwork that proves challenging to replicate and unique elements visible solely under ultraviolet illumination.
The official Royal Family website clarifies that exclusively the Sovereign may utilise the Royal Coat of Arms. It explains: “In the design the shield shows the various Royal emblems of different parts of the United Kingdom: the three lions of England in the first and fourth quarters, the lion of Scotland in the second and the harp of Ireland in the third.
“It is surrounded by a garter bearing the motto Honi soit qui mal y pense (‘Evil to him who evil thinks’), which symbolises the Order of the Garter, an ancient order of knighthood of which the Queen is Sovereign.
“The shield is supported by the English lion on the left and Scottish unicorn on the right and is surmounted by the Royal crown. Below it appears the motto of the Sovereign, Dieu et mon droit (‘God and my right’).
“The plant badges of the United Kingdom – rose, thistle and shamrock – are often displayed beneath the shield.”