On December 2, 2025, the United Kingdom began issuing the first British passports to feature the Coat of Arms of His Majesty King Charles III, marking the first redesign of the document since 2020.
This new generation of passports represents both continuity and renewal — celebrating the nation’s heritage while introducing advanced security measures that make it the most secure British passport ever produced.
As in the previous UK passport design, all variations of the passport have a dark blue cover. The introduction of His Majesty’s Coat of Arms signals the transition to the new reign, incorporating subtle design changes, including the use of the rounded Tudor Crown rather than the St Edward’s Crown that featured on Queen Elizabeth II’s Coat of Arms.
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| 2020 Passport Cover with St. Edward’s Crown | 2025 Passport Cover with rounded Tudor Crown |
The updated design reflects the four nations of the United Kingdom through imagery of four UNESCO*-protected natural landscapes: Ben Nevis (Scotland), the Lake District (England), Three Cliffs Bay (Wales), and the Giant’s Causeway (Northern Ireland). These iconic scenes replace previous imagery and showcase the diversity and beauty of the UK’s natural environment.
Visa pages feature four UNESCO-protected landscapes
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| Ben Nevis (Scotland) | Lake District (England) |
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| Three Cliffs Bay (Wales) | Giant’s Causeway (Northern Ireland) |
Since the introduction of the first modern-style British passport in 1915, the UK has continually enhanced the document’s design and security. The first watermark appeared in 1972, and since then like most passports, it has introduced dozens of complex designs and embedded features.
This new passport carries on the continual improvement in design and security and incorporates the latest anti-forgery and security technologies, with cutting-edge holographic and translucent polycarbonate features that make the document easier to authenticate and significantly harder to forge or tamper with.
Passports featuring the new design will be issued in all of the UK crown dependencies and territories, including:
- Gibraltar
- Guernsey
- Jersey
- Isle of Man
- Anguilla
- Bermuda
- British Virgin Islands
- Cayman Islands
- Montserrat
- St Helena
- Turks and Caicos Islands
Passports bearing the previous Coat of Arms will remain valid until their expiry date, ensuring a smooth transition for UK travelers.
*United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Sources/References:
His Majesty’s Passport Office (HMPO)
Phil is a Document Expert at Keesing Technologies with 21+ years in document authentication and fraud prevention. Former Operational fraud lead at the DVLA, he has trained UK Government, MOD, and Police officers from the UK, Italy, Spain, Nigeria and Kosovo. He has helped redesign documents and advance Forensic ID verification technologies. Awarded a Queens Honour for reducing UK transport fraud, Phil’s work has prevented millions in losses and enhanced global document security.
