On 22 February the Home Office confirmed that the iconic dark blue British passport will return and will be issued from March this year, with full implementation rolled out in mid-2020. The new standard size passport will continue to have 34 pages, with the number of pages in the jumbo passport increasing from 50 pages to 54.
The first ever booklet style British passport was issued in 1921 during the reign of George V. It was written in French and consisted of 32 pages. The current burgundy passports came into circulation in 1988, in conformity with the format introduced by the European Economic Community.
Now, over 30 years later, the UK sees the return of the blue passport following the UK’s exit from the EU.
In addition to the change in colour, the passport will also feature the floral emblems of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on the back cover.
Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, said of the change: “Leaving the European Union gave us a unique opportunity to restore our national identity and forge a new path in the world. By returning to the iconic blue and gold design, the British passport will once again be entwined with our national identity and I cannot wait to travel on one”.
In addition to its new look, the new passport will be the most technologically advanced in terms of data protection whilst its production will be environmentally friendly, with the net carbon footprint being reduced to zero.
The Home Office have confirmed that British citizens with valid burgundy passports can continue to travel on these until they expire.
Gherson are specialist immigration advisors with a wealth of experience dealing with all types of UK immigration and British nationality matters including applications to the Passport Office. If you have any questions relating to British passports or British nationality, please do not hesitate to contact us.
The information in this blog is for general information purposes only and does not purport to be comprehensive or to provide legal advice. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the information and law is current as of the date of publication it should be stressed that, due to the passage of time, this does not necessarily reflect the present legal position. Gherson accepts no responsibility for loss which may arise from accessing or reliance on information contained in this blog. For formal advice on the current law please don’t hesitate to contact Gherson. Legal advice is only provided pursuant to a written agreement, identified as such, and signed by the client and by or on behalf of Gherson.
©Gherson 2020
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