British passports will undergo a radical transformation before the end of 2025, with the first offical travel documents to bear King Charles III‘s Coat of Arms to be issued in December. The four nations of the UK will be represented through images of 4 UNESCO-protected natural landscapes – Ben Nevis, the Lake District, Three Cliffs Bay, and the Giant’s Causeway – as part of a revamped design.

What is being billed as the the most secure British passport ever produced will also incorporate cutting edge anti-forgery technology. This includes holographic and translucent features to make passports easier to verify and more difficult to forge or tamper with. The Government says the changes will tackle illegal entry by people with no right to be in the UK, delivering on the prime minister’s Plan for Change to secure Britain’s borders.

Minister for Migration and Citizenship, Mike Tapp said: “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.”

The updated passport is the first entirely new design since 2020 and comes as His Majesty’s Passport Office continues to deliver exceptional service to British citizens.

In the first six months of the year, more than 3.8 million passports were issued, with 99.7% of applications where no further information was required being processed within three weeks, above the target of 98.5%.

People are being advised to 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.

The first modern-style British passport was introduced in 1915, with the first security feature, a watermark, added in 1972.

Since then, HM Passport Office has added dozens of further security measures to frustrate criminals, including complex patterns which are hard to replicate and features only visible under UV light.